Reece Walsh was binned for a headbutt. Then he won a 94-minute finals epic

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Reece Walsh butted heads, flipped birds, scored tries, set them up, and kicked 40-20s.

And the Broncos have won surely the most enthralling final in history as a result, after their superstar No.1 and all the madness he brings inspired a 17-point, 94-minute comeback for the ages.

Not until Ben Hunt sent a long-range field goal sailing over did Brisbane triumph 29-28 in an instant classic. And that was only after 10 minutes of extra time when the two sides couldn’t be split, and Jamal Fogarty’s winning golden point try was called back on a Jed Stuart knock-on moments earlier.

From 28-12 and down to 11 men - including Walsh after he appeared to headbutt Hudson Young - the Broncos engineered one of the greatest finals comebacks in history.

The drama truly started in the 53rd minute, and never stopped from there. As the Raiders held an 18-12 lead and Walsh’s frustrations boiled to the surface, Young reminded him of exactly that at close quarters after a knock-on.

The Broncos fullback made contact with his head to Young’s face. He didn’t do damage, but he didn’t miss either, with Klein sending both from the field. Walsh flipped the bird to a raucous sold-out crowd on his way, a precursor to the pain he was due to inflict on his return.

Moments later, Brisbane coughed up possession and Canberra custodian Kaeo Weekes raced 80 metres for his second try and a 16-point lead.

With Brendan Piakura out of the game with a facial fracture and Payne Haas limping on a dodgy ankle, Pat Carrigan joined Walsh in the bin for a 55th-minute shoulder charge on Morgan Smithies. Canberra were surely home.

Then Walsh returned. As only he can, the game’s most enigmatic man scythed down the left edge for a 65th-minute try and the faintest hopes of keeping the contest alive.

Two tries in three minutes to Josiah Karapani and Gehamat Shibasaki made those a reality, with Walsh featuring thanks to slick hands and a fine 40-20.

But it all looked in vain as Canberra closed in on full-time, still leading 28-26.

As Brisbane took one last, forlorn crack at a regular-time winner, Walsh’s long-range field goal attempt saw Zac Hosking make contact with his leg as his shot sailed wide.

But with the Bunker intervening and ruling dangerous contact against the Raiders back-rower, Walsh was awarded a level-up penalty from in front.

At 28-apiece, 10 minutes of extra time was the order of the day. The freewheeling play that yielded 10 tries throughout a stunning afternoon left players out on their feet. The likes of Kaeo Weekes and Tom Starling - so good and so dangerous for Canberra - couldn’t find a way through.

Match-winning and game-turning plays abounded everywhere you looked, with too many to mention across one of the longest games in history.

Brisbane will treasure their week of rest and a preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium. Canberra will do it all again next weekend and play host to Cronulla. And in the end, Walsh almost lost it for his side as he lost the plot. Then he did more than anyone else to win it.

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