Walsh interview in Sunday Mail. The kid's had a tough childhood, and now he's a dad. Says he didn't want to leave but the Warriors saw something in him that Walters didn't.
“I can’t tell you when I last saw my mum ... I think it was four years ago. I’m looking forward. Growing up, things were pretty bad. Mum was on drugs. She was in and out of our lives. She would float in and try and act like she would be there for me for a bit, then she would go off and do her own things and I wouldn’t see her for ages. Then she would come back into my life.
“I wouldn’t say I have given up on her, but for a long time I would think where is she? When is she going to come and see me again? I have a good relationship with my dad (Rodney) and my stepmum (Jodie) and she has done a great job raising me. I am always grateful for her support.”
“I wouldn’t say just because of my mum that I don’t want to be doing drugs. It’s just my personal feelings. It hasn’t been easy with my mum, but I still say not everyone is as lucky as me, a lot of people have it worse than me. I have found it hard. I didn’t understand a lot of things. I would go to mum’s house and she would tell bad stories about my dad and try to run him down. I would think, ‘Why would she say that?’, but now that I have grown up it makes a bit more sense. Being on drugs, mum probably didn’t know what she was saying half the time."
“As an NRL player, you have to be smart. There is always someone watching and there are little kids at home who watch NRL players and dream of being like us. I don’t want to be setting bad examples for young kids who watch the game. I don’t want them thinking that it’s OK to be doing drugs. It’s all about setting examples for the next generation.”
“It’s been really hard playing NRL For me, it’s still pretty crazy running into some of these massive blokes in the NRL I was watching on TV last year. I’m up against the best league players in the world. It’s been an eye-opener."
“The Warriors guys and Browny have been great for me. Naturally, there is pressure playing NRL, but the Warriors support me and let me play my sort of game. The coaching staff don’t put too much on my shoulders. They say just play your role and that’s what I try and do each week. If I can keep doing that, my confidence will grow.”
“I never thought I would leave the Broncos. It was a dream of mine to play NRL for Brisbane. I remember when I was seven years old, I would run around with a Broncos jersey on wishing I could play for the Broncos."
“That’s something I always wanted to do, but then the Warriors came into the picture and they were very clear with the opportunity they could give me. The Broncos wanted me there and they could see me as part of their future, but they weren’t sure what they were going to do with me. I wanted to play first grade, but Kevvie didn’t think I was quite ready."
“There’s nothing against the Broncos for me. They have played a major part in who I am as a player and person, but the Warriors have been great to me and I’m grateful for the opportunity they gave me to play NRL.”
“I don’t think anyone wants to be a one-hit wonder. I play footy with confidence and I have the work ethic to succeed. I want to play NRL for 10 years and I’m lucky enough I have good people at the Warriors who can help develop my game."
“I love being a dad, it’s the best feeling in the world. At first, I was a bit scared, but I sat down with some people I trust and they said, ‘You will be OK, you will have support and we will be one phone call away’. Becoming a father is the best thing I have done. I want to grow up and have Leila look at her dad and say I’m proud.”
McHunt
as opposed to bench.
