Why Walsh’s GOAT stunner may have ended Bellamy; the Storm star Mam rattled — Crawls

Lockyer, Inglis, Hayne, Turbo, Tedesco, Edwards … Slater.

When we judge the great modern-day fullbacks, these are the names at the top of the list.

And for a long time now, it’s been Billy Slater who is always considered the benchmark — the best of the best. But not even Slater at his absolute elite was capable of what Reece Walsh delivered to carry the Broncos to the club’s first premiership in 19 years.

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Put simply, no one still alive has witnessed a player combine every facet that makes a rugby league footballer — the skill, speed, power, strength and stamina, along with physical and mental toughness — and mould it into what Walsh produced in what is now being called the greatest grand final performance of all.

What’s more, it came on the back of arguably the greatest finals series from an individual player in memory.

Up with Jarryd Hayne’s run of 2009, and Ben Barba in 2012.

Yet what made Walsh’s effort even more astounding is that you only need to go back five weeks to see how much he has transformed his game in a short period of time.

After making six errors in a rocks and diamonds display in the Broncos’ round 26 win over the Cowboys, Walsh redefined his reputation in his final four matches.

Taking his game to a level never previously witnessed from any player, in any position, of any era.

Now that may sound like a ridiculously over-the-top comment.

But not when you factor in how Walsh has not only totally obliterated the opposition along the way, but also silenced all the questions that had been previously hanging over him, simply by minimising his mistakes while continuing to push his freaky skills to the absolute limit.

Walsh also transformed from a defensive liability to a rock-solid tackling machine, while finding a way to inspire his team no matter what challenge/scoreboard deficit was in front of him.

It started against the Storm in the final round of the regular season when Walsh guided the Broncos to a much-needed confidence boosting victory over their long-time bogey team.

Then in the first week of the finals Walsh returned from the sin bin (after that now infamous headbutt on Hudson Young) to spark an astonishing comeback.

He almost single-handedly carried the Broncos to an epic extra time win over the Raiders after trailing by 16 points (with less than 20 remaining minutes in the match).

No one in their right mind would have thought he could back that up against the Panthers in the prelim final, when the Broncos were trailing by 14 points.

Yet Walsh sent the four-time reigning premiers crashing out with another five-star performance, this time with Nathan Cleary left in Walsh’s wake.

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But to cap it all off in the grand final, Walsh took it all to the next level again against the Storm’s all-star spine of Grant, Hughes, Munster and Papenhuyzen.

From the silky passes to bone jarring defence that saved the game on multiple occasions, the electric footwork and a solo try for the ages — where Walsh beat five Storm defenders on his way to a miraculous first half try.

It was show of speed, skill, strength and power all in one mesmerising play.

But even right up until the final seconds it was as if the Broncos’ superstar fullback just refused to be denied — when Walsh played poker with a rampaging Eli Katoa.

After busting through the line, Katoa looked certain to send Ryan Papenhuyzen over for what would have been the match-winner.

But showing nerves of steel, Walsh held himself back just long enough to commit Katoa to have to draw and pass, as Walsh peeled off and launched himself at Papenhuyzen like a lightning bolt to shut down the play.

It was one final moment that defined just how far Walsh has come this finals series.

Yet the scariest thing for his rivals is what could come next now Walsh has realised what he is truly capable of.

Given Walsh is still only 23, he has potentially a decade of football still ahead of him.

You certainly can’t judge a career by what a player achieves in one finals series, or even a season.

For all the champions, that has always been the common theme when judging their greatness — longevity defines all the legends.

And while God-given ability is what gets them there, hard work is always what keeps them at the top.

Which is now the challenge for Walsh.

Knowing the sky is truly the limit providing Walsh can keep his ego in check, and he works as hard next year as he obviously did in his first season under Michael Maguire’s coaching.

HERE ARE REECE WALSH’S STATS FROM R24 ONWARDS...

Via Fox Sports Lab

Tries: 7 (=4th in NRL, three players 1st on 8)

Try assists: 12 (1st, James Tedesco 2nd on 9)

Try involvements: 21 (1st, Nathan Cleary 2nd on 16)

Tackle busts: 73 (1st, Eliesa Katoa 2nd on 49)

Linebreak assists: 22 (1st, Tedesco 2nd on 11)

40/20: 4 (1st, two players 2nd on 2)

WALSH’S STUNNING TRYLINE PLAY TO DENY BIG TUI

Another moment that defined the grand final was Walsh’s desperate tackle that denied Tui Kamicamica an early second half try.

That would have pushed the Storm’s lead out to 16 points.

Go back and watch that effort from Walsh and it was arguably the biggest play in the match.

How he jolted the big Storm forward just hard enough to make Kamicamica drop the ball just millimetres short of a touch down that could have made it almost impossible for the Broncos.

Instead, the Broncos went down the other end and scored soon after.

MADGE EARNS HIS PLACE AMONG COACHING GREATS

For all the criticism Maguire has copped over the years for his hard-nosed coaching style, there is just no denying he also now must rank among the great coaches of the modern game.

A premiership with South Sydney in 2014, one prior to that with Wigan in the Super League, throw in a win for the Kiwis over the Kangaroos, and a State of Origin series victory for the Blues.

Maguire also joins a select group of coaches who have won comps at two different NRL clubs — on a list that includes Jack Gibson, Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens.

But for the Broncos to come back like they did when trailing in three consecutive finals matches must now surely rank as Maguire’s greatest coaching achievement.

And it would be especially satisfying after the way he was unceremoniously dumped by Wests Tigers.

As good as the drought-breaking premiership win was with the Bunnies, to achieve this after all the backlash Maguire has been forced to front in the years since would make this extra special.

It also points to the fitness levels as well as the mental toughness Maguire has instilled in a team that was previously labelled as soft by many outside the club.

MAM SHOWS HIS MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Most people will agree Ezra Mam’s nine-match suspension to start the season was never enough.

That said, it is not Mam’s fault the NRL allowed him to come back when he did.

So he had every right to be playing in the grand final.

And if we are judging him on his performance on Sunday night — and not past history — then the skill and toughness Mam showed when coming off the bench will and should also go down as one of the great grand final efforts.

Aside from Walsh, Mam was clearly the Broncos’ next best.

Not just his class as a ball player, but some of his defence plays were equally huge.

He absolutely terrorised big Storm winger Will Warbrick who looked completely rattled.

If Mam didn’t play, I don’t think the Broncos win.

I maintain he should have started the game at five-eighth ahead of Ben Hunt.

STEFANO’S SLEDGING COMES BACK TO BITE

Poor Stefano Utoikamanu will never live down his pre-match “stuck up” sledge directed at the Broncos.

There is little doubt Stefano directed it at Reece Walsh, Jordan Riki and probably a few others.

But Walsh had the last laugh with his post-match “Stefano’s stuck, we’re f***ing up baby” taunt.

You can only imagine how furious the Storm would be in hindsight given how little moments like that obviously played into Walsh’s hands throughout the finals series.

Don’t forget how Walsh responded to the constant barrage the Raiders threw at him.

It was as if he savoured every single moment and threw it back 10 times harder.

SHAMBOLIC SIN BIN INCONSISTENCIES NEED TO BE FIXED

In the fair dinkum stakes, the game needs to do something over the summer to sort out the shambolic inconsistency when it comes to the use of the sin bin we saw throughout this entire finals series.

How do you go from seeing Hudson Young sin binned in week one of the finals after copping a headbutt from Reece Walsh.

To the flare up in last week’s prelim final involving the Broncos and Panthers after Ezra Mam’s tackle on Nathan Cleary when no one was sin binned.

Then multiple incidents in the grand final that were deemed penalty sufficient — including Walsh’s shoulder charge on Xavier Coates, and Brendan Piakura’s late shot on Ryan Papenhuyzen.

Yet late in the game Trent Loiero was sin binned for a high shot on Piakura.

As Billy Slater said on Channel Nine: “There’s been about three sin bins today if we’re going to be honest”.

You can’t have rules in place for the entire season and then throw them out come finals time.

STORM IN A WORLD OF HURT

Has Craig Bellamy just missed his final chance to win another premiership?

Losing back-to-back grand finals is going to be incredibly difficult to fight back from.

But don’t forget next year will also likely be Bellamy’s last at Melbourne.

And it will be especially hard for Bellamy to pick his players up given how the Storm appeared to be cruising to victory when they led 22-10 at halftime.

At that point you thought all they needed to do was keep playing disciplined footy and rest would look after itself.

But it was so un-Storm-like how they continued to present the Broncos with opportunities, while some of Melbourne’s defence and discipline also fell well short of the standards they have become famous for over the years.

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