Brisbane Broncos' marquee signing Reece Walsh is working on his breathing technique with a high-performance coach as he targets the starting fullback spot for next season.
The 20-year-old, who has returned to the Broncos after two seasons with the New Zealand Warriors, has been seeing Gold Coast-based coach Brett Mallett who has helped Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses take his game to the next level.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters told AAP Walsh would be in a fight with Tesi Niu, Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo for the No.1 position.
In a bid to win that scrap, Walsh said he has gone above and beyond this pre-season to get himself in peak condition.
"I went and did something a bit new and worked with Brett on my breathing mechanics," he said.
"He has got me doing some pretty crazy things at home, like sleeping with tape over my mouth. He had me doing running sessions but it is all about dialling into breathing properly.
"As footy players you get under fatigue and if you can learn to breathe properly it will make the game slow down and you won't be (playing) off emotion.
"Hopefully I can keep seeing him throughout the year."
Moses, in a testimonial on Mallett's website, said working with the coach had improved his performance.
"The difference I felt on field was enormous in the way I could recover from big efforts in pressure scenarios, mentally I felt like the game slowed up a lot and I felt like my decision making was a lot better as everything felt slower while I was still playing at high speed," Moses wrote.
Walsh acknowledged he had plenty of improvement left in him as a fullback and will also work with former Broncos custodian Darius Boyd to enhance key areas.
The best fullbacks in modern times - such as James Tedesco and Billy Slater - have showcased outstanding support play, 80-minute displays and defensive clout.
"I haven't played 50 games yet and I am still trying to find my feet at fullback," Walsh said.
"The big one for myself is durability on the field and trying to last 80 minutes and still be in the game as much as I can.
"This year, I am going to try and be better at pushing around my forwards and being involved a lot more instead of having one moment in a game.
"I am going to try and do some work with Darbs (Boyd) this off-season around my defence.
"If I can get a better technique it will give me a better chance at stopping a try."
