Brisbane prop Marty Taupau said it was one of the few times he had seen Walsh nervous.

“Someone threw him a tea towel to wipe his sweaty palms,but he did well,” Taupau said.

“But if Reece can catch a spiral bomb in front of 50,000 people,you can catch a pass inside a room with Tom Brady throwing it at you.”

Brady spoke about his career,how he was handed a start in the second game of his second season with the New England Patriots when Drew Bledsoe got hurt,and said:“I ran on to that field and said,‘If they ever put me in,they’re never going to take me out – 22 years later,they never took me off that field’.”

Broncos coach Kevin Walters,who was in Melbourne for the Australian Open,was yet to see the footage but said it was only a matter of time before he watched Walsh’s impressive catch.

Walters said Walsh was already among the likes of Wally Lewis,Gene Miles,Allan Langer and Darren Lockyer when it came to his popularity with fans,but at just 21,there was still plenty to work on this year.

“Reece got a big thrill out of Sunday;he’s a pretty popular fella,” Walters said.

“We’re still working on some things in his game. We’re trying to eliminate a few of those unforced errors. We understand he’s a player who likes to take risks,and we don’t want to take that away from his game,but there are times when the odds against you are just too high.

“Defensively we also need to keep him in the right positions,which is something Darius[Boyd] is working on with him.

“Reece is only scratching the surface. Wally,Gene,Alfie,then Locky had his turn – Reece is certainly up there with those guys[in terms of popularity]. He’s very popular. And he enjoys that side of the game as well.

“Even at training I have noticed a few more people watching,and he has a lot to do with that. He’s popular with the males and females.

“He’s very calm and level-headed. It must be hard for him at times,but he manages it well. He’s very good with people and very respectful.”

Such is Walsh’s pulling power,the Indigenous All Stars and Maori All Stars made it clear they wanted him to be a part of next month’s pre-season fixture. He is eligible to represent both teams.

But Walters said his fullback was unlikely to take part in the Townsville game.

“We’ll have a few boys playing,but I don’t think he’ll be one of them,” Walters said.