THERE’S A COMPOSED calmness about Adam Reynolds – a presence that belies the 80 minutes of chaos he’s endured every weekend for more than a decade in the NRL. As of round nine of the 2025 NRL season, only one man sits above him on the league’s all-time points list – Cameron Smith.
At the time of writing, 360 points now stand between Reynolds and the top spot. He’s averaged 182 points per season across his 13-year NRL career, so the record is practically within striking range for the 34-year-old. It’s an achievement that would swell the chest of most players, but for Reynolds, it’s just part of the job.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a goal of mine, I don’t really think about that stuff,” he tells Men’s Health, when probed about whether he wants to become the NRL’s highest-ever points scorer. “I mean, it’s great being recognised amongst some of the greats of the game, but the important thing is being able to have an influence in games and scoring points so my team can win.”
It’s a typically selfless response from the Broncos halfback, who continues to let his boots do the talking. And while most of his points come via the tee rather than the try line, Reynolds is quick to share the spotlight. “A lot of credit goes to my teammates who actually score the tries. I don’t score that many tries, I just kick the goals.” It’s that team-first mentality that’s made him one of the most respected figures in the game.
When he catches up with Men’s Health, Reynolds is on his way to Brisbane airport. A few hours after our chat, he’ll board a plane headed to Sydney, where he’ll face the team he guided to a premiership in 2014, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The occasion stirs mixed feelings for Reynolds, who spent ten seasons with the team and came up through its juniors system.
“Early on it felt a bit strange running out against them and competing against a club that I was involved with for the majority of my life,” he says. “Not so much anymore. I’ve been up in Brisbane for four years now. I’ve still got a lot of respect for the club, the organisation and everyone involved there, but I try to treat it just like any other game.”
As a player who is now in the final years of his career, Reynolds knows longevity doesn’t come easy. Recovery has become his secret weapon. “Now that I’m in the back end of my career, I feel like I need to get the most out of my body now more than ever,” he says. “I’ve invested in a sauna and ice baths and a few other little gadgets here and there to boost my recovery from home.”
Between training sessions, Reynolds finds ways to stay active while keeping things light. “I train pretty much every day. And if I’m not training at the club, I’m doing some sort of active recovery – whether it’s playing golf, walking, stretching, swimming, anything,” he says. “I’ve got four young kids, so I’m always out in the backyard too, running around with them.
“I think it’s great to get outdoors and forget about the stresses of life,” he adds. “It’s good from a mental health point of view that I can relieve all these stresses by doing something that I love.”
It’s a refreshing picture of balance – elite athlete meets everyday dad, if you will. That holistic approach is a necessary part of his routine, if he is to endure the batterings that come with lining up against men who often have 30kg on him every weekend. But although he feels those hits more than he did ten years ago, Reynolds hasn’t lost sight of what drew him to the game in the first place.
“For me, it’s simply what I love doing, and it’s been that way since I was a little kid,” he says. “I try not to think of playing footy in the professional sense either. Once I see it as a job, that comes with a bunch of pressures and expectations. So if I can just bring it back to the foundations of why I play, that gets me on the field every week.”
Away from the field, Reynolds has found comfort in a different kind of performance gear. He’s an investor in underwear brand Step One, which is quietly becoming a hit among athletes. “I think as athletes, we all look for comfort and quality in certain products. We do a lot of running around, so chafing can be a very big problem in rugby league,” he says.
“I tested Step One when it first came out, bought some for myself and found them to be very comfortable,” he continues. “They’re wearable pretty much whenever – whether it’s training, casual, or during games – and it’s something that’s worn by a lot of athletes. I hadn’t heard one bad review, so I was keen to invest in it.”
Reynolds’ Brisbane Broncos have shown flashes of brilliance this season, but after ten games, they sit in the middle of the pack with five wins and five losses. Their skipper knows better than anyone that stretches of good play don’t win premierships. “There’s been games this season where we’ve been really good for patches and not so good in patches,” he admits. “It’s about trying to get that consistency and putting it all together for a full 80 minutes.”
Now leading the Broncos with veteran half Ben Hunt by his side, Reynolds believes the duo is starting to find its groove. “I think we complement each other pretty nicely,” he says. “We’re both very experienced players so we know what works and what doesn’t work. And footy is about doing the little things right.”
He’s honest about the pressures of life in the halves, and the responsibility that comes when a game plan doesn’t click. “When things go wrong – we’re not completing sets, we’re not creating chances, we’re sloppy – a lot of the time it’s up to the halves to bear responsibility for that. I’m comfortable doing that and so is Ben.”
Reynolds believes his team is building something special, despite a recent run of bad form, and says that the Broncos are more than capable of returning to the Grand Final and redeeming the loss suffered in 2023. But whether or not he wins another premiership or finishes his career as the NRL’s all-time leading scorer, one thing is clear: the legacy he leaves behind will be measured in more than just points and trophies.
