'A lot of respect for him': Walsh full of praise for Origin foe Luai

The last time Reece Walsh crossed paths with Jarome Luai on a football field, insults and headbutts flew at Suncorp Stadium as Origin II reached a bitter conclusion.

With the Maroons cruising to another series victory, frustrations boiled over for Luai and his Blues teammates and Walsh was only too happy to remind them that the scoreboard read 32-6 in Queensland's favour.

The freakish fullback had chalked up 146 run metres, seven tackle breaks and two try assists in a sublime performance that showed he was right at home on the big stage… some would say born for it.

When the Broncos No.1 and Panthers No.6 renew acquaintances in Sunday’s grand final at Accor Stadium, it will be Luai with the crowd at his back as the defending premiers look to become the first team since Parramatta in 1981-83 to win three successive premierships.

Never one to take a backward step, Walsh is looking forward to another showdown with Luai, revealing he sent the Panthers playmaker a text message after he’d been omitted from the Blues side just to make sure he was going okay.

“When you go out on the field you wear your heart on your sleeve and do anything for the team. When you step off it, it’s a whole different thing,” Walsh told media at  as the Broncos began preparations for their first decider since 2015.

“Jarome plays with his heart on his sleeve and they are the people you want to play with. You know they are going to give you their all.

"I think he draws attention to the game. I think he has got the right to do it. He has won the last two comps. He puts bums on seats and gets people out watching the game. 

“He’s like me, I wear my heart on my sleeve too. Each time I go out on the field I treat it as if it’s my last game.

“He is an awesome player and I sent him a message after Game Two to see how he was going and to wish him all the best with everything.

“I obviously have a lot of respect for him. He is a young dad and he is playing with injury at the moment. That is pretty courageous.”

As a father of three, 26-year-old Luai has much to celebrate away from the grand final spotlight, while Walsh’s daughter Leila stole the show at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night as she joined the young gun on the field at full-time.

“She is a big part of the success I have had and a big reason why I step on the field and want to do that,” Walsh said. “It is exciting for me to have someone to share that with. Having my family there is going to be special.

“I think people forget sometimes that we are normal people as well. We have got young families to go home to.

“I know that when I leave here and go back to my daughter she doesn't know what game I have lost. She doesn't care about that. She just cares about whether she is getting chicken nuggets.

“Jarome is an awesome bloke off the field and he’s a young dad as well.

“It’s more than just a game. Little kids come out and watch you play footy. You go home to your kids and you are dad. At the end of the day it is a game of football and that is how it is.”

After winning five premierships in nine years between 1992 and 2000, Brisbane have been to the top of the mountain only once in the ensuing 22 years, so expectations are understandably high among the Broncos faithful.

From the moment the full-time siren sounded on Saturday night and the Warriors had been sent packing, the Broncos’ attention turned to the monumental task of derailing the Panthers’ juggernaut – just as they did way back in Round 1.

After three seasons out of the finals, the Broncos are back on the big stage and determined to deliver for their legion of fans.

“It's pretty crazy. I've been in Origin camps but I've never seen anything like this,” Walsh said.

“That's a credit to the city we're in, the people we are representing and it shows it's more than just a game of rugby league. I'm a bit disappointed it's the last game, I wish I could keep playing on, but we have one more job to do.

“I am keen and excited to get out there and step on the big stage.

“These are the games you want to be a part of and we're here, we're soaking it all up.

“We don't fear the Panthers, we know the brand of footy we can play. We are going to give them the respect that they have earned, but we will go out there and play our footy.

“This club and the people in our four walls, we all keep each other accountable and our circles are tight.”

And as much as he respects Luai away from the heat of battle, the reception will be decidedly cold should the Panthers' chief protagonist try to enter that circle.