Warriors wunderkind Reece Walsh has been hit with a two-game ban and a $5,000 fine after the NRL's Integrity Unit completed their findings into the incident that saw the 19-year-old arrested on the Gold Coast last month.
Though the financial burden handed down by the code's keepers is set to leave the Queenslander more than $5,200 lighter after being converted into Kiwi currency,ย Stuff NZ'sย David Long suggested that further sanctions could follow.
Although the Warriors are yet to concretely confirm as much, Long held the view that the club themselves may see fit to add further punishments after their own intramural findings are completed.
The fortnight-long ban for being caught in possession with cocaine will be added to the one-week suspension already hanging over the speedster's head following his involvement in the club's Round 25 melee with the Titans.
Still, given his Aboriginal and Maori heritage, Walsh may be afforded a chance to serve the first of these three-weeks in the stands by sitting out of the annual Indigenous All Stars game next season.
According to Long, a call is yet to be made on whether this suspension shave has been granted the green light by the NRL.
If a call is made against the product of Keebra Park High on the Gold Coast, then the young father could be made to wait until Round 4 of next season to lace the boots in his sophomore campaign.
The ban will also eliminate any chance that Walsh had of playing for Nathan Brown's side in any of their trial games prior to the kick-off of the 2022 season in March of next year.
While these are significant hurdles to face so early in his career, Walsh is reported to have entered drug and alcohol counselling following his arrest, with his honesty and willingness to own his mistake seeing him draw plaudits rather than scorn.
It is not yet known who the Warriors will face in Walsh's absence, as the fixture for next year is yet to be released.
However, according to Dave Riccio ofย The Daily Telegraph,ย an announcement on each of the competition's 16 franchise's draws can be expected by the end of October.
.@NRL targeting last week of October for release of 2022 season draw. @telegraph_sport
— David Riccio (@DaveRic1) October 4, 2021
Despite his pair of suspensions this season ruling him ineligible for the Dally M Rookie of the Year prize, the precocious teenager earned the praise of his contemporaries when he won the RLPA's iteration of the award last month.
