The Broncos may have got the two points against the Gold Coast Titans in their blockbuster derby, but it has come at a cost, with Reece Walsh suffering a suspected broken cheekbone and a concussion.
While Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds picked up a groin injury and had to be replaced by Ben Hunt just before the half-hour mark, in Brisbane’s 26-12 win over the Titans on Saturday night.
Michael Maguire’s troubles would soon get even worse as Walsh got a tackle all wrong in the closing seconds of the first half.
The superstar fullback got his head in the wrong spot trying to stop Kurtis Morrin, which left him sprawled out on the ground.
The 23-year-old was taken off for a concussion test looking worse for wear.
But it never even got that far with the independent doctor intervening and ruling him out of the match after deeming the Broncos No. 1 had shown clear and obvious signs of concussion (Category 1 HIA).
It was a terrible end to Walsh’s 100th NRL match, in which he scored after just two minutes of play.
Walsh will now enter NRL’s concussion protocol with an associated 11-day stand-down period, meaning he will also miss Brisbane’s next match.
However, he could be out far longer with Ben Hunt revealing post-match Walsh may have broke his cheekbone.
“I don’t think ‘Reyno’ is too bad, he will go for scans, but I just got told ‘Reecey’ broke his cheekbone, so that could be a few weeks,” Hunt told Fox League.
The Broncos No.1 took to Snapchat shortly after the match to share a video with a green whistle in hospital. It was quickly deleted.
Walsh has fractured his cheekbone twice before in 2023 and 2024 and if he has done so again, he could face between three and six weeks on the sidelines.
