An emotional Kevin Walters has pleaded with fans to “stick with the club” after his time as head coach of the Brisbane Broncos came to an end.
Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy denied Walters was axed, adamant a mutual decision was reached through discussions after an extensive post-season review.
“My time here has been very joyful,” said Walters, who will remain with the club in an ambassador capacity.
“I am really proud of the fact when I arrived here, the place wasn’t in great shape. I feel myself and a lot of other good staff and people here have shaped the club.
“Stick with the club, it’s a great club, and I’m sure they’ll be back challenging again before too long.”
Now, the club is racing to secure its future.
What happened in the review
Not even 12 months ago, Walters led the Broncos to their first grand final since 2015. Donaghy recently expressed confidence 2024 would end well.
But a horror three-month period to close the season – resulting in their third missed finals’ series in Walters’ four seasons in charge – prompted an external review of the club’s operations.
Donaghy said his anticipation was that Walters would remain the coach.
“But there is a big spotlight on the Broncos,” he said. “We’ve had time to digest and process the season and look at plans moving forward, and we’ve come to that acceptance that it was time to part ways.”
Kevin Walters and Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy address the media.Credit: Getty Images
That spotlight included heavy criticism of the Broncos’ on-field performances. Brisbane were on the cusp of the top four after round 11, and won just three games from that point.
The side’s defence and training standards were called into question. As the season slipped away, the Broncos leaked 387 points – including six games where they conceded 30 points or more – and their apparent lack of resilience was telling.
But Donaghy said he did not think Walters had lost the support of players.
“Everyone loves Kev, they love his personality, they love the passion he’s got for the organisation, but in terms of the contents of the review, we’ll keep that in-house for now,” Donaghy said.
As for the players, he insisted they were still disappointed in their performance and determined to “bounce back next year”. He attempted to shield them from any fallout over Walters’ departure.
“I think it’s wrong to demonise the playing group over this, I think that would be totally wrong,” he said.
The shortlist to saddle up
Donaghy refused to go into detail about the search for a new head coach, and he would not divulge the types of characteristics they were seeking.
It is widely believed the next Broncos coach will need to come equipped with recent experience at the helm of an NRL club.
Maroons coach Billy Slater has ruled out making a play for the Broncos’ coaching job, while Blues counterpart Michael Maguire could be a leading contender.Credit: Getty/Bethany Rae
Michael Maguire looms as a leading contender, fresh of a triumphant State of Origin campaign with the Blues and a Pacific Championships win with New Zealand. He also tasted premiership glory with South Sydney, with Adam Reynolds – the current Broncos skipper – at halfback.
Recently axed Parramatta Eels grand final coach Brad Arthur, newly signed Broncos assistant Trent Barrett and sacked Rabbitohs mentor Jason Demetriou are others with top-line exposure.
Donaghy said the club intended to move quickly.
“Out of respect, I won’t go too much into what’s next or what the next coach may or may not look like,” he said.
Should Brisbane seek an experienced NRL coach, it would rule out promising assistants who have partaken in an extensive apprenticeship.
That would include Josh Hannay, who was in line for the Eels job, has worked as interim head coach with Cronulla and North Queensland, and led the Queensland Maroons’ defensive structures.
Left-field options, such as four-time premiership-winning Bronco and former Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn, would also be unlikely, while Maroons mentor Billy Slater ruled himself out.
Donaghy confirmed incoming 2025 assistant coach Barrett and Ben Te’o would still take up their roles.
Who else is accountable?
Come November 1, players unsigned beyond 2025 will be free to negotiate with rival outfits.
Reynolds, Kotoni Staggs, Selwyn Cobbo, Xavier Willison and Reece Walsh are some of those names, and they will no doubt want to know who they will be playing under before putting pen to paper.
Whoever takes the role will also need to have their say on the roster, but the lucrative pay rises given Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Ezra Mam, Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura put a squeeze on Brisbane’s salary cap.
Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo will both be free to negotiate with other clubs from November 1.Credit: Getty
The losses of 2023 grand-final quartet Thomas Flegler, Herbie Farnworth, Kurt Capewell and Keenan Palasia exposed holes in Brisbane’s squad, but Donaghy said finding a coach was the priority.
For his part, Donaghy said the responsibility of the failed season did not fall on Walters alone, and accountability would be shared across all areas of the business.
“We appreciate that preseason starts in five or six weeks, so it’s an onus on me and others in the organisation to really get the whip out and move quickly.
“We understand the preseason is a big, important part of the program, and we won’t take too long to move on that. But we do appreciate there’s a period of time, a finite amount of time, we’ve got to get ready.
“Pressure’s a privilege, the intent here for us is we want to win comps. We haven’t won a competition since 2006, so as an organisation right across the board there will be a really sharp focus on getting better in every area.”
