‘Asking myself a few questions’: Walsh reveals biggest change behind Broncos transformation

Watch Yvonne Sampson go Face to Face with Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh on Fox League at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday!

Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh has pulled back the curtain on Brisbane’s plans for back-to-back NRL premierships in 2026 – while also revealing the small changes that will improve his own game beyond last season’s Clive Churchill medal-winning efforts.

In a tell-all interview with Yvonne Sampson that will air on Fox League on Tuesday night, Walsh said he returns to the playing field this season feeling reinvigorated and inspired to take the Broncos back-to-back.

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Brisbane will kick off their 2026 campaign against the Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium on Friday – the first time the side have met since Brisbane ended Penrith’s hopes of a historic five-peat in the finals last year.

“[Back-to-back premierships] sounds pretty good to me, I’m excited,” Walsh said.

“To be able to go up against the Panthers on Friday night, and to have the Broncs Nation with us, riding the wave and being in every single moment with us, it’s exciting.

“We know what’s coming, we know what they bring. They’ll want to come out and really go after us and make a statement in the first game, it’s going to be a really good test to see where we’re up to. We’re looking forward to it.”

Now in his sixth season in the NRL, Walsh revealed it wasn’t flashy brilliance that would elevate his playing form in 2026, but rather “grit and grunt” in the small 1 per cent moments that most people don’t even notice.

“I’ve thought about it a bit, I was asking myself a few questions through the off-season and trying to look at my game and where I can get better,” he said.

“It’s about us doing the same sort of stuff but doing it faster, stronger.

“I’ve always been that flashy and skilful player but didn’t sort of have that hard work and grit and grunt behind me. Over the last few years that’s something I’ve tried to put into my game. It’s not necessarily the hard things that I need to work on – it’s the easy things like the effort, keep putting myself into good positions and keep turning up.

“Those are the moments that we really look on as a squad and as a club. Those are the ones that get the praise in the video room, that most of the fans and the people watching from afar don’t recognise. We definitely do recognise them.”

Walsh will be pivotal in a tweaked Brisbane spine that sees Ezra Mam return to the starting side, while Ben Hunt moves to the bench utility role and Adam Reynolds stays at halfback.

Critics admonished the fullback’s occasional inconsistency through 2025, particularly in the midst of the Broncos’ seven-game losing streak mid-season. While Walsh made no apologies for “being true to himself”, he vowed to bring greater maturity to the field in 2026.

“I’m at a stage in my career where I’m doing a lot of work during the week and when I go out there to play on the field, it’s 80 minutes where I get to go out there and be myself. Express myself,” he told Sampson.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve and I get a bit emotional sometimes in games… I feel like if I ever lose that competitiveness then I should probably give the game away.

“I feel like I’m coming into the stage of my career where I’m a little bit more mature and I’m not chasing the foot on the throat straight away.

“I went through a tough patch through the middle of the year where I was probably overdoing it a bit too much. It probably comes from the nature of myself where I want to try and be that person for the team, where if we need a moment or we need someone to stand up, I want to be that guy.”

No Broncos team has gone back-to-back since their star-studded 1993 side. According to Walsh, the 2026 playing group is hungrier than ever.

Watch Yvonne Sampson go Face to Face with Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh on Fox League at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday!