Matthew Johns has defended Reece Walsh's ability to perform on the big stage after he earned criticism for his performance in the 2023 Grand Final.
The Broncos fullback was on the receiving end of criticism from fans and pundits after the Broncos gave up a lead to fall 26-24 to the Penrith Panthers on Sunday evening in the 2023 NRL Grand Final - especially involving his defensive capabilities.
Speaking on SEN 1170 The Round Up, Matthew Johns defended the star youngster's ability to perform on the big stage, stating that his performances in the State of Origin arena were spectacular. However, he admitted Walsh struggled against Penrith.
“He was very good in State of Origin, let's not take that away from him,” Johns said on SEN 1170 The Round Up.
“For whatever reason last night, he just couldn't find his niche in the game, a lot of that can be put down to Penrith and how they defended him.
“It was only one performance, yes, it was a big game, but he's proven himself at Origin level which still is the biggest test.”
“He found it very hard to get into the game… which meant he couldn't find a rhythm, so when he did get an opportunity, he sort of overplayed his hand and tried to force it."
Johns would go on to praise Walsh's counterpart, Dylan Edwards, insisting the Queenslander's lack of experience in finals and age played a large role in his performance.
“Dylan Edwards, everything he does is so sounds, there's not a lot of flash about him but he just gets it done,” Johns added.
“On Reece, it's going to be a tricky off-season coming up, a lot of us have spoken about this because we've seen it before, with young Reece, the level of fame, his natural personality, it's going to be tricky.
“The example was through the week, where some kid gives his mate the camera, stands in the foreground and says, ‘Moses Leota's going to take your head off', and he turns around and has a go at the kid.
“This is just a little bit of a snapshot of what is going to happen in Reece's life, where people will do something and they're after a reaction.
“There's going to be aspects of Reece's life that's going to be a little bit tricky.”
