Broncos to make Walsh NRL’s second highest-paid star

Reece Walsh is on the verge of signing a mouthwatering new NRL deal with the Brisbane Broncos, with the 22-year-old fullback to earn as much as $1.25 million a season through to 2029 after his Red Hill extension.

Only Knights hero Kalyn Ponga would then be making more in rugby league, with the Newcastle captain currently raking in $1.3 million a year through to 2027.

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Nothing’s been signed yet but reports coming out of Brisbane’s footy media on Sunday suggest Walsh’s camp and the Broncos bosses have already informally agreed to terms. These negotiations have been ongoing for some time, with The Sporting Base reporting as far back as mid-season that the deal was wrapping up.

The extension will lock Walsh in at the Broncos from 2026 through 2029, with the 22-year-old already signed on a $660,000 agreement for next campaign. The pay upgrade heading into ’26 will then see his cost on the salary cap double instantly.

It’s huge money and this Base writer wouldn’t be surprised if some NRL fans balk at the idea of paying any one player outside in-their-prime superstars Ponga, Jahrome Hughes,  or Nathan Cleary that much, but Walsh’s deal does have some other values boiled in too. For one, the Southport junior has become one of the selling points of the game, especially in Queensland, and draws fans to live games like basically no other rugby league player before him.

The commercial and sponsorship value for Brisbane cannot be understated either, with Walsh’s popularity transcending the game at times; a perfect building block for the Red Hill club to cash in. The NRL similarly can use him to leverage deals with sponsors looking to the join the game and the rich State of Origin advertising suite.

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This mega-money deal will mean the Broncos will have to goodbye some star players, most likely one of Selwyn Cobbo or Kotoni Staggs, but the club is trying to figure that out this month.