Inside Brisbane’s premiership party: Broncos could face fines over smoking inside stadium
Brisbane players rode in on their broncos, crashed the party, then left town with the treasure - and they left a mark on Sydney’s night life. We take you inside the wild party to celebrate their seventh title.
The NRL’s newest champions partied all night in Kings Cross before returning a little worse for wear to their beach side hotel in Brighton Le Sands just after 7am.
Players were in high spirits, despite having no sleep and many, including Payne Haas, Reece Walsh and Brendan Piakura, were still sporting their playing strips from the night before.
Five-eighth Ezra Mam had the honour of unloading the team’s most prized possession, the Provan-Summons Trophy, off the team bus.
Mam was one of several players wearing ski goggles as they arrived at the hotel after a night of partying at The Star Casino.
Celebrations were then moved to a private function at a bar in Kings Cross, where the NRL team was also joined by Brisbane’s champion NRLW side who had defeated the Sydney Roosters in the women’s grand final.
Despite the jubilation, Walsh admitted he and his teammates were in a world of pain on Monday morning.
“Coming back now, with all my boys … we’re hurting but we’re just on a ride together,” Walsh said as he got off the team bus.
“I’m so proud of these boys, to be down where we were and to come back and fight, it’s so good to be a part of it.”
Players then re-emerged at around 9.30am from the team hotel, where a small group of Broncos fans had gathered to farewell their grand final heroes before departing Sydney for Brisbane mid-morning.
And the drinks were still flowing. Some like skipper Adam Reynolds, Cory Paix and Kobe Hetherington left the hotel, for the short 10-minute ride to the airport, with beers in hand.
While most players acknowledged the waiting fans with a wave on their way back onto the bus, Walsh stopped to take photos with a number of young fans.
One lucky fan, Jack Bassingthwaighte, shared what is sure to be a lifelong memory with his favourite player Walsh.
The star fullback walked over to Jack and then offered to let the youngster try on his premiership ring for size.
Turns out young Jack and Walsh share another connection. The 11-year-old also played for the same junior club as Walsh, the Nerang Roosters.
“It was pretty cool,” Jack said about his encounter with Walsh.
“I used to play at the same club as Reece and I was coached by his dad.”
As well as his premiership ring, Walsh was still proudly wearing his Clive Churchill Medal on Monday morning.
But there were no signs of his now famous toilet bowl mug.
Walsh, his teammates and even coach Michael Maguire were all seen drinking out of the mug in the sheds at Accor Stadium on Sunday night.
Walsh made headlines on the eve of the finals series after a video of himself drinking out of a toilet bowl was leaked on social media.
Walsh has embraced the saga and even signed off his Clive Churchill medal acceptance speech with: ‘Plumber out’.
Staggs joked the toilet bowl water had been the secret to Walsh’s blistering form in the finals series.
“He does things like that, the media grab a hold of it and make it look like something big but it’s not,” Staggs said.
“It was a fresh toilet, fresh water and it made him play the way he has played, and it’s won a grand final for us.”
The Broncos continued celebrations after landing in Brisbane at lunchtime, heading straight to Suncorp Stadium for the club’s official victory party with fans on home soil.
Brisbane ended Penrith’s run to five-straight titles in the preliminary finals, and already Staggs says the Broncos have their sights set on their own premiership dynasty at Red Hill.
“Yeah, 100 per cent we can build our own dynasty,” Staggs said.
“We are still young and believe we can bring a lot more enjoyment and a lot more premierships to this club.
“I think this is just a start.”
Walsh briefly stopped to talk to a waiting media and small number of Broncos fans waiting for their grand final heroes at the team hotel on Monday morning.
Walsh was spotted showing his newly acquired premiership ring to one fan as he entered the team hotel.
Last night Walsh took a cheeky dig and his detractors, who during the season had labelled the fullback a ‘rocks and diamonds’ type player.
“There’s no bloody rocks on this ring, only diamond on this ring bra,” Walsh said in an instagram post as he showed off the title ring.
The Broncos boarded a flight home back to Brisbane at 10am before heading out to Suncorp Stadium, where they will present the premiership trophy at a fan day, which expected to draw a crowd in their thousands.
Last week alone, Walsh gained another 25,000 Instagram followers as his social media audience surged past the 1 million mark.
With 585,000 on Instagram and another 428,500 on TikTok, a new generation of fans are lapping up his every move.
Walsh also launched his own YouTube channel 11 months ago, and his presence in grand final week has resulted in another 1000 subscribers joining his 16,000-strong loyal fan base on that platform.
BRONCOS IN SMOKING CELEBRATION DRAMA
The Broncos’ NRL Premiership celebrations could come at a cost with Brisbane facing a potential fine after being busted smoking cigars inside Accor Stadium.
The victorious Broncos dressing room was flooded with hundreds of fans, friends and family after Brisbane snapped a 19-year NRL title drought on Sunday night.
The Broncos celebrated their seventh men’s premiership in style after beating Melbourne 26-22 in a gripping grand final.
Superstar fullback Reece Walsh was prolific on Instagram – and had a choice barb for Melbourne powerhouse Stefano Utoikamanu.
Utoikamanu had riled the Broncos during the week by declaring they were ‘stuck up’, lighting the fuse for an explosive contest.
But the Broncos had the last laugh, launching into the former Wests Tigers star with pointed sledges as they lit cigars.
“Stefano’s stuck.... we’re f***ing up baby,” declared Walsh.
The dressing room resembled a 1980s nightclub after fulltime with cigar smoke filling the area.
Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the Sydney stadium and Broncos staff made attempts to stop the players from lighting up.
But they couldn’t get around quick enough to ‘butt out’ the cigars, which were being shared around by the players and fans.
“Nah, no way,” Broncos forward Jordan Riki said when asked if he was a regular cigar smoker.
“I said no the first couple of times and then the boys were giving me a bit of stick and trying to just throw it back at my face.
“I had one or two puffs.”
As the family and friends made their way to The Star Casino for the Broncos’ after party, the players and staff moved the party to the middle of the field.
They placed chairs in a circle and blasted music, including Queen’s famous track ‘We are the Champions’.
The players, coach Michael Maguire and select Broncos staff were then given some time to themselves to have a moment together.
The party was only just getting started with the Broncos expected to receive a heroes’ welcome back in Brisbane on Monday afternoon.
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Originally published as Inside Brisbane’s premiership party: Broncos could face fines over smoking inside stadium
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