Interim New Zealand Warriors coach Stacey Jones has provided more details around why he dropped Reece Walsh to the bench for their clash against the Canberra Raiders.
When the team lists were announced on Tuesday, Walsh’s demotion became a major talking point with the flyer continuously one of the New Zealand side's best performers, ever since he linked with the club last year.
Jones has instead chosen Chanel Harris-Tavita to play at fullback, with the 46-year-old clearly unimpressed with Walsh's recent displays.
"We're looking for a more consistent performance at the back," Jones said, while eluding to the team requiring more solidity in their defence to climb back up the ladder.
“I thought Chanel a couple of weeks ago showed that in just a couple of effort areas.
“I thought I needed to make a change in that position and Chanel proved the week before…it’s basically around defence where he works hard and gets the numbers right.”
While criticising Walsh's input in defence, Jones highlighted how his enthusiasm to always get involved in attack also negatively impacted on the team at times.
“One thing he does do is he goes 100 miles per hour and sometimes that can become a bit of a downfall for the team,” the coach said.
“For Reece, it’s a bit of a learning thing for him…he can learn from it.”
Walsh has been in the news a lot recently, with his shock switch back to the Brisbane Broncos taking many by surprise a few weeks ago.
He initially left Red Hill in search of first-grade opportunities, which he gained with the Warriors, but will reunite with his boyhood club in 2023.
"It's great news for all Broncos people," Broncos coach Kevin Walters said at the time of his signing.
"Reece was one of those boys we lost last year due to a contractual situation, but we're very pleased to say we'll get him back next year.
"He's a terrific young footballer and I felt like he always belonged in Brisbane. So, it's great news that he's coming back to the Broncos.”
