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I had the opportunity to meet Josh Reynolds last year at a function with lots and lots of children present. Never in my life had I been more impressed by a rugby league player.
Josh was sincere in his address to the kids. He was extremely generous with his time, staying well past his allocated slots to sign autographs have photographs and tell everyone who asked that he would be happy to follow them on Instagram.
For a player with such a poor reputation on the field, I was so impressed with his dedication to his young fans that I had to tell Raelene Castle about it the next time I saw her.
Her response was that there is no player at the Bulldogs that she receives more positive feedback on their contribution to the community than Josh. It is well deserved. And it’s what makes Josh’s on-field persona so difficult to understand.
Josh Reynolds is an extremely passionate and talented player. Every time he puts on that blue and white jersey he plays with absolute commitment to his team, placing his body on the line and giving it his best shot.
However, with Reynolds having been put on report twice in the City vs Country match, we seriously need to consider whether he is a liability on the field.
This added to a string of incidents which has earned Reynolds the nickname ‘Grub’. His brain explosions, which have led to suspension and sin-binning, have included tripping, kicking chairs in change rooms, and kicking players in the face.
I was really hoping that Josh would grow up this year and get the garbage out of his game. I was disappointed in Round 1 and I was disappointed again over the weekend.
It was at around the 50-minute mark – minutes after I made a comment to my dad about how Reynolds needed to play in a sky blue jumper this year – that Reynolds had one of his brain snaps and attempted to trip Tariq Sims in the lead-up to Sims’ try. The second incident saw Reynolds shoulder-charge David Mead right at the end of the game.
We have certainly seen worse on the field this year, but it is not the magnitude of Reynolds’ brain snaps that is the issue, it’s their regularity and futility. They really do detract from all the good that he does on the field and it has people questioning whether someone more stable, like James Maloney, should instead wear that sky blue jumper.
Despite Reynolds’ talent, attacking prowess and leadership skills (which was a big part of the reason that the Dogs and NSW did so well last year), this ugly side of his game must put doubt into the mind of Laurie Daley.
If the judiciary doesn’t make the decision for him, should Laurie still pick Josh Reynolds? Would he make your Origin team?
On a selfish note, if Maloney is picked, I’ll be angry at Josh. It wreaks havoc with my NRL SuperCoach team.
This is @mary__kaye from @ladieswholeague