Because of their vulnerable position on the ladder, many criticized Walters on social media for not playing Walsh, Haas, and Carrigan. As a result, the Broncos have now been overtaken by the Cowboys and Dragons. After losing on Saturday, Walters’ team dropped to 7-8 on the season, putting them in a difficult position to compete in the finals in 2024.
Given that the Broncos have already been devastated by injuries to Adam Reynolds, Corey Oates, and Jordan Riki, many believed they couldn’t afford to give Walsh, Haas, and Carrigan a break. Though Walsh hadn’t played in three weeks prior to Origin 2 on Wednesday night, many questioned why he didn’t play against the Warriors. Haas and Carrigan have put in a lot of work over the past few months.
But Walters was obliged to make the decision because the Broncos had to go to New Zealand. For Origin 2, the coach didn’t want his players to take a plane from Brisbane to Melbourne, then to New Zealand, and finally back to Brisbane.
Kevin Walters made the right decision, according to NRL Physio.
Seeney also thinks Walters made the correct decision in resting his greatest performers. Xavier Coates will miss at least the next six weeks due to a hamstring injury he sustained while playing just three days after Origin 2. This was brought to the attention of the NRL Physio.
The Broncos reduced the possibility of losing its finest players for an extended period of time by giving Walsh, Haas, and Carrigan a week’s rest. He told the Daily Telegraph, “It’s always a balance between the value these star players can add to the team and the injury risk of playing two games in four to five days.” It was a relatively simple choice for the Broncos in particular to rest their Origin stars because of the worldwide flight just adds to the already less than ideal preparation.
“Recurring knee problems have also plagued Walsh and Haas over the last two months. The last thing the Broncos wanted was for Walsh, Haas, or Carrigan to miss six to eight weeks towards the conclusion of the season. Teams such as them have struggled this season without its injured stars. Nevertheless, they played one game without them this past weekend.