Kevin Walters slammed for Reece Walsh and Adam Reynolds act amid concerning scenes in NRL win

Broncos coach Kevin Walters has come under fire for not taking off Reece Walsh and Adam Reynolds until the final moments of Saturday night's 34-10 win over the Wests Tigers despite the pair being in visible discomfort. Walsh pulled up grabbing the back of his leg after making a line break with 15 minutes left in the match.

The star fullback was attended to by the Brisbane trainer but was not substituted and continued to hobble around the field. He battled through 10 minutes of pain at the end of the Broncos' win before he eventually left the field. At various stages, Walsh was seen clutching at his calf and knee and was also unable to move at one point while also vomiting on the field shortly after scoring the second of his two tries.

After the game, Walters played down concerns over Walsh's welfare, confirming that the superstar fullback did not suffer an injury in the win over the Tigers and is in no doubt for Friday night’s grudge match with the Sydney Roosters. "He (Walsh) had vomiting first and then he had the cramps,” Walters said. "He had every injury known to man tonight, but he’s OK, he’ll be right for next week, so that’s a good thing."

While Adam Reynolds could barely stand towards the end of the match. The Brisbane half was made to stumble back into the defensive line in the closing minutes and even managed to take an intercept while he could barely move. Despite that incredible effort, many fans were furious that both he and Walsh weren't taken off despite being in visible pain in a game that was far from competitive. Fans flocked to social media to condemn Walter's decision to allow the pair to play on, labelling it 'madness'.

Kevin Walters confident Broncos are only getting better

The Broncos have endured a bit of a grand final hangover in 2024, at times showing glimpses of their scintillating best and at others moments of mediocrity. But with the win over the Tigers, Brisbane have now won three on the bounce and Walters says they are only getting better.

Despite Brisbane not being at their best on Saturday, they are clearly a team trending in the right direction. The Broncos have been battered by injuries to key men in the past month but have still managed to win four of their past five.

In another promising sign, in his return from knee surgery Payne Haas looked as strong as ever. And despite losing key members of last year’s grand final side, the Broncos are shaping up to be a more finished product by the end of this season.

“I’ve got a really clear picture of what the picture in the puzzle looks like,” Walters said. But we’ve got to get it right and we haven’t yet. We’re round eight, so I’m not alarmed. I’m not alarmed, but I’d like us to be playing a little bit better. I’m very confident with the group that we have, that we’re going to have a great season.”

Benji Marshall's Tigers woes continue at Campbelltown

The Tigers' loss to Brisbane on Saturday means they have now lost 10 straight at Campbelltown since June 2020. With two wins in their first three games of the 2024 season, they looked like they had a new lease on life under Benji Marshall.

RELATED:

• Phil Gould lifts the lid on Josh Schuster's next NRL move

• Maika Sivo brain snap in Eels loss thrusts his NRL career into doubt

But since then the joint venture is looking more like the side that has been nailed to the bottom of the ladder in recent years. The Tigers now sit 13th on the ladder after four straight defeats.

"We showed moments tonight, especially the way we started the first half," Marshall said. "And we did against Penrith (last week) for 63 minutes. Everyone just wants us to turn it around overnight, but it doesn't happen like that."