The Brisbane Broncos have put star fullback Reece Walsh’s recent cramps during games down to his diet and believed they may have fixed the issue as they prepare for a big clash with the Sydney Roosters.
It comes after the 21-year-old and skipper Adam Reynolds left the field with severe cramps late in Brisbane’s 34-10 victory over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown last week.
“Reyno we’ll put that down to him not playing much footy at all and Reece Walsh we’ll put that down to his diet,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said on SENQ Breakfast.
“He hasn’t been eating the right foods, not enough carbs and the like in his diet.
“It’s simple little things.”
While Walters admitted he couldn’t help but laugh after the heroic efforts of Reynolds, who recovered from a cramp to make arguably the play of the game with an intercept, the six-time premiership winner said it was a problem the team had “certainly” addressed.
“It was quite frustrating that last seven or eight minutes (against Wests) watching them go over,” Walters said.
“When Adam took that intercept I just couldn’t help but start giggling how he was hobbling around and then to get an intercept and then throw it off the ground to big Xavier Willison to charge down the field, that was funny for me watching as coach.
“Reece has done a whole lot of high-speed running in the last couple of weeks, more than he’s ever done in his career and that could lead to it as well, just cramping of the muscles.
“We’re trying to get the best we can with it because it’s not a good thing to be happening but these things are all part of a rugby league player’s world and we got to get on top of it that’s for sure.”
Walters also confirmed the Broncos had no interest in signing Roosters young gun Sam Walker.
“We’re very comfortable with the position we have with our halves and the future with our halves in that position,” he said.
“He’s a Rooster anyway Sam so good luck to him, he’s been playing some really good footy.
“The Roosters have $4 million to spend, I’m sure Sam will get a bite of that somewhere along the line.”
Both Walsh and Reynolds have been named alongside Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo, who return to the Broncos to play the Roosters on Friday night at Suncorp after missing a week through injury.