"I'd play him": Why Manly should keep starting Walsh

Having made his second start at the NRL level, Perth Bears assistant coach Ben Gardiner believes the Sea Eagles need to keep playing Joey Walsh in the halves despite the impending return of fellow halfback Jamal Fogarty.

The Northern Beaches club has viewed the 19-year-old as the long-term successor to Daly Cherry-Evans after being poached from Rugby Union back in 2024.

And whilst opportunities for playing time across the last two years have been slim, Walsh has been able to find the field at the NRL level.

With Fogarty being ruled out with a groin injury for the last two weeks against the Panthers and Broncos, Walsh has been injected into the line-up as a starting halfback.

In those two games (his second and third of his NRL career), the former Australian U18s Rugby Union captain has shown his worth, having played well in both matches, which includes his first NRL try against the Broncos.

With Fogarty expected to return for their Magic Round clash against the Tigers, the Samoa coach wants to see Walsh in the halves to continue his development in the NRL.  

“I'd play him,” Gardiner said on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“I'd wanna play him, I'd keep him in there.

“I think Luke Brooks, (who’s) a little bit older, could be a guy that has some variation in what they're doing.

“So, I think that he could potentially go back to the bench and play the 14 role and you can have Fogarty and Walsh playing in the halves.

“Whether you put Brooks into the hooker role, that’s a thought as well.

“But I think they're in a situation where they are on the rise. Do they look to the future?

“Walsh is the future, obviously, but he's also at a level that it is at NRL level.

“So, I'd stick with it while it's working.”

The Sea Eagles travel up to Queensland as part of the NRL’s Magic Round this week.

They’ll play the Wests Tigers on Saturday at 3pm AEST with SEN League having live coverage of the match from 2pm on our radio network and on the SEN app.