Reece Walsh incident with female fan that highlights Michael Maguire's huge task at Broncos
The new coach needs to address the culture that has crept in at the Brisbane Broncos.
OPINION
The No.1 issue that Michael Maguire must fix straight away at the Broncos is the 'rock star' culture that has swept through the playing group. And nothing sums it up better than the insane level of fandom that Reece Walsh has attracted in very little time in the NRL.
It's been widely acknowledged the Broncos players got too big for their boots and bought into their own hype after making the grand final in 2023. They thought success would come easy in 2024, but they suffered their worst slide in club history to finish 12th on the ladder.
Maguire's first task as new coach has been to fix the culture that has seeped into the club, in which the players have been treated like rock stars by fans and officials alike. Through no doing of his own, Walsh has garnered unprecedented levels of fandom (mostly young female supporters), which has forced the Broncos to hire security during training sessions because of the level of interest.
Walsh's on and off-field following has gotten so out of control that he found a young female fan waiting in the back of his car with flowers after a training session earlier this year. There's no suggestion Walsh has done anything wrong, but it's hard to overlook his social media following and insane popularity when dissecting what has gone wrong at the Broncos.
The 22-year-old has become so popular in Brisbane that it's hard to imagine it wouldn't have gone to his head - even just a little bit. Tellingly, he even took to social media earlier this year to ask fans to be more respectful when asking him for a selfie.
The Courier Mail recently revealed that Walsh was inundated with at least 20 messages from young women when he touched down in Darwn last year for a Broncos game against Parramatta, with fans desperate to meet up with him. And teammates Patrick Carrigan and Ezra Mam reportedly got similar treatment.
Michael Maguire addresses issues with Brisbane Broncos culture
Speaking earlier this month, Maguire denied suggestions there were widespread issues with the culture at the Broncos. “You only get success off the back of hard work,” the new coach said. “And I know there are players at the Broncos that want success.
“We’ll be starting our pre-season on November 1 and I want to build a culture that everyone in the club talks about. I’ll be asking the group … how do we do this? What do we stand for at the Broncos? It’s going to be our style.
“The guys have had the journey of last year, but that’s put behind us, and I’m about moving forward and setting expectations of being ready for the pre-season. Part of being a professional rugby league player at this level is how you turn up for pre-season. We’ll be creating high standards.”
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When asked if Broncos players had been treated like rock stars for too long, Maguire responded: “I’m not going to judge anyone. Perceptions are built. All I can say is I’ve had conversations with the players and they all care very deeply for the club.
“I know there are certain players within the squad that, like Payne Haas for example, who want it (success). They’re very hungry. If they are prepared to do the work, the opportunities will be right in front of them.”
The renowned disciplinarian had earlier said of Walsh: "When you talk about standards and wanting to go the extra yard, Reece can really go the extra yard. Everyone can see what he’s capable of doing. I’ve always seen with my players…if you can improve as a player, you get hungry for more success, because it’s actually good fun when you improve."
