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Of all the mind-numbing Zoom calls which littered the NRL world during the early pandemic days, one sticks out most: a hastily arranged Sunday conference when the boss of a struggling club made his star teenager squirm, only hours after he had rolled out of the Gold Coast nightclubs.<\/p>\n
Reece Walsh barely had time to go home after one crazy off-season night when Warriors chief executive Cameron George gave him an ultimatum: front up and then we\u2019ll all move on.<\/p>\n
Walsh had been busted by police in possession of cocaine. Fidgeting in his seat alongside George and his agent Nash Dawson, Walsh spoke about the mistake he\u2019d made barely 12 hours earlier. The story was gone within a day.<\/p>\n
Before the next time they properly sat down as a trio, George headed to a meeting at a Brisbane cafe dreading what was about to happen, maybe as much as Walsh\u2019s confession in late 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a feeling I knew what was coming,\u201d George says.<\/p>\n
What was coming would be a once-in-a-generation talent telling George he didn\u2019t want to play for the Warriors any longer, asking to be released from his contract so he could stay in Brisbane with his daughter Leila. The nomadic Warriors, based in Queensland along with the rest of the NRL competition, were only months away from returning to New Zealand permanently.<\/p>\n
Do you try to persuade him to stay? Really dig your heels in? Or just move on?<\/p>\n
George just sat there and listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understood Reece\u2019s reasons, and we wanted him to be a dad,\u201d George says. \u201cBeing separated from his daughter would have been heart-wrenching for him. He\u2019s a good kid. But we had to do it on the proviso we had a replacement. He understood that and they knew he just couldn\u2019t walk out.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I said to him, \u2018where do you want to go?\u2019 I was half expecting him to say the Dolphins. But he said, \u2018I want to go to the Broncos. I want to go back home to them\u2019.<\/p>\n
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Warriors boss Cameron George.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cHis heart was set on the Broncos, so that\u2019s why it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Within a couple of days, the Warriors had identified former Canberra star Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad as wishing to return to New Zealand to be closer to his own kids. It was a perfect fit.<\/p>\n Walsh and Dawson quickly \u2013 and quietly \u2013 negotiated a deal with Walsh\u2019s junior club and the greatest signing no one saw coming was done.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could have made him come back to New Zealand, but he couldn\u2019t have been a father to his daughter,\u201d George says. \u201cWe\u2019re a family club and we understand it.<\/p>\n \u201cCharnze wanted to be home with his kids, too. They\u2019re humans. You\u2019ve only got to look at both of them, and they\u2019re responding on the field because they\u2019re happy.\u201d<\/p>\n On Saturday night, Walsh will hope to end the NRL\u2019s feelgood story of the year as the Broncos\u2019 No.1 gun when Brisbane host the Warriors in a grand final qualifier at Suncorp Stadium.<\/p>\n There\u2019s not even an argument when it comes to the buy of the season such has been Walsh\u2019s imperious form this year, and it\u2019s only triggered smiles from those who handed him an NRL debut when he was 18, forcing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the wing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had his chance and took it with us,\u201d George says. \u201cWe looked after him and he\u2019s gone onto great things. He\u2019s a terrific kid and a terrific player and you\u2019ve only got to watch him this year to see how well he\u2019s going when he\u2019s really happy and at home.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we get a lot of satisfaction out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live and free on <\/b>9Now<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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