“Day one, Reecey and I sat down, and I said you’ve got plenty of attack, but with your defence – if you work hard at that – you’ll find the ability to be one of the best fullbacks,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said.
“I think he saved five tries. Phenomenal, right to the death, which is the spirit of this team. He’s had to work hard at his game … when he comes to training, he’s the last one off the field every day.”
Walsh did all of this on the greatest stage when Adam Reynolds, Ben Hunt and Josiah Karapani were forced from the field.
The scary thing is, even after adding four linebreak assists and 14 tackle busts to his glittering grand final resume, the boy wonder is just beginning.
At just 23 years of age, Walsh’s tenure as one of the NRL’s most influential players is still in its fledgling stages.
Can this start a new generation?
Beyond the initial celebrations, Brisbane will not be content with a one-off title.
Reynolds needed to be carried off by two trainers after his leg gave out, while Hunt was forced off for a head injury assessment to leave Ezra Mam with the closing play-making duties.
Ben Hunt celebrates his first premiership, 10 years on from his ill-fated golden-point knock-on, with Reece Walsh.Credit: AAPIMAGE
Hunt’s setback was of ill-fortune, but both 35-year-old veterans are in the twilight of their careers.
Both men have committed until at least the end of 2026, but Mam – despite coming off the bench in the decider – will command the No.6 jumper for as long as he wants it.
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The 23-year-old, whose season began with a nine-game suspension and who was threatened by a hamstring injury, was brilliant in the No.14 jersey, coming up with 83 running metres, two linebreak assists, a try assist for Shibasaki and a match-winning cover tackle on Papenhuyzen.
Neither Reynolds nor Hunt will be around long enough to ensure this victory marches on to become a dynasty, but they will mentor the incoming brigade.
Coby Black has been heralded the next cab off the rank, and finished the Queensland Cup campaign for Souths Logan with six tries, eight try assists and nine linebreak assists from 16 appearances as a 19-year-old.
Cowboys rookie Tom Duffy will also arrive at Red Hill for the 2026 season.
Haas support emerges
For much of Payne Haas’ time at the Broncos, he has been shackled with the responsibility of being the go-to man of Brisbane’s engine room.
But Xavier Willison has proven in 2025 that the NSW State of Origin sensation will not be a one-man wrecking crew while donning the maroon colours.
Willison returned in emphatic fashion during last week’s preliminary final victory against Penrith from a fractured arm, and carried on that work against the Storm when it mattered most.
The 23-year-old’s 146 running metres were the most of any Brisbane forward – Haas finishing with 118 and Pat Carrigan with 136.
Xavier Willison celebrates the Broncos’ premiership triumph.Credit: Getty Images
The way Willison changed the momentum from 16-6 down enabled Haas to play fewer minutes (54 compared with 80 last week) and make a bigger impact, providing a rapid play the ball.
For the Broncos to carry on this momentum, Willison looms as pivotal.
Maguire’s regimen a winning recipe
Maguire was hammered for his gruelling regimen, with players seen regularly taking to the coach’s famed spew buckets at the end of each session.
But his desire to instil grinding standards into this squad through high standards and fitness has paid dividends.
This was the sixth time in 15 games they found a way to win, despite facing a double-digit second half deficit.
Without enduring that brutal summer, this Broncos team could not have overcome the obstacles they faced on the field.
“I’ve been questioned all my life as a coach, so that doesn’t really worry me,” Maguire said.
“The journeys of the various places I’ve been at, these guys bought into exactly what I’ve seen work.
“They haven’t flinched, they didn’t go away from it. They stayed the course, and now they’re sitting here on the back of all the work they’ve done.”
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