Reece Walsh has once again leaned into his bizarre toilet stunt after the footy star scored a try in the Broncos victory against Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.
Melbourne half Jahrome Hughes suffered a suspected broken wrist as Brisbane ace Walsh played a royal flush hand to secure a 30-14 win and a vital top-four position.
The Broncos will now play Canberra away in the first week of the finals and get a crucial second chance in the semis thanks to a 22-point haul from Walsh, which included two tries and seven goals.
The mercurial Broncos No.1 put the drama of the week’s ‘Toiletgate’ saga behind him and had a blinder.
It was just the Broncos’ second win in their past 19 games against the Storm, but the ninth victory this season from the last 11 matches.
Hughes had just returned to action after missing five weeks with a shoulder injury.
Reece Walsh has once again leaned into his bizarre toilet stunt after the footy star scored a brace of tries during the Broncos victory against Melbourne Storm on Thursday night
Walsh enjoyed a magnificent game, touching down to score the Broncos’ first try and then another in the 41st minute where he proceeded to mimic slurping water out of a toilet
In front of a sold-out crowd at Suncorp Stadium, he went to tackle Broncos forward Brendan Piakura and immediately clutched at his left wrist.
Hughes, last year’s Dally M Medal winner, went up the tunnel in the 25th minute and his side’s finals hopes possibly went with him.
To make matters worse prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona was put on report and sin-binned for a high shot on Ben Talty.
The Storm will face a nervous wait for the MRC charge sheet as the giant forward has two prior offences on his record.
A grade-two high tackle or dangerous tackle charge would lead to a three-game ban. If second-placed Melbourne win in the first week of the finals, such a charge would rub him out of the finals.
Walsh landed a 40/20 and celebrated his second try just after halftime with a slurping gesture.
It was a reference to the drink he had during the week from an unused toilet bowl installed in his home, which he posted to social media.
The Broncos were bizarrely forced to issue a statement telling people not to drink out of toilets after Walsh published a video on his Snapchat, scooping water out of his toilet and drinking it
There was heartache for Storm star Jahrome Hughes, whose season has been cut short after he suffered a suspected broken wrist in a tackle on his injury return
To make matters worse prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona (left) was put on report and sin-binned for a high shot on Ben Talty.
Brendan Piakura also touched down for the Broncos as they booked Michael Maguire’s side booked their place in the preliminary finals
The Broncos called it, in a statement, a ‘poor attempt at humour’ but there was nothing poor about his display. It was pure class.
Cheeky Walsh had also posted an image of himself on social media dressed up as a plumber. He certainly found leaks in the Storm defence and a pipeline to the tryline.
The Broncos were all over an ill-disciplined Melbourne early to take a 2-0 lead. The home side’s defence, with No.6 Billy Walters notable, was on song.
Walsh opened the scoring after putting Payne Haas in a gap and supporting.
Storm second-rower Eliesa Katoa scored off a Cameron Munster bomb but Walsh found back-rower Brendan Piakura on the short side to extend the Broncos’ lead on the cusp of halftime.
Both teams were down to 12 men in the first half with Broncos winger Deine Mariner binned for repeated ruck infringements.
Walsh extended the lead to 18-4 after the break. The Storm hit back with tries to winger Will Warbrick and centre Nick Meaney but it was too late. Broncos winger Josiah Karapani sealed it with the last play of the night.
