Brisbane talisman Reece Walsh spearheaded his team to their first premiership victory in 19 years, after the Broncos claimed an enthralling comeback victory against the Melbourne Storm during Sunday’s NRL Grand Final victory.
Walsh was the star of the show, scoring an outstanding solo try in the first half that will go down as one of the greatest Grand Final tries ever scored.
The 23-year-old full-back was everywhere on Sunday night, notably stopping Tui Kamikamica from touching down in the second half, while also firing out a laser beam pass to Gehamat Shibasaki, who touched down for his second try of the match in the 57th minute to seal a 26-22 victory.
It was an epic comeback victory for the Broncos, who lost key men Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt in the second half, with the latter suffering a sickening head injury, while Reynolds was carried off the field with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
The game went right down to the wire with Walsh making a huge tackle to stop a late charge from the Storm, with the side ultimately holding on to seal the four-point victory for Michael Maguire in his first season at the club.
The triumph is vindication for the Broncos’ bold call to oust coach Kevin Walters after a middling 2024 season and install renowned taskmaster Michael Maguire to the top job.
Brisbane’s seventh premiership also buries the demons from the 2023 decider, when the Broncos coughed up a 16-point lead for one of the most demoralising grand-final losses in memory.
The Storm dominated Sunday’s first half but, like Canberra and Penrith earlier this finals series, could not control the NRL’s comeback kids once their attack began humming after halftime.
Melbourne are now the first team since 2004 to lose consecutive grand finals.
More to follow…
