By Joel Gould
Kevin Walters says Selwyn Cobbo “must be getting some good coaching” as the aftermath of the Brisbane winger’s controversial podcast about his NRL coach continues to bubble along.
It was a remark by Walters – delivered with a wry grin and a healthy dose of the cheeky Ipswich humour he is famous for – that reminded Cobbo and everyone else that his good form has not materialised out of thin air.
Selwyn Cobbo (with cap) training with his Broncos teammates in Brisbane last week.Credit:Getty
Cobbo has been fined by the Broncos for an explosive podcast last year where he said Walters was “a good person”, before adding “but I don’t think he’s a good coach”.
The 20-year-old went on to say at various stages of the podcast that “he’s not the best coach” and “the way he coaches is a bit weird, I guess”.
On Sunday night after the Broncos drew 24-all with the Gold Coast in a trial, Walters was asked about Cobbo’s hat-trick of tries for the Indigenous All Stars in their win over the Maori All Stars on Saturday.
Selwyn Cobbo described Kevin Walters as “not the best coach” in a controversial podcast.Credit:Getty
“It is great to see Selwyn has been well coached and he is improving all the time,” Walters said.
“He showed again last night his skills … so he must be getting some good coaching, I would have thought.”
Cobbo enjoyed a breakout season under Walters in 2022 when he played in Queensland’s State of Origin series win and for the Prime Minister’s XIII.
He has apologised to Walters about his podcast comments and the pair have been working together at Broncos training after the coach said they would “get on with things”.
Walters has made it clear that he enjoys working with Cobbo and wants to see him succeed.
“Selwyn is a great young kid and we love having him at the Broncos,” Walters said.
“He had a couple of errors early (for the All Stars) but showed good composure to bounce back in the last quarter to show his real class. He is one to keep an eye on, isn’t he?”
Walters was impressed with Cobbo’s mindset in the All Stars game. He is teaching his players not to drop their heads after making an error, but to back their skill and bounce back.
“Some take it on board quicker than others,” Walters said.
“Mistakes are going to be made. Nobody is perfect in the game.
“Particularly this time of the year, there are a lot of handling errors and missed tackles. It is how you adapt to that with your mind that gets you back on focus.
“Selwyn did a good job with that.”
Walters said Cobbo would play for the Broncos against North Queensland on Saturday night in round two of the NRL Pre-Season Challenge.
– AAP
