Reece Walsh’s camp is seemingly intent on making him the richest NRL player in history after stepping in to remove him from the Broncos’ 2026 calendar.
All 17 NRL clubs have released their 2026 calendars in time for Christmas, but there was a surprising omission from Brisbane’s, with Walsh nowhere to be seen on the premiers’ annual keepsake.
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Walsh was front and centre on this year’s calendar but does not feature on the 2026 edition — instead Ben Hunt, Pat Carrigan, Kotoni Staggs and Adam Reynolds appear on the cover.
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That quartet plus Josiah Karapani, Payne Haas, Ezra Mam, Jordan Riki, Deine Mariner, Billy Walters and Jesse Arthars feature inside the calendar.
Premiership winning forward Kobe Hetherington gets a month dedicated to him despite joining Manly in the off-season on a long-term deal.
According to Code Sports, the NRL was informed by the Rugby League Players’ Association that Walsh was not to be used in the calendar.
The Broncos would have been happy for Walsh to feature, but there was a disagreement from the 23-year-old’s management over the royalties players receive from their intellectual property being used in NRL merchandise.
It’s unclear if Walsh himself is aware of the decision or if any other NRL players opted not to appear in their club’s 2026 calendar. Nonetheless there will be some disappointed Broncos fans on Christmas Day when they unwrap their calendar.
Walsh has emerged as the NRL’s biggest superstar with his on-field exploits now on par with his off-field marketability.
He won the Clive Churchill Medal for his performance in Brisbane’s grand final win over the Melbourne Storm and earned a Kangaroos debut, starring for Australia in a 3-0 Ashes win over England.
Walsh is contracted at the Broncos on a four-year deal that runs until the end of 2029 season — it’s believed to be worth around $1 million per season.
The Broncos have done a sound job of fitting their star players into the salary cap on sensible deals, and Walsh could make millions more from off-field endorsements and his popularity on social media.
Walsh has emerged as a Gen Z icon and has quickly become a fan favourite, earning comparisons to Billy Slater and Benji Marshall as transformative speedsters.
He has 665,000 followers on Instagram, the most of any NRL player, and launched his own YouTube channel earlier this year.
Celebrity publicist Max Markson recently told Code Sports he predicts Walsh could earn as much as $40 million from his NRL salaries and sponsorship deals over the course of his career.
“He could earn $40 million by the time he retires – he won’t need to work again,” said Markson.
“Walsh could earn more than $1m a year on the field but double that off the field. He’s young, good looking and pulls the crowds and girls in, and that’s really important for the NRL.
“He has another ten years in the game and will become one of the wealthiest rugby league players in Australia. He will get paid serious money.
“He will get additional long-term deals. If he’s getting a million dollars a year now, then he will double it up and double it up. He will literally get millions and millions of dollars.”
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