NRL 2023: Broncos scouts poached Reece Walsh from Gold Coast’s backyard for just $2000

He has terrorised NRL rivals to fire the Broncos to the top of the league. But Reece Walsh could have easily been a Titans match-winner, only for Gold Coast scouts to be ambushed by Brisbane.

Cbus Super Stadium will be Titans-bound Keenan Palasia’s field of dreams next season.

He is the cut-price Broncos superstar primed to return home to the Gold Coast to haunt the Titans.

As Reece Walsh prepares to face the Titans in Saturday night’s derby at Cbus Super Stadium, News Corp can reveal the Broncos poached the fullback sensation from Gold Coast’s development backyard for just $2000.

Now Walsh is one of the rising stars of the NRL, Brisbane’s next big thing and the attacking strike weapon who could rub salt into the Titans’ wounds by engineering another Broncos victory in the M1 derby.

Walsh may have fired the Broncos to the top of the league after six rounds, but the 20-year-old Queensland Origin hopeful could easily be starring in Titans colours.

The Broncos sensation started with the Nerang Roosters as a four-year-old and was deeply entrenched in Gold Coast’s rugby league nursery when Brisbane scouts pounced to snatch him for their famed Academy as a 15-year-old.

Reece Walsh (right) attended Keebra Park High and came through the Gold Coast system when Broncos scouts pounced.

While Walsh had an 18-month stint at the Warriors, he returned to the Broncos this season and Brisbane’s initial investment could pay premiership dividends as the flashy fullback looks to torch the Titans.

“His first deal with the Broncos (in 2018) was a couple of thousand dollars,” said Broncos recruitment chief Simon Scanlan.

“We lost Reece for a while (to the Warriors), but thankfully we got him back.

“Reece was playing at Nerang and Keebra Park High and our scouts watch school, club and representative football all through that Gold Coast region, so that’s how he was first identified.

“When a kid is under 15, they can be in multiple development squads, they can be with the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys squads at the same time.

Nerang Roosters product Reece Walsh captained Queensland under-16s against NSW and was one of seven Gold Coasters in the side. Photo: QRL

“We all share the 13 and 14-year-old kids in the development squads, but once they turn 15, you get the chance to sign them outright and we were fortunate enough to get Reece.

“The best 15-year-old doesn’t just become the best NRL player by any means.

“If they aren’t prepared to work hard and listen, they won’t improve, but Reece does both and that’s what makes him such a special talent.”

In pre-season, Walsh told News Corp he was barely noticed by Gold Coast scouts. He recalls the Titans moving swiftly when Brisbane tabled a scholarship deal, but by then, the Keebra Park flyer had his heart set on winning a title at the Broncos.

“I started with the Nerang Roosters on the Gold Coast, they were an awesome club and I made some great friendships there,” Walsh said.

“The Titans never really showed much interest. Not until the last minute when I had signed my deal with the Broncos.

“As a kid, all I really wanted was to put that Broncos jersey on.

“I remember when I was seven years old, I would run around the backyard with a Broncos jersey on wishing I could play for them.

“I’m hungry to be the best I can be. I want to be one of the best players in the comp one day.”

Walsh says he was barely noticed by Titans scouts in his teenage years.

By virtue of his sizzling start to the season, Walsh is on track to become one of the NRL’s truly elite players and should he break Brisbane’s 17-year premiership drought, it wouldn’t surprise Scanlan.

The Broncos Academy chief was a pivotal figure in Walsh’s return to Brisbane this year for family reasons and says, for all the whizkid’s natural flair, he possesses an unrivalled work ethic.

“Reece always wants to win,” Scanlan said.

“The first thing that stood out for me from his early teens was his competitive nature.

“Reece just competes hard. He is a genuine competitor.

“He has always been a confident kid and not afraid to try his hand. Some kids are afraid to take risks, but Reece has a great self-belief and is willing to chance his hand and go for plays in games.

“He has always backed himself as a young player to try things, but if he makes a mistake, he will take on feedback and work on it to get better.

“Since his time in the Academy, one of Reece’s biggest strengths is he just wants to improve. That’s been a real strength of his.”

After just six games this season, Walsh has a whopping seven try assists and 27 tackle busts. He took up sprint training over summer and that desire to get better has underpinned his scorching speed out of the blocks.

The brilliant Walsh has become a fan favourite with his attacking style.

“Reece just doesn’t play footy for fun,” Scanlan said. ”He really invests a lot into his game. He is a natural talent, no question, but he combines that with a great work ethic.

“Ryan Papenhuyzen (Storm fullback) has great straight-line speed, for example, but Reece can come at the line in an arc, beat the bloke outside him and the next bloke outside him and put his centre or winger away.

“His speed scares the hell out of teams.”

Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is wary of the Walsh threat.

“He is dynamite,” he said. “The Broncos rely on Walsh coming out of their back end and also scoring and setting up tries.

“We are excited for the challenge ... we know we have to shut him down.”

WHY I QUIT: BRONCOS STAR’S TRUTH ABOUT DEFECTION

Titans-bound Keenan Palasia has opened up about his decision to quit the Broncos and assured the Gold Coast “won’t be wasting their money” in his quest to be an NRL front-row force.

Palasia will be a man on a mission when the Broncos interchange forward comes up against his future Titans club in Saturday night’s M1 derby at Cbus Super Stadium.

In pre-season, Palasia dropped a bombshell on the Broncos by inking a two-year deal with their Queensland rivals the Titans for 2024-25, largely motivated by his desire to become a regular NRL starter.

The Samoan international has overcome horrific knee injuries to amass 40 NRL games for the Broncos and now Palasia wants to give the Titans a close-up view of his future worth.

“I want to show the Titans that the faith they put in me isn’t going to go to waste,” Palasia said.

“Hopefully I can have a good game this week and show them they won’t be wasting their money on me.

“I had to get some confidence again after my injuries and get some luck from the footy gods, so I just needed to stay on the field and string some games together. I have come a long way the last 18 months.”

Keenan Palasia has struggled to break into the Broncos’ starting side.

Palasia’s immediate goal is to depart Red Hill with his maiden premiership ring and the 26-year-old admits it will be hard to sever ties with a Broncos club that gave him his big break in the NRL in 2019.

But with the likes of Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Tom Flegler and Kurt Capewell dominating Brisbane’s forward pack, Palasia has started in just 12 of his 40 games and believes he is ready for a promotion off the bench.

“It was a tough decision,” Palasia said of quitting Brisbane at season’s end.

“We have arguably the best forward pack in the comp at the Broncos and I wasn’t sure if I would be a regular starter here.

“I wanted to further my career personally and I’m from the Gold Coast, so I will be closer to my family and particularly my mum. I am really close to my mum, she had me at a young age, and I’m close to my younger brother, so I will get to spend more time with them.

“It is hard to break into the starting side here and I am getting to the stage of my career where I need to step up a bit more.

“I feel I’m ready to be a starter and with the quality of this Broncos pack, it’s hard for me to do that with guys like Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan here.

Cbus Super Stadium will be Titans-bound Keenan Palasia’s field of dreams next season.

“I am looking forward to this game. I came into the pre-season with the mentality that we are going to win a premiership for the Broncos, so I will go into this game and every game for the rest of the season with that mindset.”

Palasia is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits him at the Gold Coast.

The Titans possess a quality middle rotation in Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Isaac Liu and Mo Fotuaika and the hard-running Palasia accepts he won’t be strolling into Gold Coast’s starting six.

“I won’t go there with any guarantees to start,” he said.

“Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t want to start in the NRL, but in saying that I won’t just expect to walk into the Titans team.

“I’m not going to a bad forward pack.

“The Titans have representative players who have played a lot more NRL and rep games than me, but I will work hard and hopefully go to another level there.”