A Rabbitohs great was the easy pick for Reynolds' 300th game presentation
The relationship between Luke and Reynolds provided one of the few times the former has been reduced to tears.
That came last year when Reynolds handed him his playing jersey from the Broncos' game against the Warriors in Napier, the town that was battered by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. The storm claimed the life of Luke's father.
George Luke - who battled chronic asthma and diabetes - was stranded for two days before he died from pneumonia after his car was struck by a landslide.
'I'm so proud of Reyno for reaching 300 games, but last year hit me even harder after last year's game in Napier and dad,' Luke said.
'He told me to come around and gave [me] his jersey. I had a little cry in the car on the way home. My son [Adaquix] was with me and said, 'you two are like little school kids when you're together. You act like idiots'.
'It's not just what he's done on the field, but how he's presented himself off it. Reyno will play this milestone game not just for him, but for all of us, his family, friends – we're all on this ride with him together.
'We always spoke about growing old together. Now we're both in Brisbane, it might pan out that way.
'I still remind him I could have been the one that finished with 2000 career points had he not taken the goal-kicking duties off me.'
The Broncos haven't had much to celebrate of late, losing six of their past seven games. Reynolds was forced to make a career-high 39 tackles against the Sea Eagles last Saturday.
While he would love to play on another year, and is expected to remain with the Broncos once a third-party deal is rubber-stamped, the halfback's only focus is getting a much-needed victory.
'I love this game, and I especially love the downtimes because those are the moments that shape you into a better athlete and make you more resilient,' Reynolds said.
'We're probably in one of those moments right now.
'We've shown glimpses in games of how good we can be. We just need to do it for 80 minutes. I maintain when we put it all together, we're better than most teams, if not all of them. I can tell you 'Madge' [Maguire] hasn't lost dressing room. We're trying extremely hard, he's working hard, and it's always an easy headline about the coach when we're losing. I'm used to it. It couldn't be further from the truth.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
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