Kevin Walters' future questioned after 'awful' Broncos drama amid Michael Maguire detail
Walters is facing the music after his Broncos side's finals hopes were crushed by the Dolphins.
Kevin Walters is a man under pressure, there are no two ways about it. And after his Brisbane side's NRL finals hopes were emphatically crushed by the Dolphins on Saturday, the spotlight is burning brightly on Walters as questions emerge around his future as Broncos coach.
Walters has one of the most talented squads at his disposal, and big things were expected of a side littered with State of Origin stars that came so close to winning last year's grand final. But much of the credit the Broncos coach stored in the bank after last season's run to the grand final is quickly eroding, and the nature of his side's 40-16 thumping by the Dolphins on Saturday has shifted the focus firmly onto the coach and the culture at the club.
Veteran league journalist Phil Rothfield described it as a "terrible capitulation" from a Broncos side that did not look like one playing to save its season. And after watching Brisbane dish up a performance he described as "awful", Rothfield suggested Walters has just 12 games next season to turn Brisbane's fortunes around, or potentially face the axe.
“That was a terrible, terrible capitulation on Saturday. They were deadset awful,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast. “The fact he made the grand final last year and was within 17 minutes of winning a premiership secures his job right now. Any talk his job is in jeopardy is out of line.
“I do think though, in the first 12 rounds of next season, with the roster he’s got, you look at that talent. Walsh, Staggs, Cobbo, Mam, Reynolds, Carrigan, Payne Haas. There’s no excuses for that football side not to be making the top eight. If we get halfway into next year and they are struggling like they did on Saturday, I think it will be time for the Broncos to act."
Michael Maguire touted as a potential Broncos saviour
Rothfield suggested a veteran coach such as NSW State of Origin mentor Michael Maguire would be perfect for the Broncos role, if Walters can't convince the Brisbane board that he's the right man to take the club forward. “If he can’t get them to play better football I think they’ve got to get someone like Michael Maguire," Rothfield added.
"I think that football side is full of big egos and underperforming players. Madge would take on a job like that, it’s one of the great jobs in rugby league... they have got to work hard, lift the standards, lift the culture.” Maguire is of course still contracted to the NSWRL as Blues coach next year, making any potential move complicated.
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Walters has had to contend with injuries to key players such as Reece Walsh and Payne Haas this season, as well as copping backlash for resting his rep stars for a crucial game against the Warriors after Origin II. But Rothfield claims there is a bigger issue around the culture and attitude of players at the club, and that it was evident as far back as the end of last season, during Australia's Pacific Championships series.
'Attitude issue' called out at Broncos after 2024 season flop
He claims Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga and other "leaders" of the national side noted that some of Brisbane's players acted like they "were a bit better than what they actually were". It's not the first time the attitude of the Broncos' squad has been called out in 2024, but Rothfield suggested Saturday's heavy defeat proved there are massive issues for Walters to fix at the club.
“What happened on Saturday was totally unacceptable for a rugby league side in Brisbane with their season on the line. It just wasn’t good enough,” Rothfield said. “There’s something wrong internally with this football side. Are the players close enough with each other? To me, they are not a team that are playing tight.
“Look at the Canterbury Bulldogs... look at the way they turn up for each other each week, the way they scramble in desperation. I will give you a little anecdote from last year, remember we (Australia) played in the Tri-Nations and played New Zealand in the final and were belted (30-0).
“There were a few Broncos in that side and it was noticed by the leaders of the Kangaroos and Mal Meninga in particular that there might have been a little attitude issue with a few of the Brisbane boys. They probably thought they were a bit better than what they actually were. It’s hard in that town, they still own Brisbane... they are still the big guns in that city. But the adulation they received in that charge into the grand final last year, I think it got the better of them and I think they had a hangover from it.”
