By Joel Gould
The Broncos will be sweating on scans of fullback Reece Walsh’s right knee as coach Michael Maguire considers further changes to the side’s spine.
The Broncos played dumb football in their 20-18 golden-point loss to the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday night.
Walsh was one of the culprits when his kick-off to start the golden point went dead on the full and Warriors half Luke Metcalf landed a 50-metre penalty to win the game.
Walsh was injured in the opening minutes and had his right knee strapped by the trainer. The 22-year-old played out the match but was limping at times and restricted to just 50 metres from seven runs.
The Broncos host competition leaders Canterbury on Thursday night and will need all their players at their peak.
“He’s done something to his knee, so it was a credit to him to fight through the game,” Maguire said.
Reece Walsh scores a try against the Warriors.Credit: Getty Images
“There is something there we need to have a look at, and we need to get a scan around that. We will have to wait and see whether he is right to play over the next couple of weeks.”
In his worst display of the year, five-eighth Ben Hunt made four errors and was shifted to hooker in the second half, with Billy Walters switching to No.6.
Walters had moved from the bench to start at hooker in place of regular run-on rake Cory Paix.
The side played better with Hunt at hooker and Walters at six. Maguire said he was still working out where he wanted his playmakers ahead of the Bulldogs clash.
Ben Hunt had his worst match of the year with four errors.Credit: Getty Images
“I am still learning about the players,” he said. “In the game, we were under pressure and things weren’t going our way, so I thought I’d make a bit of a change.
“When Hunty jumped into dummy-half and Billy played at No.6, it just added something to us. That subtle change put us in a position to almost take the game, so it was nice to see the boys adapt.”
The Broncos trailed 18-6 late in the game but fought back. They had a chance to win it in the final seconds of regular time, but were unable to get into position for a field goal.
Maguire said there was effort and fight, but conceded “we need to be smarter”.
Captain Adam Reynolds said the Broncos did not use a strong wind at their backs in the first half, whereas the Warriors did.
AAP
