Billy Slater makes huge call on replacing Kevin Walters as head coach of Brisbane Broncos
The Queensland State of Origin coach has been touted as a potential candidate.
Billy Slater has made an emphatic call on whether or not he'll become the next Brisbane Broncos coach after Kevin Walters' exit, saying he has no interest in the job. Slater's name was immediately floated as a possibility when news of Walters' departure broke on Thursday night.
The Melbourne Storm legend has been Queensland State of Origin coach for the last three seasons, and Broncos fans would love him to be their next head coach. But speaking on Triple M radio on Friday morning, Slater ruled himself out.
"That won't be happening," Slater said on 'Triple M Breakfast with Margaux, Marto and Dan'. “I'm sure Dave Donaghy and the team at the Broncos will look at all possibilities that they could coach their footy team and they've obviously got someone in mind.
"But there'll be a number of candidates that throw their hat in the ring. The squad, there’s plenty of talent to coach and they made a grand final last year.”
Billy Slater has no desire to become full-time NRL coach
Slater has previously stated he has no desire to become a full-time head coach in the NRL and is happy with the flexibility that being Maroons coach affords him. The Origin job allows Slater to spend more time with his family and keep the media commitments (including a job with Channel 9) that he might have to give up if he was an NRL head coach.
“I am all in for the Queensland job and if I’m not coaching Queensland, I’m not coaching anyone else,” Slater said earlier this year. “It’s not so much the pressure of the NRL job. I’m not worried about that. But it’s a huge commitment being an NRL coach - it’s an 11-month of the year, seven days a week job. I’ve been in and around the NRL environment for over two decades now. I understand what those NRL coaches put into it and it’s all in.
"Where I am at with my life and my family, I don’t foresee myself in the near future ever becoming an NRL coach. Maybe that changes down the track - you never say never - but I’m here to do my part for Queensland. I’m happy in this role and if I’m not the Queensland head coach, well, I’m not a coach.”
Slater was also linked to the Parramatta job earlier this year when the Eels sacked Brad Arthur. But it's believed the Storm legend would only take on a full-time NRL job if it was at Melbourne.
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However his State of Origin counterpart Michael Maguire appears to be the front-runner to land the Broncos job. Maguire won his first series in charge of NSW this year, handing Slater his first loss in three campaigns.
But Maguire is said to be keen on getting back into coaching at NRL level and would prefer a full-time gig to the three-month, part-time role that the Blues job has become. Maguire won a premiership at South Sydney in 2014 and led New Zealand to a stunning win over Australia in the Pacific Championship Test series last year.
He didn't have much success at the Wests Tigers, but was doing a reasonable job considering they'e won three-consecutive wooden spoons in the years since his departure. Josh Hannay is also a leading candidate after narrowly missing out on the Eels job to Jason Ryles, while Arthur, Brad Thorn and Jason Demetriou's names have been thrown up. Trent Barrett and Ben Te'o will be part of the Broncos coaching staff in 2025 and could also be options to take the top job.
