NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos secure private meeting with NFL legend Tom Brady ahead of Australia tour
The Broncos are hoping Tom Brady can inspire the club to snap an 18-year premiership drought, after securing a private meeting with the NFL legend ahead of his Australian tour.
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Broncos prodigy Reece Walsh will ask NFL legend Tom Brady how to handle stardom when Brisbane’s NRL team meets with one of world sport’s biggest names.
The Broncos have secured a partnership with Brady ahead of his Australian tour later this month, just weeks before the team jets to the United States for the NRL’s historic Las Vegas season-opener.
Brady – the seven-time Super Bowl champion – will host an exclusive event at the Brisbane Showgrounds on January 28, with tickets ranging from $150 to $5000-a-head.
The retired quarterback is regarded as the greatest gridiron player of all-time, collecting five Super Bowl MVP awards during a remarkable 23-season career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady, 46, will privately address the entire Broncos squad before the evening event, an opportunity the club hopes can help inspire it to snap an 18-year NRL premiership drought in 2024 following last year’s heartbreaking grand final loss to Penrith.
Walsh, 21, grew up idolising Brady and said he was thrilled to be meeting the NFL superstar on the back of his own meteoric rise in the NRL.
“It’ll be a dream come true,” he said.
“He’s the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), he’s been an idol of mine since I was a little boy. It’s pretty surreal actually. I was born the year (2002) he won his first Super Bowl with the Pats.
“For me, just watching how he’s handled himself while being so successful and dealing with all the fame, is something I think I can learn a lot from. I’m still so young and learning from someone like him, he’s got so much respect off the field, and that’s important to me.
“What I love most about him is how much he loves his kids. He’s just Dad and that’s what I’ve tried to be to my little girl – she’s why I do everything.
“If I can be half the athlete and role model that he’s been, then I’ll be pretty proud.
“This is why I love my club. We’re building something pretty cool here at the Broncos, and this is the type of inspiration that will stick with us all season I reckon, especially after last season. We’re so hungry.”
The Broncos are hoping they can inspire Brady to support them on their American quest, which is quickly approaching.
The Broncos will spend a week training in Los Angeles in late February before heading to Las Vegas for their March 3 showdown with the Roosters.
Brisbane prop Payne Haas flirted with a move to the NFL as a youngster and said he hoped Brady would jump on board the Broncos bandwagon in the US.
“It’s unreal, I can’t believe he’s coming to Brisbane, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing but hopefully this is just the start,” Haas said.
“I’ve always followed the NFL pretty closely, and what he’s achieved in his career is next level. It’s the kind of success that we’d love to have here as a group.
“I think we’ll all be a little star struck. Hopefully he’ll be able to get to the game in Vegas, we’d love to have him on the bench with us.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said the club jumped at the chance to meet a proven winner in Brady, whose professionalism was unrivalled in the NFL.
“Tom Brady and the Broncos – it doesn’t get much better than that, and we’re excited to be welcoming him to our city,” he said.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for our squad to hear from one of the world’s greatest athletes, particularly as we prepare to take off to the USA.
“He knows how to win and it’s not every day someone of his calibre lands on your doorstep for this experience.
“We’re looking forward to hearing about what has gone into his preparation, performance, success and mindset over many years, ahead of another big season for us.”
Originally published as NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos secure private meeting with NFL legend Tom Brady ahead of Australia tour
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