A Grand Final for the Ages: Brisbane Back on Top
What a night. The Brisbane Broncos have finally done it, their first premiership since 2006, taking down the mighty Melbourne Storm 26–22 at Accor Stadium. But this wasn’t just any win. This was the kind of Grand Final that reminds you why we love the game.
And at the heart of it all? Reece Walsh. The kid lit up the stage like few ever have. He didn’t just win the Clive Churchill Medal, he etched his name into rugby league folklore. Fans and commentators are already calling it one of the greatest individual Grand Final performances of all time, and honestly, they’re not wrong.
First Half: Storm Surge, Walsh Sparks
Melbourne came out swinging. Their structure, their kicking game, their field control, classic Storm footy. With Hughes and Munster pulling the strings, they raced out to a 22–12 halftime lead and looked every bit the side that’s been here a dozen times before.
But even while the Storm were running hot, you could see Walsh warming into it. His solo try late in the half, pure footwork, instinct, and pace, cut through defenders and changed the mood entirely. It gave Brisbane belief. You could feel the energy shift.
Second Half: The Broncos’ Comeback of Champions
If the first half belonged to Melbourne, the second half was all Broncos grit and Walsh brilliance.
With Adam Reynolds ruled out early through injury and Ben Hunt later concussed, Brisbane had every reason to crumble. Instead, they rallied. They outscored Melbourne 14–0 after the break and defended like their lives depended on it.
Walsh wasn’t just the spark, he was the system. He saved two certain tries, including a one-on-one stop on Ryan Papenhuyzen in the 79th minute that’ll be replayed for years. Every time the Storm pushed, Walsh and his mates found a way to hold the line.
Brisbane’s middlemen, Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, were relentless. They chewed metres, absorbed hits, and kept giving Walsh front-foot ball. The Broncos’ structure stayed solid when others might’ve panicked. And when Melbourne ran out of gas, the premiership slipped from their grasp.
Reece Walsh: A Night That Redefined Greatness
Let’s be honest, this was Reece Walsh’s night.
176 run metres. 14 tackles. 3 try assists. 1 try. 2 try-savers. And one Clive Churchill Medal.
But stats don’t tell half the story.
This was the kind of performance where everything he touched turned into momentum. He wasn’t just playing the game, he was controlling it. Timing, awareness, poise, and a touch of flair that makes him box-office every time he laces up.
Veteran commentator Ray Hadley, who’s called over 35 Grand Finals, said he’d never seen anything like it. “The most dominant finals performance I’ve ever witnessed,” he declared.
That’s big company, ahead of Nathan Cleary, Sam Burgess, even Andrew Johns.
And Walsh didn’t just lead with talent. When the chaos hit, when Reynolds went down, when Hunt was groggy, he stepped up like a 10-year captain. He directed traffic, motivated teammates, and stayed calm under pressure. That’s leadership you can’t coach.
Even off the field, he showed class, checking on Hunt, embracing Storm players post-match, and celebrating with humility. For a bloke still early in his career, that’s a level of maturity that’ll define him for years.
The Unsung Heroes Behind the Broncos’ Win
- Pat Carrigan & Payne Haas: The engine room. Both played massive minutes, winning collisions and setting up Brisbane’s ruck speed.
- Ezra Mam & Gehamat Shibasaki: Sparked when it mattered. Mam’s support play was brilliant, while Shibasaki’s defensive reads stopped Melbourne’s edge runs cold.
- Storm Duo Hughes & Munster: Gave everything. Their kicking kept Melbourne in it until the final minutes, even as fatigue took over.
- Jack Howarth & Eliesa Katoa: Both hit by injury or illness during the game, and their absences hurt Melbourne’s structure late.
The Broncos had to fight through injuries and setbacks of their own, but their composure and resilience under pressure were next-level.
Records, Ratings, and the Bigger Picture
If you felt like the whole country was watching, that’s because it was. The 2025 NRL Grand Final drew 4.46 million viewers nationally, the most-watched sporting event in Australia this year, topping even the AFL Grand Final.
And Brisbane? They turned the city into one giant street party. Fortitude Valley was electric. Walsh was seen DJing with his medal still on, classic Joe-style celebration, that.
The win flipped the narrative completely. Critics spent the season calling Brisbane inconsistent and mentally fragile. On the biggest night, they became the most composed side in the comp.
For Melbourne, this one will sting. They were brilliant all season, but on this night, they ran into something unstoppable, a club chasing history, and a fullback rewriting it.
Alex Glenn’s Take on the Broncos’ Win
“What a night for the Bronx nation. Watching the boys lift that trophy after so long, it was hard not to be really emotional.
What really got me was seeing my good mate Dozer (Ben Hunt) get his moment. I’ve been alongside him through the highs and the lowest of lows, we all remember 2015 and how tough that was on him. To see him return back to the Broncos and be a huge part of bringing the premiership back to Brisbane, that’s redemption in the truest sense.
As a former captain, I know how much this means to the fans, to the old boys, to everyone who’s stuck with the Broncos through the lean years. This club is family, and nights like this remind you why you bleed for it. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. That’s what makes footy so special – it gives you stories and moments like this.”
Joe’s Final Word: The Legacy of Walsh and the Broncos
This wasn’t just a win, it was a story written in heart, grit, and greatness.
Reece Walsh didn’t just lift a trophy; he lifted an entire club back to the top. Brisbane’s resilience under pressure, their ability to fight back from 10 points down, and their total buy-in to belief, that’s what legends are made of.
For the Storm, there’s no shame in this one. They were part of one of the best Grand Finals ever played. But for the Broncos, 19 years of waiting ended with 80 minutes of perfection.
And at the centre of it all, a 23-year-old superstar who turned potential into history.
What a night. What a finish. What a game.