NRL young gun Reece Walsh has been praised for owning up to taking cocaine as new footage emerges of him partying in a nightclub hours before being arrested.
The New Zealand Warriors fullback appeared alongside the club's CEO and coach on Sunday afternoon, tearfully admitting to being arrested in possession of the drug and using it through the night.
Video shared on social media shows a blurry-eyed Walsh dancing inside a Gold Coast nightclub on Saturday and repeatedly lifting up his shirt to show his abs.
Walsh sings and gestures at the camera before propelling himself up on a stairway and lifting his legs up. The video was captioned 'few lines Reece'.
Footage has emerged of NRL young gun Reece Walsh high on cocaine inside a Gold Coast nightclub before his arrest on Saturday night
The 19-year-old was also filmed partying with Cronulla Sharks forward Toby Rudolf last week as NRL players plant themselves in the lockdown-less Queensland
The New Zealand Warriors fullback appeared in a video alongside the club's CEO and coach on Sunday afternoon, tearfully admitting to being arrested in possession of the drug
Walsh was arrested in Surfers Paradise on Saturday night, hours after Penrith's preliminary final win over the Melbourne Storm.
Walsh was given a 'move on direction' to leave an area near Cavill Avenue, but officers found him still there 45 minutes later.
The 19-year-old was filmed arguing with police before he was handcuffed and led away to a police station where a search found he was in possession of cocaine.
Walsh fronted the Warriors' fans via video on Sunday afternoon to admit to having the drugs and apologise for 'getting himself into a bit of trouble'.
'I was told by some officers last night to move on. I didn't move on and that led to me getting arrested and taken back to the police station,' Walsh said.
'Once I got back to the police station I was searched and I was in possession of a small bag of cocaine, which I had some of during the night.
'No one else is involved in this. It's solely on me and I put my hand up. I should never have done it. It's a mistake that I've made, I'm aware of that and I'm really remorseful.'
Footy fans were quick to praise the talented fullback for owning up to his mistake.
'Good on you Reece. Glad to see he has support at the club too. He’s a young fella, season over, it was a bit of Coke. He didn’t hurt anyone but himself, hopefully everyone moves on from this very quickly,' wrote one woman.
'No way this mistake defines Reece Walsh. His reaction to it will. How many others would just hide? Have a pop if you’ve never made a mistake. Otherwise, just let the kid work through it, which it looks like he’s committed to doing,' added another fan.
Walsh capped an incredible rookie season that included playing State of Origin for Queensland by winning the Rookie of the Year award
Walsh appeared alongside Warriors chief executive Cameron George who said the incident was a 'one-off' and that the club would support its young star.
'It's a stupid decision made by an inexperienced person. He is now fully briefed and aware of the situation and what impact it has on the broader community, which we completely apologise for,' George said.
'It is a one-off. We work tremendously well with our playing group and staff around awareness of drugs and
