Kevin Walters failure called out as damning detail about Broncos training comes to light

Whatever message Kevin Walters has been trying to send his players about fixing up their errors clearly isn't getting through. And the situation has come to a head at Broncos training this week, with details emerging about a fierce spray from assistant coach Lee Briers over the team's repeated mistakes during practice.

Walters has regularly bemoaned his side's errors in 2024, with the Broncos having the second-worst completion rate (77%) in the NRL this season, according to Fox League statistics. The only team to make more mistakes on average per game than the Broncos this season is the Eels (76%), who sit below the Broncos in second-last spot on the ladder.

The Broncos problems have been thrust into the spotlight due to Reece Walsh's spray for Corey Oates, after his teammate dropped a ball during last week's loss to the Titans. Walsh has faced backlash over the incident but Broncos teammates have defended the livewire fullback and said it just highlights his passion and the incredibly high standards he's trying to set at the club. And the incident has perhaps shone the spotlight on a bigger issue around ball-handling and discipline at Brisbane this season.

Brisbane reporter points to issues at Broncos training

AAP reporter Joel Gould is a regular attendee of Broncos training sessions and has noticed an alarming trend around the amount of mistakes the players have been making in recent weeks. Gould has noticed that unlike Walsh's spray for Oates, players have not been holding teammates accountable for errors at training. And it's showed as Brisbane have lost eight of their past nine games, punctuated by poor handling and a lack of team cohesion.

Gould said the situation reached tipping point at Broncos training this week when a clearly fed-up assistant coach Briers had to step in to admonish the players about the repeated mistakes. After a number of dropped balls, Briers was heard to tell the players on Wednesday: "Get your hands off your knees and change your mentality."

Broncos players Jesse Arthars and Tristan Sailor have both admitted that the Broncos need to sharpen up if they're to have any chance of playing finals footy in 2024. Sailor was among those to defend Walsh for his angry reaction to the Oates mistake against the Titans and Arthars agreed it's up to the players to hold one another to account and meet the standards Walters is trying to set as coach.

"It's not ideal having the errors at training but that happens throughout the year," Arthars said. "We've got to move on to the next job and try not to make as many errors as we have at training. We'll be better for it if we make less errors... The onus is on the player.

"You need to prepare for each training session and game. You have to make sure you have a clear head when you go to training. If someone makes an error, they don't mean to do it but they've got to focus a bit more at training." Sailor also echoed his teammates sentiments on reinforcing accountability at training.

Broncos players speak of holding teammates to account

"With the type of players we have, me and Walshy (Reece Walsh) in particular, stuff comes off and stuff doesn't," he said. "We can live with that but it is the basics of clear dropped balls and missing our effort areas and stuff like that is something that can be lifted.

"Personal responsibility has come to a head this week and that is where everyone needs to be better at training. It is about holding each other accountable. When you are telling your mate next to you that they have got to be better hopefully there is more attention paid up that."

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Even though Walsh's bake for Oates has shone a light on the issue at the Broncos, Gould has noticed the mistakes happening all too often at Broncos training in recent weeks. And he says it goes some way to explaining the haphazard nature of many of Brisbane's games.

Gould said Deine Mariner and Arthars had some struggles with their link-up play in training after an injury to Kotoni Staggs that forced a reshuffle in the backline. The AAP reporter cited an errant pass at training on Tuesday that hit Mariner flush on the head, and revealed Walsh was also guilty of two passes that hit the deck during Wednesday's session.

The Broncos are currently six points outside the top eight and on the cusp of missing the finals for the third time in four seasons. The 2023 NRL grand finalists will likely need to win all their remaining games and hope other results go their way if they're any hope of playing finals footy in 2024. That starts with Saturday evening's match against the Cowboys in North Queensland.

with AAP