NRL 2024: Reece Walsh on track to be most powerful marketing force in rugby league history
ARLC boss Peter V’landys has praised Reece Walsh as a ‘promoter’s dream’, backing the Maroons star to become the most powerful marketing force in rugby league history.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Reece Walsh is on track to become the most powerful marketing force in rugby league history with the Queensland Origin star tipped to amass at least $10 million in his rise to NRL mega-stardom.
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys says Walsh can become the sport’s greatest entertainer as the Broncos sensation prepares to lead Queensland into State of Origin battle this Wednesday night in Sydney.
“Reece is a promoter’s dream,” he said ahead of the 2024 Origin series opener.
V’landys’ appraisal came as one of rugby league’s first rock stars, former Broncos and Queensland Origin pin-up boy Wendell Sailor, declared Walsh will sign the NRL’s first $2 million contract.
Walsh will be Queensland’s X-factor in Origin I at Sydney’s Accor Stadium and such is his desire to succeed in the sport, the 21-year-old has enlisted the help of a sports psychologist.
The code’s most powerful administrator says his teenage daughter Katerina had zero interest in rugby league until she saw Walsh in full flight for the Broncos.
During the NRL’s historic trip to Las Vegas to launch the 2024 premiership, Walsh gave his Broncos scarf to V’landys.
At Magic Round two weeks ago, Walsh personally met V’landys’ daughter for a photo and autograph, demonstrating his pop-star influence and ability to attract a new audience.
“He could be one of our most famous players,” V’landys said.
“He is only 21, so we are fortunate to have him in our code. He has the charisma, the brilliance and the ability, he is the total package and those players are very rare.
“He is attracting a demographic we’ve never had before, which is the younger demographic and particularly the female demographic.
“My daughter is a perfect example.
“Even though I was chairman of the NRL, she didn’t have any interest in rugby league, but now she is a mad Broncos supporter because of Reece Walsh.
“Up until that point, she had very little interest. She is now a fanatic.
“That’s what Reece Walsh does for rugby league.”
Rugby league has had a coterie of pin-up boys and household names who have transcended borders.
Andrew Ettingshausen, Allan Langer and Wayne Pearce famously spearheaded Tina Turner’s Simply the Best campaign of the 1990s, while Wally ‘The King’ Lewis was one of the most recognisable figures in Australian sport in his pomp as the Emperor of Lang Park.
But Walsh has the potential to usurp them all in a social-media age that can make him an international phenomenon.
At Red Hill, Broncos fans flock to training sessions on a weekly basis holding home-made posters, festooned with love hearts and pictures of the Brisbane fullback in action, for Walsh to sign.
A month shy of his 22nd birthday, Walsh is becoming a corporate juggernaut.
He has established links with Ralph Lauren and is being courted as an ambassador by Channel 9, who are keen to tap into a new audience via Walsh’s 470,000 Instagram followers.
Fellow Queensland Origin star Kalyn Ponga is currently the NRL’s highest-paid player on $1.4 million. But Sailor believes Walsh will break records by becoming the NRL’s inaugural $2m-a-season superstar.
Walsh is finalising a five-year extension with the Broncos worth up to $6 million.
He will next come off-contract at age 26, when he will be in the prime of his career, perfectly positioned to name his price and negotiate an even more lucrative deal. Another five-year package worth $10 million, bolstered by third-party sponsorships, is a genuine possibility.
“Reece will be the NRL’s first $2 million player,” Sailor said.
“I spoke to Darren Lockyer (former Broncos skipper) about this and Locky was once our highest paid player, but Reece has social media and once he leverages his IP (Intellectual Property) rights, he will make millions.
“Reece can be our biggest marketing tool ever. We should be thankful we have an athlete like him in our game. He has a beautiful young daughter, he made a mistake when he was 18 (pleading guilty to cocaine possession), but he learnt his lesson.
“I have never seen any player get the reception that Reece does.
“The kids and girls go nuts and the things Reece is doing on the field at his age, a young Gorden Tallis, Darren Lockyer or even myself weren’t doing at his age.
“Reece Walsh is a freakish talent, I love everything this kid represents about rugby league.
“He could be our best advertisement ever.”
But with the fame and adulation comes searing pressure.
“After he was suspended last year for swearing at a referee, missing Origin III as a result, Walsh sought professional help. He turned to Jacqui Louder, a Melbourne-based sports psychologist who has worked with the Storm, AFL side Collingwood and Maroons star Cameron Munster.
“It’s been good,” Walsh said.
“Jacqui is an awesome lady. I touch base with her now and then. She checks in to make sure I’m alright and everything is going alright.
“It’s good to have a chat about everyday life and have a catch up with someone who isn’t involved with the club (Broncos) too much.
“Jacqui has been awesome for me. She is a breath of fresh air. I look forward to doing more work with her in the future.”
Sailor, who in his pomp had the keys to every nightclub in Brisbane, can relate to the all-consuming spotlight and potential perils of the celebrity life Walsh is now inhabiting.
“The biggest downfall for Reece is who he surrounds himself with,” Sailor said.
“Unfortunately, there will be jealous people out there and some people will want to be around Reece for the wrong reasons, so he needs to choose his company wisely.
“I’ve said to Reece, ‘Not everyone will like you, but everyone is not going to be you’.
“My son (Tristan) is at the Broncos and he says no-one works harder than Reece. I think Adam Reynolds (Broncos skipper) is an important mentor for Reece.
“He can be for Reece what Allan Langer and Gorden Tallis were for me at the Broncos.”
Queensland coach Billy Slater has a warning for NSW and NRL rivals - Walsh has only scratched the surface of his talent.
“You have to remember he is only 21 years old,” Slater said.
“Take yourself back to when you were 21 and where you were in your life.
“We see these guys on the TV and expect them to be perfect all the time.
“The growth that Reece has in his game over the last two seasons is incredible.
“He is a wonderful player and he will continue to grow because of the person he is.
“He has got an incredible desire to be as good as he possibly can and he has a real drive to do that. He has a great work ethic and you don’t get that a lot of the time when you get super talented players.
“He has done a fantastic job every time he has represented Queensland and the Queensland people.
“He has come a long way in a short period of time and I expect that to continue.”
V’landys describes Walsh as a once-in-generation walking billboard for the NRL.
“Reece has this charisma that shines through,” he said.
“He doesn’t realise it, but he has those qualities, he not only has the looks, but he backs it up with the way he plays.
“Everything about Reece is the image. He is brilliant. He can change a game. He is the sort of player who, once he gets the ball, everyone gets up out of their seat to see what he is going to do.
“When he touches the ball, you expect something and the expectation on him will be very high. That is going to be hard for him, but as he matures he will handle that expectation.
“People are attracted to the aura, the talent and the presence of Reece and he’s got all of it.
“All we have to do now is teach him how to sing and we will have the whole package.”
Stranded Cowboys ask NRL for charter flight to avoid finals farce
The North Queensland Cowboys risk missing Friday night’s final against the Sharks after the club failed to secure seats on one of the two direct flights to Sydney.
Why Roosters face easy call in the halves
Sandon Smith is the first to admit he didn’t have his best game last week, but his teammates have backed him to respond against Manly.