Global sensation: Walsh-mania ready to take England by storm
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The Kangaroos have declared Reece Walsh-mania will go global when the star fullback touches down in England later this week, with British fans expected to mob the talent.
The 23-year-old is the hottest talent in the game after leading Brisbane to a drought-breaking premiership with a string of blistering performances.
A Kangaroos debut now beckons, with Walsh in line to wear the No.1 jumper for the opening Ashes Test at Wembley Stadium next weekend.
The Australian side will fly out for London on Wednesday morning, with prop Lindsay Collins expecting Walsh to receive a rockstar reception upon arrival in England.
This Reece Walsh performance will be remembered for a long time
"He is a rockstar," Collins told NRL.com. "If you look back to the 80s and 90s, Wally Lewis and Mal Meninga were rockstars over there that everyone wanted to see play.
"Reece is the same. He's probably folklore over there, they'll have all heard about this kid called Reece Walsh and what he's been doing in Australia. They will be looking forward to seeing him play if he gets the opportunity to put the jersey on and represent Australia."
Match: England v Kangaroos
Round 1 -
home Team
England
away Team
Kangaroos
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Already one of the most famous players in the game, Walsh’s popularity skyrocketed after a finals series that culminated in a Clive Churchill Medal and one of the greatest individual performances in an NRL grand final.
The precocious talent has cultivated a global following on social media and currently boasts 633,000 followers on Instagram. For context, Nathan Cleary has 462,000 and Kalyn Ponga 371,000.
A historic Clive Churchill Medal performance
With fame, however, comes scrutiny and the spotlight is expected to be intense during the Kangaroos’ time in England.
While some fans will rush to support Walsh, others will do their best to rattle the youngster throughout the three-game series.
English players are also expected to spend plenty of time focusing on shutting the fullback down and will look to physically bully the 88-kilogram star.
It’s a position Cleary knows well and the halfback backed his new teammate to successfully navigate the extra attention.
"He demands a lot of respect now," Cleary said. "The way he played in that grand final was unbelievable. It's the best individual grand final performance I've ever seen.
"I'm looking forward to being around him, getting to talk footy with him and seeing him go about his work because I've been watching from afar. I'm sure the English fans will love seeing him but they will give him a bit of stick too."
2025 Ashes squad announcement
Cleary and many in the Australian squad don’t need to be reminded of Walsh’s ability on a rugby league field.
All up, eight Kangaroos were left in the fullback’s wake as he surged towards the premiership, with Canberra, Penrith and Melbourne all succumbing to his wizardry throughout the finals series.
Having finished on the wrong end of Walsh’s exploits, one word comes to mind when quizzed on the prospect of playing alongside the 23-year-old.
Excitement.
"Going off his last eight weeks, he's been the form player in the competition," Kangaroos skipper Isaah Yeo said. "He's been outstanding and it culminated in his performance in the grand final.
"You don't like singling one person out for a grand final win but he certainly did a hell of a job, he was outstanding on both sides of the ball. We see his spark and how much he brings in attack, but it's defensively too.
"He was up against a quality side with some superstars of the game and he's the one coming up with the big plays.
"It's exciting to have him here, he's earned it. He's one of those players that makes everyone better around him so it will be unreal to have him in the squad."
