Walsh: Broncos are genuine contenders for the premiership this year

On the eve of the 2023 NRL finals, Reece Walsh has declared the Brisbane Broncos well and truly in the hunt for the club’s first premiership since 2006 alongside modern heavyweights like the Storm and Panthers.

The Broncos finished second in the regular season and are now squaring to play Melbourne on Friday. While the Brisbane giants have long been one of the most dominant outfits in the competition, a rough dip between the 2020 and 2022 seasons saw them fail to avoid a club-first wooden spoon and miss finals three times in a row.

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Despite that, just three years after that last-place finish, the Broncos are back among the premiership contenders of the NRL after a sizzling campaign saw them win 18 of their 24 games.

For Walsh, who has been at the heart of the resurgence, it couldn’t be more exciting.

“It’s something that I haven’t experienced yet, but I’m confident and excited to get out there and keep playing the footy that we played all year,” Walsh told media on Tuesday.

“We’ve showed that we’re a genuine contender this year.

“It’s a new comp that is starting and we’re really excited to get into work and work hard for each other and play some good footy.”

One of the main reasons that Walsh is so confident in the team—despite many of them, himself included, still being under 23—comes down to their halfback, Adam Reynolds. The veteran leader pulling the string at no.7 won a premiership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2014 and has played in nearly as many finals series as he has toes.

While he is just one of the 17 playing out on the park, Walsh says Reynolds has been crucial in guiding the fledgling Brisbane powerhouse ahead of their first postseason since 2019.

“Yeah, [he has] spoken a lot [to us] as a team and just about how the bigger the game, the simpler, you know, your role becomes in the team,” Walsh said.

“I think it’s just about us going out there and nailing our job and nailing our role the best we can be.

“Every single person in the team and the squad are all working hard for each other and they’re working hard to get better and if we can all do our jobs to the best of our ability, I’m sure that’s going to reflect as a really good team performance.

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“We’re in a really good spot and we’ve got a really good opportunity to do something special here.”