The numbers that show Reece Walsh is bigger than most NRL clubs

To appreciate how popular young NRL superstar Reece Walsh is, you only need to take a quick peek at some of his social media numbers.

The Brisbane Broncos’ pin-up has more Instagram followers than every NRL club except one. And that’s the team he plays for.

Walsh has 379,000 followers, the Broncos 437,000. His figures are higher than the Melbourne Storm (348,000), New Zealand Warriors (343,000), South Sydney Rabbitohs (307,000), and he has more than double the followers of the Wests Tigers (152,000), St George Illawarra Dragons (140,000) and Manly Sea Eagles (138,000).

Dally M winner Kalyn Ponga has 358,000 followers, while Nathan Cleary, who will line up against Walsh for Penrith in Sunday’s NRL grand final, has a healthy 323,000 followers.

When you factor in Walsh has a further 237,000 TikTok followers – and how one State of Origin post about Walsh by this masthead had nearly 3 million views earlier this year – it is little wonder some in rugby league are raving about the 21-year-old with hazel-green eyes and pink boots being the hottest sporting commodity in Australia.

The Justin Bieber of rugby league: Reece WalshCredit: Tertius Pickard/SMH

His isn’t a story without controversy. But not even a foul-mouthed tirade at a referee earlier this year that led to a three-game suspension, a verbal clash with a teen Penrith fan on Thursday nor being caught by police with cocaine in 2021 has done anything to dim the high-voltage star’s power.

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys this week dubbed Walsh the “Justin Bieber of rugby league” and said his profile was driving interest in the code among girls and young women.

“My focus group is my 13-year-old daughter, and she’s got posters all over the wall of him, and she has no interest in rugby league whatsoever, even though I’m the chairman of the ARLC,” V’landys said.

“All she’s interested in is Reece Walsh. He is the Justin Bieber of rugby league. Not only is he a brilliant rugby league player, he’s bloody good-looking.

Say cheese: Reece Walsh with adoring fans at training on Monday.Credit: Tertius Pickard

“He’s great for the game. He will be a brand in himself over the years. He has a massive future as a rugby league player and as a rockstar.

“We’re very fortunate to have him. No other sport has a Reece Walsh at the moment. I just hope he stays fit and healthy.

“He’s the full package. Every time he touches the ball, fans get on their feet. He has the looks, and there’s an element of charisma, there’s something that’s present that not many people have, but he’s got it.”

Departing AFL boss Gill McLachlan declared in July that, “we’ll be the biggest sport in that [Queensland] market in 5-10 years across most metrics”. The Brisbane Lions played in Saturday’s AFL grand final – but have just 167,000 followers on Instagram.

The excitement machine has often been compared to Queensland legend Billy Slater. Slater was hugely popular when winning premierships with the Melbourne Storm, but his profile was likely lower given he did not spend his career in a league-mad city like Brisbane.

Slater coached Walsh in the Queensland State of Origin team this year, and said the hype was certainly justified.

“He’s a young man, he’s a good-looking lad, and he has really attractive attributes, attributes that get you excited when watching him play,” Slater said.

“He’s also an honest guy, he’s honest with his footy, honest with his mistakes, and honest with himself. He doesn’t hide his passion or emotion, he loves the game of footy, and this is all he’s wanted to do. You can see that in his footy.

“He’s not perfect, nobody is perfect, and I love when he does make a mistake, he puts his hand up and learns from it. People in Australia resonate with that stuff. It doesn’t surprise me how popular he is. He’s just a good person.”

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