NRL star Reece Walsh had an impressive 2025 season, capped off with a premiership win with the Brisbane Broncos and the Clive Churchill Medal around his neck.
But the 23-year-old didn’t always have it easy. His father, Rodney, has opened up about how his son overcame a difficult childhood to achieve his dreams.
Reece was heartbreakingly abandoned by his mother, Kahuti Campbell, when he was a young child as she struggled with drug addiction.
“Because Reece was so young, he didn’t understand too much of what was going on with his mum,” Rodney told News Corp.
“He didn’t see his mother all those years. She was out of sight, out of mind for a long time. She just left me with the kids. She just went out one day and never came home.
Rodney continued, “By that point, I didn’t want her home anyway, around the kids. She would say she is going to the bank to get money out and she’d lost my wallet, leaving it on the roof of the car.
“We would be broke for the rest of the week until I got paid again. Things started clicking on what she was doing with the money. But thankfully it’s in the past now.”
However, Rodney found love again with his wife Jodie who became a supportive stepmother to Reece and his siblings.
“Reece doesn’t see [his mother] anymore, none of the kids do. Jodie is their mum now and has been for a long time,” Rodney told the outlet.
Here’s a bit more insight into the life of Reece Walsh.
HOW OLD IS REECE WALSH?
Born on 10 July 2002, Reece Walsh is currently 23 years old. He grew up on the Gold Coast in Queensland and began his professional NRL career at the age of 18 with the New Zealand Warriors in 2021.
He later headed back to Queensland to play for the Brisbane Broncos in 2023.
IS REECE WALSH A SINGLE FATHER?
A key reason for the fullback’s move to the Brisbane Broncos is said to be because of his daughter, Leila, who was born in March 2021.
He had split from his partner and Leila’s mother, Freda Puru, and wanted to move back home to Australia to be closer to his daughter.
“Reece has had a relationship breakdown, and he has a young daughter and he said he simply couldn’t be away from her in another country,” Warriors Head of Football Craig Hodges said at the time.
Reece Walsh and Freda Puru now co-parent four-year-old Leila.
“Not everything is about footy and a job,” the Broncos star said. “When I am in the facility I am the footy player, but when I step out and see my little one and my family, I am a dad,” he said.
“I want to be someone who works hard, someone who brings success and someone who helps bring premierships to this great club at the Broncos.
“But first of all I’ve got to be a good person off the field, a caring dad and a good role model.”
DOES REECE WALSH HAVE A WIFE?
Reece Walsh’s only known relationship was with Freda. It’s believed he is currently single and he hasn’t been linked to anyone else since their split in 2023.
WHY DOES REECE WALSH PAINT HIS NAILS?
One of Reece’s most recognisable features is his painted finger nails. It’s something which has picked up a lot of public interest, and there’s a sweet reason behind it.
“Do you know why he paints his nails? His daughter wants to paint his nails and Reece does it,” Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters said on his Inside Ball podcast. “If Reece Walsh wants to paint his nails, and do his hair nicely and have the cool sunnies on, that’s not hurting the Broncos.”
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