NRL 2024: How Brisbane Broncos got Reece Walsh home after being banned from flying after injury

From Reece Walsh’s road trip on an empty bus to Darren Lockyer’s low-level helicopter flight, here’s how the Broncos get creative to make sure no man gets left behind.

Reece Walsh and Darren Lockyer were grounded.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters is confident Reece Walsh will not require surgery on a facial fracture which saw the superstar fullback banned from flying home.

‘Reece Lightning’ was forced to board the ‘Walsh Express’ on Friday morning, embarking on a 10-hour road trip back to Red Hill in the wake of Brisbane’s costly 34-12 loss to Penrith at BlueBet Stadium.

After dropping off the Broncos squad at Sydney airport for their flight north, a 40-seat Brisbane bus was left with just two passengers for Reece’s road trip – superstar Walsh and club welfare officer Adam Walsh.

Injured Broncos star Reece Walsh relaxes aboard the Walsh Express on his way back to Brisbane. Picture: Instagram

That gave the Queensland Origin star plenty of room to stretch out and rest, keeping his phone on for welfare checks from Brisbane medicos.

It is the second time Walsh has sustained damage to his left eye.

Just 13 months ago, the Broncos flyer suffered a minor fracture to his eye’s orbital floor in a trial against the Titans, which ruled Walsh out of Brisbane’s season opener – ironically against the Panthers at the same venue in Sydney.

The last Bronco to undertake the 917km road trip up the Pacific Highway was Walsh’s wing teammate Corey Oates, who suffered a sickening leg gash in an NRL fixture in Sydney almost four years.

Playing against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval in July 2020, Oates suffered a large haematoma and gash in his leg so deep he underwent a two-and-a-half hour operation.

The Broncos bus, aka the Walsh Express. Picture: NRL Imagery

Concerned about swelling and infection, doctors advised Oates against flying, consigning him to a bus ride back to Brisbane.

The Walsh Express was due to arrive at Red Hill headquarters around 6pm on Friday night, well after the Broncos’ NRL squad touched down at Brisbane airport at 10.30am.

Leading Brisbane-based physiotherapist Brien Seeney, who runs the popular NRL Physio social-media account, said Walsh risked further damage to his facial fracture if he boarded a flight.

After all the back & forth - not good news for the Broncos & Reece Walsh. Scans confirm he HAS suffered a facial fracture, won’t be able to fly so will be driven back to Brisbane.

Recovery time to be determined after specialist visit - wide range but many back in 4-6 weeks. pic.twitter.com/dfG8BIXztY

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 21, 2024

“With some facial fractures like Walsh’s there are significant risks with flying due to the change in air pressure,” Seeney said.

“This can result in gases from the sinuses entering the orbit (eye-socket) and causing even more damage.

Darren Lockyer flew to Sydney on a helicopter in a failed bid to play in 2011.

“Most players who suffer these eye socket/cheekbone fractures return in 4-6 weeks, you need to allow for adequate bone healing to reduce the risk of further fracture or secondary complications with vision.”

In 2011, another Broncos champion, Darren Lockyer, embarked on a low-level helicopter flight to Sydney after breaking his cheekbone a week earlier in a sudden-death semi-final win over the Dragons.

Lockyer was hopeful of taking on Manly in a grand-final qualifier. While the chopper ride was successful, Lockyer’s bid to play was not, with the legendary skipper ultimately deciding not to play in Brisbane’s 26-14 loss to Manly in the preliminary final.

Originally published as NRL 2024: How Brisbane Broncos got Reece Walsh home after being banned from flying after injury