‘F***ing c***’: Brisbane Broncos star Reece Walsh referred to NRL judiciary

Brisbane will call on one of the game’s most influential legal minds to help superstar Reece Walsh beat his contrary conduct charge for allegedly calling referee Chris Butler a f***ing c***.

Reece Walsh has denied swearing at referee Chris Butler. Picture: NRL Photos

Broncos star Reece Walsh has vehemently denied swearing at referee Chris Butler in talks with Brisbane officials and the club has backed their flying fullback by hiring one of the game’s most influential legal minds to salvage his State of Origin hopes.

Walsh took to social media on Monday to refute claims he swore at Butler in the dying stages of the Broncos’ loss to Gold Coast at the weekend, a stance he has reiterated in private conversations with Brisbane powerbrokers.

The Broncos have responded by hiring judiciary specialist Nick Ghabar to defend the Maroons fullback after he was referred straight to the panel on a contrary conduct charge by the NRL match review committee.

His Origin hopes may hang on Ghabar given the final game of the series is looming large on the horizon. Perhaps with Origin in mind, Walsh launched a preemptive strike on Sunday night by insisting his comments were directed at another player rather than Butler.

Captain Adam Reynolds backed Walsh’s claims, which the Broncos custodian repeated in a social media post on Monday morning.

Reece Walsh had a running battle with referee Chris Butler. Picture: NRL Photos

Reece has been charged by the NRL Judiciary.

He will travel to Sydney to defend the charge.

— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) June 26, 2023

“Yesterday whilst on the field I swore at another player,” Walsh wrote.

“Whilst I don’t promote this language to be directed at anybody, I would NEVER direct this type of language towards a referee. I understand how it may look and I’ve reached out to Chris Butler to apologize if he thought I was speaking to him.

“And whilst I am not proud of this and want to put it behind me, I also wanted to let the public, and in particular young kids playing the game know that I would never swear at a referee and neither should anybody else – they do a great job and play a huge role in making rugby league the best game in the world.”

The comments appeared to carry little weight with the match review committee as they ordered the Broncos and Maroons star to face the music at the judiciary in an explosive fallout to his expletive-laden slur in Brisbane’s 18-12 defeat at Suncorp Stadium.

Walsh was penalised by Butler, and Brisbane marched 10 metres, for allegedly using the word “c***”, gifting the Titans the penalty goal that sealed victory.

The Broncos and Queensland fullback could miss this Saturday’s clash against the Dolphins and Origin III on July 12 if the NRL judiciary slaps him with a two-game suspension.

The Broncos have the bye following this week’s clash against the Dolphins, meaning Walsh’s next game would be the Origin dead rubber at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

Walsh had a running battle with Butler all afternoon and the contest came to a flashpoint in the 75th minute when the Broncos young gun was penalised and marched for appearing to swear at the referee.

Reece Walsh disputes a call from Chris Butler during the Brisbane Broncos’ clash with the Gold Coast Titans. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The on-field microphones picked up the word “c***” and angles of the incident revealed by Fox League on Monday appeared to show Walsh remonstrate towards Butler before the fullback was escorted away and warned to calm down by teammates.

Walsh has developed a worrying habit of arguing with referees in recent months, with Queensland legend Cameron Smith among those to suggest he needed to pull his head in.

“He completely disagreed with the referee’s calls,” Smith told SEN.

“If I was at the club, being a captain or a senior player, I’d just grab him. He needs to focus on what he needs to send his energy to.

Reece Walsh has denied swearing at the referee.

“Stop arguing with the ref and just concentrate on your role.”

It is understood club officials have also harboured concerns over Walsh’s behaviour on the field in recent weeks, in particular his penchant for challenging match officials.

It is an issue they are expected to raise behind closed doors, although for the moment they are happy to back Walsh by hiring Ghabar to defend him at the judiciary.

Ghabar is regarded as the go-to lawyer for NRL matters. The Walsh drama comes just days after he and NSW rival Jarome Luai were both sent-off for headbutting each other in Origin II.

Walsh was fined 23 per cent of his Origin match fee.