- Reece Walsh has shared his thoughts on Joseph Sua’ali’i
- The Wallabies-bound star knocked out Walsh in Game of Origin I
- But Walsh says he has enormous respect for the New South Wales star.
Reece Walsh has buried the hatchet with New South Wales rival Joseph Sua’ali’i following a brutal collision between the pair during Game 1 of the State of Origin.
Wallabies-bound Sua’ali’i saw his dream Origin debut turn into a nightmare just seven minutes into the opening game of this year’s series when the Roosters player was sent off for leaving Walsh lying on the turf.
Broncos star Walsh was ruled out of the match with a concussion, but Queensland went on to win the game 38-10.
The Blues fought back to win the series, but Sua’ali’i sat out the final two games due to his four-game suspension for the nasty hit.
However, he was part of the Blues’ extended training squad and was present for the decider in Brisbane as New South Wales secured a famous win on enemy soil.
Video footage after the final whistle showing Walsh and Sua’ali’i sharing a touching moment alongside the defender’s young daughter went viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on social media.
Walsh has now revealed what was said between the two men, and had only positive things to say about his counterpart.
“He’s a class player and a class human being,” Walsh told news.com.au.
Reece Walsh has revealed what he really thinks of his New South Wales rival Joseph Sua’ali’i
“He just came to check on me and wished me all the best for the rest of the year. The same as I wished him.
“He’s an amazing guy. It’s football. You want to go out there and make your state proud, and you and your family proud. Things happen.”
The incident sparked a war of words between Origin coaches Billy Slater and Michael Maguire, but Walsh was not willing to get drawn into the verbal spat.
“Like I said before, this is football and you go out there and you want to make your state proud,” Walsh said. “You want to make yourself and your family proud, and things happen.
Walsh was knocked out by the Roosters star during the first Origin game.
‘I think you journalists and everyone who works in the media are exaggerating things.
‘I understand that’s your job, but at the end of the day, we’re two young men going out to play football and we want to make an impact on our teams, and things happen.
‘It was a good moment.’
Sua’ali’i expressed deep regret for his involvement in the incident. He said he was “disappointed that I let my family, my state and my teammates down.”
He said: ‘I didn’t mean that at all, I just went there to tackle (Walsh).
‘I accidentally cut his head off and I hope he’s okay.
“I haven’t contacted him yet, but that’s something I will do.”