NRL 2024: Patrick Carrigan reveals how fatherhood changed Reece Walsh and made him the man he is after troubled teenage years

Patrick Carrigan, like a big brother to Reece Walsh, reveals how fatherhood steadied the Broncos and Maroons fullback after navigating some troubled teenage years on his turbulent road to NRL stardom.

Reece Walsh Patrick Carrigan

Queensland Origin star Pat Carrigan has revealed how fatherhood has been the making of Reece Walsh as he navigated troubled teenage years in his turbulent road to becoming an NRL superstar.

Carrigan and Walsh are former flatmates whose friendship underpins the spirit of a Queensland team chasing a hat trick of titles in Wednesday night’s Origin decider against NSW at Suncorp Stadium.

In many ways, the Broncos duo are Queensland’s odd couple.

Carrigan, a tough-as-teak forward, is cerebral, Brisbane-raised and a former private-school captain at Gregory Terrace, where fees nudge the $20,000 mark.

Walsh, a flashy fullback, is the cheeky scallywag who once joked he attended the school of hard knocks in the blue-collar belt at Nerang on the Gold Coast.

But it’s been Carrigan’s big-brother-like influence on Walsh, who at 22 is four years younger than his Maroons teammate, that has helped the Queensland and Broncos golden boy settle.

Pat Carrigan has a big-brother-like influence on Reece Walsh. Picture: Adam Head

Before Origin I six weeks ago, Walsh broke down unexpectedly at a press conference.

He wiped away tears as he was asked about his mateship with Carrigan and how “Uncle Patty” was his daughter Leila’s favourite Bronco and Maroon.

It was less than three years ago that Walsh’s career was at the crossroads after he was arrested by police for cocaine possession.

He pleaded guilty, was fined $5000 and banned for two games by the NRL and placed on a good-behaviour bond by the courts.

Fast forward to today and Carrigan says the arrival of Leila, who turned three in March, has been the bedrock of Walsh’s maturation.

Leila, a fixture at Broncos games, will be at the Suncorp decider as her father and Uncle Pat chase Origin glory on Wednesday night.

“We have been through the good times and bad times of a lot of on-field footy and off-field personal growth for each other,” Carrigan said of his bond with Walsh.

“It’s a genuine relationship we have.

“He has a heart of gold and I’m a people person. I see that in him and he sees that in me.

An Instagram post by Brisbane Broncos player Reece Walsh with his daughter Leila. Photo: Instagram.

Brisbane Broncos player Reece Walsh posted a photo on Instagram of his daughter Leila with Pat Carrigan. Photo: Instagram.

“We are two good mates, so we are lucky we get to play footy together and work together.

“We have been through a fair bit and that’s where our friendship comes from.”

Walsh recently posted an image to his 520,000 Instagram followers showing he, Leila and Carrigan hanging out having lunch.

Maroons lock Carrigan isn’t a parent yet, but Brisbane’s captain-in-waiting has detected what fatherhood has done for Walsh.

“Leila has been the best for Reece,” he said.

“I have seen what he has done for her and what she does for him as a dad. Reece and his mum do their best to provide her with a good life and she is a special young kid.

“Reecey sent me a photo the other day of when she was first born and I had short hair the first time I held her and now I’ve got long hair and she’s this little girl with a real personality.

“It’s great to see Reece as a young father and he is a role model for a lot of other dads out there.”

Walsh’s rock star status has exploded in the past two years.

It would be easy for his ego to suffer a similar explosion, but Carrigan says for all his good looks, charisma and chutzpah, Walsh isn’t intoxicated by the adulation.

“For all the hype, Reece is just genuine,” Carrigan said.

“He cares about people.

“I am a pretty simple guy and how people treat me is how I treat them.

“Reece is a pretty passionate guy and has the world at his feet at the moment.

“Through all that, I see someone who cares about his friends and sees the bigger picture. He is doing his best to achieve something in rugby league and that’s what resonates with me.”

Last year, Reece Walsh was suspended for allegedly swearing at a referee, where he claimed he was swearing at Pat Carrigan.

Like any close friendship, the pair have had their moments. Last year, Walsh was suspended by the NRL judiciary for allegedly swearing at a referee.

He argued that, in the heat of battle, he was abusing his teammate Carrigan, who was telling Walsh to “slow his brain down”.

But Carrigan says the pair will share a lifelong mateship that began when Walsh left the Gold Coast and found a bed at Carrigan’s Brisbane home.

“When Reecey left school, he came into the Broncos academy and our friendship grew from there. I owned a house in Holland Park and I’ve had a few lads through there,” he said.

“I should start calling it ‘The Factory’ because it’s pumped out a few NRL players.

“Jordan Riki, Reece Walsh, Keenan Palasia and Brendan Piakura, we have all lived together at some point in that house.

“Me and Jordan lived together and then ‘Jordy’ moved out and Reecey was looking to move to Brissy, so we moved in together.

“We lived together for 12 months before he left to the Warriors (where Walsh played for 18 months before returning to the Broncos).

Reece Walsh and Pat Carrigan will look to add another chapter to their relationship with a win in the Origin decider on Wednesday. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“From teaching him to cook his first spaghetti bolognese to where he is now, it’s good to see how far Reece has come.”

When Walsh runs onto Suncorp on Wednesday night, looking quickly to the stands for a glance at his daughter, he will take comfort in the presence of Carrigan.

“He is massive for me,” Walsh said.

“Not just with what he does on the field but what he does off the field too with my little one (daughter).

“Every time my little one sees him she lights up and calls him ‘Uncle Patty’.

“That is just a part of Patty’s nature. Our friendship is more than just a rugby league one.”