Members of the Australian rugby league team were ‘subjected to horrendous abuse’ from some spectators inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium during their victory against England on Saturday, according to reports.
The tourists reclaimed the Ashes after tries from Cameron Munster and Hudson Young saw the Kangaroos claim a 14-4 victory in Merseyside.
Rockstar fullback Reece Walsh was again in the spotlight but failed to replicate his feats during the opening Test at Wembley last week, being sin-binned for a high bump on England winger Dom Young.
According to The Courier Mail, some members of the crowd inside the 52,769-capacity stadium became increasingly agitated as the game went on, as England’s hopes of winning back the Ashes for the first time since 1970 began to wane.
The outlet reports that close to the dugout, members of the crowd began to direct ‘aggressive and antagonistic’ shouts towards the Australian team – with Walsh being targeted in particular.
It adds that the abuse was ‘vile’ and were insults that ‘no player should have to endure’.
Reece Walsh was reportedly subjected to ‘vile’ taunts from members of the crowd inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday
It came as Australia claimed a series victory against England in the Rugby League Ashes, besting the hosts 14-4 on Saturday afternoon
Walsh (front, centre) was unable to live up to his heroics at Wembley last week, being sin-binned for a high tackle on England’s Dom Young
It wouldn’t be the first time that Walsh has been jeered on a footy pitch, but the 23-year-old premiership-winning fullback showed his maturity, reportedly spinning around and grinning back at the fans.
Security inside Everton’s new stadium issued warnings to those shouting the abuse, but it is understood that they did not eject the fan.
After the match, Walsh was seen meeting and greeting fans around the pitch and inside the stadium, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.
It’s been a whirlwind year for the Broncos fullback who arrived in England two weeks ago fresh off the back of one of the greatest grand-final performances in history.
And his star has risen further after his outstanding performance in the opening Test of this year’s Rugby League Ashes series.
But one former Australian great, Corey Parker, has issued a major warning to rugby league, who may struggle to keep Reece Walsh, fearing the global nature of rugby union could one day appeal to the Brisbane superstar.
Walsh has long been one of the most marketable men in rugby league, with celebrity status rivalling Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams at their peak.
The Queensland superstar already has the most social media followers in rugby league on both Instagram and TikTok, with close to 1.1 million on the two platforms combined.
The 23-year-old still starred during the game, helping his side clinch the hard-fought victory and cap off what’s been an incredible year for the Broncos star man
Former NRL star Corey Parker has issued a warning to Aussie rugby league bosses claiming that they could lose Walsh to rugby union, given his stardom
The Victory saw Australia go 2-0 up in the series and win back the Ashes for the 14th time in a row
And while Parker isn’t worried about the Kangaroos No 1’s ability to handle the hype, he does fear it could one day lead to Walsh being lured into bigger pastures.
‘My concern is that because he is of such a status and has such a cult following that he tries to go worldwide and bigger,’ Parker told AAP.
‘In rugby league, it’s just harnessed here in Australia and in the north of England. If you look at rugby union for example, that is worldwide.
‘I’ve never seen anyone with that kind of following in it in my time. So it’s whether he stays in the game for his whole entire career … I hope he does.’
‘He’s electric’
The fears of the Broncos legend, who is an ambassador for the World Supercross event on the Gold Coast in November, come after a bold declaration from Graham Lowe.
New Zealand rugby league icon Lowe urged the All Blacks to make a play for Walsh by offering him $5 million a year.
Speaking following Brisbane’s grand final win, the former coach and administrator labelled Walsh the best young player he’d ever seen and claimed he would bring an extra 10,000 people to games.
Tries from Hudson Young (pictured) and Cameron Munster were enough to seal the win
Walsh only signed a new five-season deal with the Broncos at the end of last year, keeping him with Brisbane until the end of 2029 on close to $1 million a season.
‘I actually can’t even forecast how big he is going to get,’ Parker said.
‘If you’re just looking purely on his talent, it’s pretty obvious. But the status and the following and everything that goes with it is on a whole new level.
‘I’ve had a fair bit to do with Reece and to watch him elevate himself in the grand final when Brisbane were under the pump and lost their No.6 and No.7.
‘It’s normally panic stations. But strangely enough it was quite calm given the fact Reece was doing what he was doing. He was terrific.’
