Young Broncos superstar Reece Walsh has found himself embroiled in a grand final week spat with a teenager at a fan day on Thursday, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
The 21-year-old hit back at a comment made by a young Panthers fan, who told the Brisbane fullback that Penrith prop Moses Leota would "take your head off" in Sunday's NRL grand final.
While making his way from the fan activation to the Broncos' hotel, Walsh appeared to tell the spectator, "I'll take your mum's".
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A video of the ugly incident is circulating and the NRL integrity unit and the Broncos are aware of the encounter.
The Broncos are privately seething with how Thursday's event was run, which they think was a factor in the young gun's reaction.
The incident occurred a day after ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys trumpeted Walsh as a dream NRL pin-up for the league's Las Vegas venture.
"He's got charisma and presence, Reece Walsh," V'landys told Nine's Today.
"He's the Justin Bieber of rugby league. They look like brothers.
"He's just something out of the box, he's a brilliant player, he's charisma on steroids and we want to promote him in the [United] States and we think we can bring in significant new revenues for the game.
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"If we succeed, all sports in Australia can provide content in the US market and that's hundreds of millions of dollars if we do it right.
"It's a great experiment for us and we're going to rely on characters like Reece Walsh."
The 2024 NRL season will get underway at the world's greatest arena, Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, on March 2.
In a spectacular double-header, the Sea Eagles will meet the Rabbitohs and the Roosters will face the Broncos.
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