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Parker: The rising star "as good as Reece Walsh"
Nicholas Quinlan • November 10th, 2025 1:42 pm
Corey Parker believes that New Zealand’s Keano Kini is just as good as Brisbane’s Reece Walsh following his performance in the Pacific Championship Final.
It’s been quite a year for the 21-year-old who was almost paralysed after suffering a serious neck injury in the Gold Coast Titans’ win against the Newcastle Knights in Round 3.
Kini was able to return towards the end of the season, having played the last three matches before being called up for New Zealand for the Championships.
Whilst not featuring in the first game against Samoa, Kini has reinforced how much of a talent he is in his last two games for the Kiwis.
Against Tonga, he ran for 199 metres as a winger, which saw him manage two line-break assists and a try in their 40-14 win.
And in the final against Samoa at CommBank Stadium on Sunday, the fullback ran for a game-high 219 metres from 33 attempts, which saw eight tackle breaks.
Following that performance, it would leave the Broncos legend to believe that Kini is just as good as the 2025 Clive Churchill Medallist.
“I had this discussion with my son yesterday, and I said Keano Kini is good as Reece Walsh,” Parker declared on SENQ Breakfast.
“Keano Kini has all the attributes. The only thing that I haven’t seen Keano Kini do consistently that I see Reece Walsh do is kick a ball.
“That’s the only thing. And he only played six NRL games this season, he had neck surgery, and he’s spoken about his journey and what he has been able to do.
“He is a superstar. I cannot wait to see him with a full pre-season under his belt again under Josh Hannay in the new set-up that they have got going there at the Gold Coast Titans.
Kini will now be getting ready to join the pre-season preparations at the Titans under their new coach in Hannay.
