But Hodges, who amassed 24 caps for his state, insisted ‘Reece Lightning’ needed to be given a license to trust his instincts. “Reece is a different type of player, he’s a guy who backs himself and that’s what rugby league players are supposed to do. He comes up with a couple of mistakes here and there, but you never want to take that out of his game,” Hodges said. “That’s what makes him so special, and some of the guys who I played with –
Karmichael Hunt, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston – they all took risks at some stage. Reece sees the game at a different pace to other players, and sometimes he pulls the trigger a little early, but you never want to take that away from him. “Reece just gives you that little bit of special … he pops up on both sides, and when the game is on the line he steps up.”
Reece Walsh, Darren Hodges, Maroons, State caps, rugby league, Origin selection, Reece Lightning