Clive Churchill Medallist Reece Walsh has revealed his mid-season injury was behind his dramatic turnaround in form.
While far from playing poorly during the first half of the season, Walsh was well below his best as the Broncos sat outside the top eight and looking like anything but a team who would be playing on the first Sunday in October.
Walsh returned from his injury a different player though, and looked the best in the game during the final weeks of the regular season, before putting together three incredible finals appearances against the Canberra Raiders, Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm.
His effort against the Storm on Sunday evening in the premiership decider has already been labelled as one of the best individual performances of all-time, but Walsh said being less invested in the sport was the key to him turning things around when quizzed after the game.
"To be honest, when I got injured, I got a lot of time away from the game and the boys. That was from Madge, telling me to be at home and enjoy those moments," Walsh said during the post-match press conference.
"At the start of the year I was so heavily invested in footy which is obviously a good thing, but sometimes it gets a little bit too much. You're sitting up at night watching film at home, and my little one is there playing but I'm sitting on my phone watching clips from training.
"To be honest, I felt like it got a little bit too much for me so when I got that injury, I sort of reset. I let myself be the footy player at work, but when I went home, I enjoyed being dad and enjoyed being a son to my old man. We got on the tools together, I enjoyed those moments.
"When I came back, I sort of had the mentality of when I'm in the building, work hard and when I'm out, enjoy my time. When it's time to switch on, it's time to switch on, and when it's time to switch off, it's time to switch off. That was probably it."
The star fullback, who returned to the Broncos after making his debut with the New Zealand Warriors, revealed he had at one point rang Adam Reynolds when he first joined the club from Mad Monday and pledged to help win a premiership.
"I remember when Reyno first came to the club, he invited me over for the first time, I asked to have a look at his ring. I was a young kind coming back to 'Brissy' and I remember calling him on Mad Monday for the Warriors saying I'm bloody going to come back and help you win a comp," Walsh said.
"Just to be here right now. From Day 1, dodging Madge's calls because I was too scared to talk to him. We were in the trenches together, running through the bush together as a team. The culture we have built, the belief, no one gave us a chance. The only ones that believed were the ones in the room and us players. Our backs were against the wall, and we could have shied away, but we went towards those moments.
"I'm just so honoured and grateful to be a part of this team and we have just etched our names in history."
Despite his outstanding performance on Sunday evening, Walsh will now look to take his game to another level with a likely Kangaroos jersey for this year's Ashes series, before looking to take the Broncos to a second premiership in a row next year.
Michael Maguire said conversations about Walsh's defence had been key to his form.
"He is definitely up there. He doesn't like me putting attention on him, but he was outstanding. I remember Day 1, Reecey and I sat down, I said you obviously have plenty of attack, but your defence, if you work hard at that, you have the ability to be one of the best fullbacks," the Broncos coach said.
"I think he saved five tries out there. Phenomenal. Right to the death which is the spirit of this team. They have shown over the last couple of months where they have come from behind, found a way to win, and that was a moment. That's what Reecey loves to find. Moments.
"The fact he is a real team man.
"I could speak about every single one of my players in a different way."
