‘Plumber out’: Reece Walsh starred on the field. That was just the start of it

3 hours ago 2

For 80 minutes, Reece Walsh lit up Accor Stadium in a grand final performance for the ages. A premiership and a Clive Churchill Medal were fitting rewards.

But that was just the beginning of the night’s antics for the 23-year-old.

Michael Maguire and Reece Walsh savour the taste of victory.

From jumping into the crowd, live-streaming from the team bus to drinking from a toilet bowl, here’s a play-by-play of Walsh’s off-field display after the grand final.

Full-time whistle: For a brief moment, Walsh’s legs gave out underneath him as the weight of the moment fell on his shoulders. But it wouldn’t keep him down for long, and the full-back couldn’t stand still long enough to finish an interview on the pitch, yelling “baby, I’ll go get my brothers” before running to his teammates.

Plumber out: Receiving his Clive Churchill Medal, Walsh said he was lost for words. Luckily, actions speak louder than words. After thanking the Storm team, Broncos fans, and coaching staff, Walsh signed off with “plumber out!” before cupping his hand to his mouth and replicating drinking from a toilet bowl – the move has been his signature since he copped backlash for posting a video to his social media of him drinking from a toilet bowl he’d installed, telling his followers it helped recover his muscles.

During his lap of honour, Walsh collected a toilet from a fan, used Patty Carrigan to catapult himself into the crowd, and took his daughter Leila with him onto the podium.

In the sheds: Ski mask on, premiership ring on, and phone in hand, Walsh started livestreaming to his followers from the sheds. He led a chant to taunt Melbourne Storm’s Stefano Utoikamanu who called the team stuck up and found a toilet-shaped mug for coach Michael Maguire to drink from.

During the post-game press conference, Walsh was asked what the turning point in the season was for him. Sitting next to Maguire, he said, “drinking out of a toilet”.

When the crowd had cleared out of Accor Stadium, Walsh kept his livestream going. From a ring of seats in the middle of the pitch, cigar in hand and medal still around his neck, Walsh sang along to Shenandoah’s Two Dozen Roses and Queen’s We Are the Champions with his teammates and Broncos staff.

Reading comments from his livestream, Walsh said, “Not bad for someone who … paints his nails.”

The bus and beyond: From the team bus, Walsh’s teammates drank beer from his toilet mug before Walsh said, “Somebody better take my phone away”. By the time he pulled up to the team’s hotel at 7am on Monday, he looked a little dusty.

But as Maguire said after the match, “he’s a character, you know I love working with him, I really do. He’s a live wire we all know that.”