LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy and Panthers coach Ivan Cleary have both addressed the recent controversies surrounding the Broncos, specifically involving Reece Walsh and Gehamat Shibasaki. These incidents come at a crucial time for Michael Maguire's team, potentially threatening their chances of securing a spot in the top four as they prepare for Thursday night's NRL blockbuster.
This week, Walsh drew criticism for sharing a video of himself drinking water from a toilet, humorously claiming it had healing properties for muscles. The Broncos felt compelled to release a statement condemning Walsh's 'poor attempt at humour' and warning viewers against imitating him, as he used a new toilet for the odd stunt.
Walsh's actions elicited mixed reactions within the NRL community, with many condemning his behavior. However, former Bronco Corey Parker urged others to lighten up, suggesting it was merely humorous. Walsh further embraced the backlash by altering his social media profile to feature an image of himself in plumbing attire.
In a related controversy, Shibasaki was suspended from the upcoming match against the Storm for violating team protocols during a training session on Monday. Allegedly, he was unable to participate in training due to a night of heavy drinking the previous evening. As a result, Maguire was hard on him during Wednesday's training. This incident has raised concerns regarding the culture within the team, especially since Maguire was brought in to address the 'rock star' image that emerged under Kevin Walters' management.
Bellamy dismissed the notion that the Broncos' current issues would benefit the Storm, anticipating a challenging match from the Brisbane side given their top four ambitions. "It doesn't matter what's happened during the week," the Storm coach stated. "It's what's gonna happen (on the) night."
He acknowledged the talent within the Broncos lineup, adding, "We know what sort of team they are, very talented team, got some real dangerous individuals. They can put plenty of points on you. They've got themselves in a good position on the table and obviously they want to hang on to that."
Cleary was also questioned about Walsh's antics during his appearance on Nine's Today Show. He expressed uncertainty on how he would handle a similar situation if Walsh were part of his team. "I'm not too sure about that one, I've never seen anything like it," Cleary remarked.