Latest news with #CooperCronk
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Broncos fans call out concerning Reece Walsh images as Origin recall in jeopardy
NRL fans were left concerned as Reece Walsh lined-up to play for the Broncos after he was struggling in the warm-up, before a number of individual errors cost his team. The Broncos were looking to string two performances together for the first time in a while as they entered the clash at Suncorp after a victory two weeks ago against the Titans. However, Walsh was visibly struggling when going through his routine with his right leg still strapped. Walsh returned from his MCL injury two weeks ago and appeared to be rejuvenated. However, the 22-year-old wasn't moving as well ahead of the Sharks clash and it was pointed out by Fox Sports sideline reporter Eloise Sohier. "Reece Walsh warmed-up metres away from me. He looked really uncomfortable. He called for extra strapping on that right knee," she said. And Melbourne Storm legend Cooper Cronk suggested he wasn't moving well in the first play of the game. "His first touch off the scrum wasn't exactly dynamic," Cronk said in commentary. This prompted questions to why Michael Maguire played Walsh when he was visibly struggling with his knee injury. And the pressure quickly piled on the Broncos having entered half-time 22-12 down after some horror defensive efforts. Walsh was involved in one when Teig Wilton made a break through the Broncos line and easily stepped back on the inside past the fullback. Walsh looked slow to react, clearly hampered by his injury. He was also at fault for rushing off the line in the Sharks' first try in the second-half with Brisbane looking in disarray. Many tipped Walsh to return to the Queensland No.1 jersey if could string a few games together. However, Walsh's grimacing before kick-off wouldn't fill Maguire or Queensland coach Billy Slater with much confidence. And fans were left concerned over Walsh's participation for Brisbane after struggling through the first 40 minutes. Seriously if Reece Walsh still carrying a injury why is he playing?#sharksbroncos #sharks #broncos — Leith Ross (@xKingLJx) June 22, 2025 Another concern for the Broncos and NSW was the injury to Payne Haas. The NSW prop has been the best player for the Blues and Broncos in 2025, but carried a groin injury into Game 2 of Origin. And it appeared to be limiting him early in the clash against the Sharks with the forward leaving the field and heading straight down the tunnel. In good news for both teams, Haas returned with extra strapping and continued for his side. Both Maguire and NSW coach Laurie Daley will be hoping the best prop in the game remains fit with the forward a key player for both sides. Walsh's season was disrupted by a knee injury that sidelined him for six weeks, but he returned with two tries in the Broncos' thrashing of the Titans a fortnight ago. The 22-year-old has played five Origin games to date, and has clashes with the Sharks and Warriors to state his case for selection in Game 3. "When you are a Queenslander, that's all you want to do," Walsh said after the Titans game about a possible call-up. "If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go. If he doesn't, I'll still be cheering the boys and backing them at home."
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Cronk: Katoa 'among the BEST'
NRL: Cooper Cronk has declared Isaiya Katoa as one of the best halves in the NRL after the Dolphins scored over 160 points in their last three games.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
'Always give a champion an opportunity'
NRL: Cooper Cronk has called for captain Daly Cherry-Evans to retain his halfback jersey after his incredible bounce back against the Broncos.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
'Symbolic' – NSW won from the 1st set
NRL: Matty Johns and Cooper Cronk believe that the Blues opening set was the moment when New South Wales took control of the Origin opener.
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Broncos v Dragons, Raiders v Titans, Tigers v Rabbitohs: Live NRL scores, news, SuperCoach analysis
Queensland halfback great Cooper Cronk has delivered a candid assessment of Ezra Mam, saying the Broncos pivot should not have been picked for Sunday's clash against the Dragons. Cronk, one of the code's greatest playmakers, believes the controversial Mam should have been made to earn the famous Broncos No.6 jumper with a longer stint in reserve grade. Mam makes his long-awaited comeback to the big league on Sunday when he runs out against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium after serving a nine-match ban for his drug-driving indiscretion. Mam has become one of the most polarising figures in the code – the grand-final pivot was heavily booed when his face appeared on the Suncorp Stadium screen during Magic Round. The 22-year-old hasn't played NRL for 288 days and made his return to rugby league with a handy hitout for feeder club Souths Logan last Sunday at Davies Park. A hamstring injury to incumbent five-eighth Ben Hunt against Souths last week has expedited Mam's return to the Broncos scrumbase, but Cronk believes coach Michael Maguire should play hardball. 'I'd still have Mam in reserves, whether Ben Hunt's there or not,' Cronk told this masthead. 'I know the Ben Hunt injury has probably not forced his (Maguire's) hand but he has brought Ezra Mam back in, and he can be a fit. 'He can easily spark the Broncos back, but I wouldn't have brought Ezra Mam back in.' During his time in NRL exile, Mam spent time working on a building site. Banned from driving, he has been relying on lifts from teammates to get to Broncos training or completing 15km round-trip walks from his Brisbane home. Cronk says keeping Mam in second-tier football would have been another character-building lesson, regardless of Brisbane's scrumbase injury dilemma. 'I would have kept him in reserve grade in Queensland in the Hostplus Cup and made him earn his right, because I think if there's a sense of earning everything in the Broncos, I think they're a very good team,' Cronk said. 'If there's a sense of it's just going to happen, I think that could be a downfall for them. 'If I was Michael Maguire, Ezra Mam would be still playing reserve grade for me.' The Broncos go into the Red V clash teetering with a 5-5 record and pressure is building on Maguire to get Brisbane rolling amid speculation of player unrest at Red Hill. But Cronk insists Maguire is the right coach to break Brisbane's 19-year premiership drought – just as he did at South Sydney in 2014 after a 43-year title hiatus. 'Yes, he is (the coach to bring a premiership to Brisbane),' Cronk said. 'He needs to get a good balance between that super confident, swagger 'I can score on any play', and underpin that with some sort of long-game mentality about tackling to victory and defending the opposition for longer periods. 'If he does that, then absolutely they have all the ingredients to do whatever they want this year and beyond. 'The Broncos are a good team, we've seen it. You don't lose your ability to play football, but sometimes you focus on the wrong things. 'They've got firepower, we know that, but if they can underpin that firepower with some high-percentage (completions), some consistency, some hard parts of the game, I think that's going to make them a much better team.'
