'Poor look': Reece Walsh called out as Broncos and Titans accused ...
Questions are being asked as to why some of the biggest stars in the NRL - namely Reece Walsh and David Fifita - haven't faced the media for months. Under NRL rules, all players must be made available to talk to the media once every three weeks, but Walsh and Fifita haven't been sighted for months.
In fact, Fifita hasn't been made available by the Titans for over a year. The issue has come to light this week ahead of Gold Coast's clash with the Roosters, which shapes as a grudge match after Fifita backflipped on signing with the Sydney club to stay with the Titans.
David Fifita and Reece Walsh haven't spoken to the media for months. Image: Getty
Fifita agreed to join the Roosters in May and the signing was announced by the club, but he got cold feet and decided to back out of the deal just two days later. Apart from a brief statement provided by the Titans, Fifita hasn't addressed the situation at all in the months that have followed.
And reporters hoping to speak to Fifita ahead of the Titans-Roosters game this weekend were left sorely disappointed when he was once again kept away from the media. Fifita's girlfriend Shaylee Bent has previously lifted the lid on his decision to backflip, but the man himself has maintained his silence. According to the Daily Telegraph, the last time the Titans made Fifita available to the media was way back in May last year.
Bent, who plays for the Titans NRLW side, said in May this year: "[The Gold Coast] is our home now. We love the community, we love the fans, we love the club and we love our teams. We've built a life up there so we're really happy."
David Fifita looks on during a Gold Coast Titans game. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
The fact Fifita has been kept away from the media is a poor look for the Titans and the NRL, and questions should be asked about whether the rules are being applied properly. But Fifita isn't the only big-name star being protected by his club, with Latrell Mitchell also kept away since his expletive-laden interview with Triple M radio after the Rabbitohs' game in Round 2.
And the Broncos haven't made Walsh available to the media since before the opening game of the season in Las Vegas. Walsh spoke to reporters in the States and was hit with questions about his future at the club, declaring he's keen to re-sign with the Broncos on what is expected to be a $6 million deal. But fans haven't heard from Walsh for months and are none the wiser about what his future holds. He was made available during the State of Origin series, but that was a decision by Maroons officials rather than the Broncos.
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Titans and Maroons fans would also have loved to hear from Fifita when he was controversially overlooked for State of Origin selection by Billy Slater. But they were left out in the cold, fuelling speculation about why he might have been given the cold shoulder.
It's understandable that players get sick of speaking to the media and bombarded with the same questions all the time. But the clubs need to realise that the fans are the biggest stakeholder in the game and deserve to be treated with respect - especially those who pay big bucks for memberships. It's also often the media who fund the massive million-dollar contracts the likes of Walsh and Fifita are on.
