After the final siren, Reece Walsh met reporters in the bowels of Queensland Country Bank Stadium after the Kangaroos’ 66-6 win over the Cook Islands.
Emerging with an ice pack on his ankle, he assured reporters the ankle was alright.
“She’s not busted, mate,” Walsh told AAP Sports Reporter Joel Gould after Gould said he made a case for the number one jersey with a man-of-the-match performance and finished the game with a busted ankle.
“Oh mate, whenever you get to represent your nation, your family, and a good bunch of boys, you know when you look at this jersey, I feel like it’s the pinnacle of our game,” Walsh added.
“Origin levels, it’s so amazing, but I sort of feel like as a kid, you’re playing Queensland, New South Wales, to go make Australia.”
Despite Walsh and Tedesco competing for the Kangaroos fullback spot, Walsh said it’s been an asset for him to have Tedesco in camp.
“It’s been such a blessing for me to see someone like himself, the way he prepares and the way he holds himself, and the character he is,” the Broncos fullback said.
“I feel like I’m really blessed, to be honest, and learning so much. As a young adult, I feel really blessed to be behind some really great people.”
Another question comes up from reporters about the state of Walsh’s ankle.
“I didn’t hurt it. It’s what comes with the game,” Walsh said.
“They said there’s going to be moments where you get a knock on it, and a bit of niggle. But it’s not hurt; it is what it is. They generally say that when you have a tightrope and a rod through it, your ankle is stronger than what it normally is.
“So, I was bound to get a bang on it along the way. I didn’t get one in the first game, and I got one out there tonight (Saturday night), so I feel like it’s a good test of the strength of it, and it was a bit sore at the time, but it’s good now.”
The Kangaroos’ forward pack has copped a fair bit of criticism during this World Cup campaign, but Walsh believes the flak is unwarranted.
“I feel like our forward pack’s been disrespected a lot this tournament. There’s a lot of talk about the other teams; they’re great players, they’re awesome players, don’t get me wrong,” he said.
” But the way that this pack works their arse for us, they’re the reason we’re winning these games, they’re the reason we work so hard, the passion that they play with, the hard work, the kick chase, the small details, it’s something that the fans and you guys probably don’t see, but we see.
“I know that with these other teams, when they’re looking at us, they know the strength that we bring, and all credit to them, they’re awesome packs, but I love these boys and how hard they work because of those little efforts that you guys probably don’t notice.”
