A car ride with copious amounts of coffee alongside Josh Addo-Carr helped calm Josh Reynolds before a memorable return to first grade on Sunday evening as the ‘Prince of Belmore’ learned to adjust to a faster brand of footy.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo praised Reynolds after Canterbury registered a thrilling golden point 15-14 win over North Queensland.
Six years since his last NRL outing, the dream return couldn’t have been any sweeter for Reynolds as he watched Matt Burton nail a difficult long-range field goal in the 85th minute.
“He makes us a better team,” said Ciraldo of Reynolds. “He’s going to have his challenges out there, he played in the middle there … but he gives us some utility value.
“Who knows what the future holds … but the way he handled himself tonight showed that he’s a real asset to our team.”
Reynolds, playing a role in the middle of the field, as opposed to in the halves, was surprised by the speed of the game.
“I’m not going to lie, I was blowing [exhausted],” Reynolds said. “It’s a different beast in the middle but the boys got me through.
“It’s completely different for me, the new position. I’ve been trying to get a better understanding of it because that could be a role I could play. It’s fast, far out.
“Some of the times I was getting back from a tackle and then I had big [Jason] Taumalolo coming at me. It’s a scary sight … it’s very different. Even penalties, the boys are kicking them straight out and into touch. There’s no rest. I enjoy the game fast and I’ll have to get used to the speed.”
The 33-year-old drove to Sydney Olympic Park with Addo-Carr, who scored the match-equalling try with 45 seconds remaining. Burton missed a conversion to win the match but made up for it minutes later in front of a vociferous home crowd.
“I actually got a lift in with ‘Foxx’ which made me feel heaps better,” Reynolds said. “We didn’t stop talking and he stopped in for six coffees on the way.
“I was trying to tell myself I wasn’t nervous today but I wasn’t hungry one bit. I always eat game day. Coming off the bench too, it was a bit foreign to me. I got up about six times [on the bench]. When they actually told me, I was like ‘nah this isn’t it’. They actually gave me the card and it was pretty cool. I heard the crowd cheer me on and my first tackle I got called offside and they went straight through, so it wasn’t the greatest of starts.
“To go out there and finish like that, it’s a very, very special day to be a part of.”
The Bulldogs have a five-day turnaround before facing the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on Friday and all indications suggest Reynolds will get another opportunity off the bench.
“That’s a good sign,” said Reynolds when told of Ciraldo’s praise. “There’ll be plenty for me to work on. I’ll get back to the drawing board and get ready for a big Good Friday clash.”
Reynolds’ favourite memory of Bulldogs and Rabbitohs clashes was the day James Graham pointed his knuckle in anger at referee Gerard Sutton in 2015.
“Honestly, that’s what I think about straight away, it’s so funny,” Reynolds said. “We’ve had some cracking games against each other. I’m sure all the boys will want to get up.”
