Brisbane coach Kevin Walters says he expects fullback Reece Walsh to let his football do the talking when he returns from a three-week suspension against South Sydney on Friday night.
Any talking to on-field officials will be left to captain Adam Reynolds, a fact that Walsh has taken on board after he was suspended for contrary conduct in the 16-12 loss to the Gold Coast when a foul-mouthed rant at the end of the match landed him in hot water with the NRL judiciary.
Walsh is one of the most competitive players that Walters has coached but the Broncos are confident that incidents such as his running battle with referee Chris Butler in the Titans clash are a thing of the past.
“We’ve had our chats but it was just a heat of the moment thing with Reece and we’ll work on that with him,” Walters told AAP ahead of the Rabbitohs clash at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
“He wants to win and win at all costs, and that is a great attitude that he does have.
“It is the type of competitive person that he is, but he just has to be respectful of those adjudicating the game and to his players as well.
“We encourage him to speak to his own players on the field but certainly not to the adjudicators, and that’s referees or touch judges.”
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a stellar year. He played a crucial role in the opening two wins of the series for Queensland in his introduction to State of Origin football.
Walsh has 16 try assists and 20 line break assists for the Broncos this season, placing him in the top five in the NRL this year in both key performance metrics.
Walters said Walsh’s return would be a huge boost against the Rabbitohs as the Broncos aim to finish the season in the vital top four.
“It is a great inclusion for us. Walshy has been tremendous for us all year and we expect him to finish off the season strongly,” Walters said.
“His Origin experience was a good one and very positive for him. We will help him transfer that into clubland with the Broncos.
“Everyone likes to play footy every week and it might take him a couple of weeks to adjust to the speed of the game and all the other things that go with rugby league, but we expect him to be good for us.”