Hull KR and Brisbane Broncos delivered one of the greatest World Club Challenge showdowns on Thursday night, with 10 tries, high drama and memories that will last a lifetime. But there were also some huge moments away from the limelight and big screens.
Even in defeat, Reece Walsh and his Brisbane team-mates showed their class.
With a crowd of supporters waiting outside the MKM Stadium after full-time to meet the players, take pictures and wave off the Broncos, many of the NRL stars took their time before boarding the coach for the first leg of their journey back to Australia, travelling to Manchester.
Jordan Riki handed one young fan his boots, leaving her in tears of joy before he signed them. He continued signing merchandise and was later joined by club captain Adam Reynolds. NRL poster boy Walsh also made time for supporters – although he eventually had to dash for the bus after being the last to leave the changing rooms.
Head coach Michael Maguire has spoken of his pride in the club’s culture and the players’ attitude towards supporters, always willing to give back.
“Reece spends time with people around the game, and that’s something people don’t always get to see,” Maguire said earlier in the week.
“After training, he’s the last one off the field – like the rest of my team. They’ll stay out to practise their craft and then, when they see supporters, they take time for them. That’s a special part of who we are, and Reece plays a big role in that alongside all our players. They pride themselves on giving back.”
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Before leaving the stadium, the superstar was also seen searching behind the scenes at the ground for Hull KR head coach Willie Peters.
That presented an opportunity for a member of stadium staff to ask for a picture, which Walsh happily obliged, before passing on a message to Rovers assistant coach Ian Watson: “Can you tell Willie I said best of luck for the rest of the season, please mate.” The two had worked together in Australia’s camp during last year’s Ashes.
Elsewhere, Dean Hadley could not wipe the smile off his face despite suffering a suspected fractured eye socket during his heroic performance.
The injury is set to rule the influential forward out of next week’s trip to Las Vegas – but it is arguably a moment he would not swap for anything after being crowned a world champion.
The 33-year-old could barely see out of his right eye by the end of the night, yet that did not prevent him from giving everything and helping inspire the Robins to a historic victory.
Mikey Lewis, meanwhile, simply cannot resist the edge to his game.
He delivered a raw and emotional post-match interview, insisting he needed to regain the trust of his team-mates after last week’s controversial sin-binning against York Knights for a trip. He was fined by the club and held an honest conversation with head coach Peters following the incident, which was graded a C by the match review panel. There had been fears that the trip could have resulted in a suspension ahead of the club’s biggest game.
Yet there were still flashpoints during the blockbuster in Hull. Lewis could not resist having a word in Walsh’s ear late in the first half after the Brisbane full-back broke through, only for his kick to run too long for any team-mate to chase.
Lewis made a beeline for the Brisbane star and, minutes later, gave Josiah Karapani a slight shove as Brisbane’s kick on the half-time hooter was batted away by Tom Davies.
The livewire Rovers No.6 insists he has learned his lessons. But that competitive edge is part of his confident nature – and it may never truly disappear.