Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire has revealed for the first time how he tried to convince Reece Walsh to play for New Zealand, but he opted to represent Queensland and Australia instead. Walsh was born in Queensland but was eligible to play for New Zealand due to his mother being a Kiwi, and he was controversially allowed to use part of a suspension in the All-Stars game in 2022 due to his Maori heritage.
He’s since played for the Maroons in State of Origin, meaning he’s chosen to represent Australia rather than New Zealand in international rugby league. But only a few years ago his allegiances were still up in the air, and despite the fact he’d played Australian Schoolboys and represented Queensland at Under-18 level, Maguire tried to get him to play for the Kiwis.
Maguire was New Zealand coach from 2018 to 2023, and identified Walsh as a talent that he wanted to play for the Kiwis. Speaking to The Courier Mail over the weekend, the new Broncos coach said he’s loving working with the 22-year-old fullback – and spilled the beans on his attempt to get him to play for NZ.
“He is a special talent, but what I like is that he has the work ethic to get better,” Maguire said. “I actually tried to get him to play for the Kiwis, but I think he wanted to go through the Origin pathway and potentially play for Australia.
“Reece had a tough year last year but I am confident he will bounce back. I love that Reece is in the Origin system because the best players learn even more at that level. There’s no doubt Reece is very talented and wants to be one of the greats of the game. To do that, you have to turn up consistently over periods of time, year after year, whether it’s Reece or whoever.”