So another NRL coach has been made a scapegoat. This time it’s Kevin Walters, who has been sacked by the Brisbane Broncos although they would like you to believe that he resigned.
Is it Walters’ fault that some of his star players were out injured for extended parts of the season, and that those who did play ‘didn’t turn up’ for a number of matches?
The other point that the Broncos’ management should have taken into account was the departure of four top players at the end of the 2023 season: Kurt Capewell, Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler and Keenan Palasia.There have been suggestions that Walters lost the dressing room.
If that’s true, that was a cop-out by the players and only signals their refusal to take accountability for their repeated below-par performances throughout the season.
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Nobody can deny that Walters gave his heart and soul to the Broncos and wore his heart on his sleeve. The word entitlement has been linked to a number of the Broncos players this season and with good reason. You only need to look at the way that some of them behaved both on and off the field.
Yes, the NRL, like any professional sport, is results-driven – if the team doesn’t perform, the coach is usually used as a scapegoat. However, if certain players hadn’t missed tackles at crucial times in the grand final against Penrith last year, and Adam Reynolds hadn’t gone missing in action when the team needed his leadership the most to guide them to victory, the Broncos would have been premiers.
Some of the players probably had their noses put out of joint throughout the season when Walters gave them a spray for underperforming; which he was totally justified in doing.
But because some of them are precious and can’t accept the truth, the Brisbane Broncos have decided that it’s easier to sack the coach than some of the players.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 20: Broncos coach Kevin Walters watches on from the bench during the round two NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium, on March 20, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Kevin Walters. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
There are reasons why the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm have been the benchmark teams in the NRL for a long period of time. Chiefly, their culture, strong work ethic, ‘next man up’ mentality and the importance that the players place on discipline, defence and desire every match that they play in.
It appears as though the Broncos’ management had Michael Maguire earmarked as the coach of the Brisbane Broncos for a while, however it seems as though they used the anonymous end-of-season review – which reportedly contained some scathing criticism of Walters – as the reason to sack Kevvie.
It’ll be interesting to see how the players react to the straight-shooting Maguire’s coaching style as he doesn’t mince his words.