Brisbane Broncos star recruit Reece Walsh has suffered a fracture to his eye's orbital floor which will leave him in doubt for the opening round of the 2023 NRL season.
The young gun fullback, who could push for State of Origin honours this year following Kalyn Ponga's shift to five-eighth at the Newcastle Knights, suffered the injury during Brisbane's first pre-season trial against the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday.
The game, which ended in a draw, was the first hit out for Walsh in Brisbane colours since prior to his switch to the New Zealand Warriors in the middle of the 2021 season.
Walsh was released to return back to the Broncos following the Warriors' permanent shift back to Auckland - something he couldn't commit to due to personal reasons. The fullback's release from the Warriors saw both Te Maire Martin and Tesi Niu exit the club for the Warriors and Dolphins respectively.
In addressing the injury, Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard said in a statement that a decision on Walsh'a availability for Round 1 is yet to be made.
โReece had a CT scan which confirmed a fracture to his eye's orbital floor with no surgery required," Ballard said.
โReece's recovery will be monitored in the weeks ahead before a decision is made on his availability for the opening round of the competition.โ
Despite the exits of both Niu and Te Maire Martin, the Broncos still have plenty of options at their disposal to take over the number one jersey for the opening game of the season.
Coach Kevin Walters could elect to send either centre Herbie Farnworth, or winger Selwyn Cobbo to the back, with both players having the desire to hold the number one jersey during their career.
Neither are specialist fullbacks, but could easily move to the back, while other options are somewhat limited, although any of their fringe first-grade backs could be thrust into the role.
Walters will name his team for Brisbane's second trial against the North Queensland Cowboys at 4pm (AEDT) this afternoon, with the club to then face the Penrith Panthers in the opening round of the season.
