Donuts takes the stand in the wake of his first club review:
"Change is always difficult. There’s never really a good time. We could have waited until the end of the season, but we decided we needed to make some hard decisions now to put the necessary foundations in place for the future. It’s fair to staff as well. There’s not going to be wholesale changes, the group has a season to refocus on and we have a business to run."
"I’ve been here for seven weeks now and I’ve looked across the entire business. It’s a great business with enormous potential. There are a lot of good people working really hard, every day, but there are some clear structural deficiencies across the club, we need to invest in those areas and football is the priority. We’re setting ourselves up for growth and to deliver and implement a longer-term plan, which will provide real focus for our people. It’s been a tough period for staff and players. Covid had a big impact on our club last year, you can’t underestimate that."
You know you want it
"As I said, there’s a lot of good people at the Broncos working really hard. But we’ve got our gaps, like every club does, so we need to be honest about those and where we are and address them. Nobody likes losing games of footy, that always impacts mood. But it won’t always be like that. I certainly think we can be even more connected as a club and that will be a priority goal. I said when I started that if we genuinely wanted sustainable success, we can’t go chasing a sugar hit and I still believe that."
"Peter Nolan's a good guy, he’s worked tirelessly for the club for a long time and I wish him all the very best. We’ll be catching up this week to necessitate a handover, he’s a professional. The role of General Manager in Football is often a thankless job, but it has also evolved in the modern game and our structure meant that role had too many functions, so structural change was required. It’s not a reflection of Pete."
"Kevin won’t be sacked. Kevin is up for the fight. Being a head coach in the NRL is a tough job. We’re going to make significant investment in our football program."
"There are always areas to improve, no matter where you are on the ladder. If there are communication challenges, they can be overcome by getting everyone together."
Resources
"Kevin is assessing whether he needs additional resources in the coaching unit. He’s the coach, so that’s his call and we’ll support him here."
"We've provided Tevita with permission to speak to other clubs. That’s where it’s at. The question was asked about whether a request was made, would we grant it. After a lot of consideration, we have. We’ve been honest with Tevita. In an ideal world, these calls would be made post-season, but free agency in the NRL does not enable that."
"From my perspective, there’s been almost daily discussions with Matthew’s Lodge's management, if not more, over the past few months."
"I can’t speak to why Kevin wasn't given more resources back in November, I started in May. There’s been an opportunity to look at the program now and we will prioritise investment where required in consultation with Kevin and the football staff. Kevin will tell me what he needs."
"There are clear priorities — the spine, leadership and experience to complement our existing squad is at the top of that group. Adam Reynolds was a good start and we’ve got some great talent under contract for next year, but we’ll be looking to add some pieces to the roster still."
"There was a thorough process in place for Steve Walter's role and he was the best available candidate. Steve has been a great addition to the club, he’s a tireless worker. He was the long-term football manager for the Maroons. Is it any different to Craig and Aaron Bellamy, or Paul and Geordie Bunn at Storm, or Brad and Jake Arthur at the Eels?"
"We’ll go to market and identify the best candidates for General Manager in Football. It’s an incredibly important role for the club. They will need to be a strong leader of both people and culture and play a key role alongside Kevin, too."
"Fans, we hear you. We’re being honest about where we are right now. There have been some challenging times and we’re grateful for your support. When it turns, we’ll enjoy it even more."
"Making the finals next year is one of our goals."
"Change is always difficult. There’s never really a good time. We could have waited until the end of the season, but we decided we needed to make some hard decisions now to put the necessary foundations in place for the future. It’s fair to staff as well. There’s not going to be wholesale changes, the group has a season to refocus on and we have a business to run."
"I’ve been here for seven weeks now and I’ve looked across the entire business. It’s a great business with enormous potential. There are a lot of good people working really hard, every day, but there are some clear structural deficiencies across the club, we need to invest in those areas and football is the priority. We’re setting ourselves up for growth and to deliver and implement a longer-term plan, which will provide real focus for our people. It’s been a tough period for staff and players. Covid had a big impact on our club last year, you can’t underestimate that."
You know you want it
"As I said, there’s a lot of good people at the Broncos working really hard. But we’ve got our gaps, like every club does, so we need to be honest about those and where we are and address them. Nobody likes losing games of footy, that always impacts mood. But it won’t always be like that. I certainly think we can be even more connected as a club and that will be a priority goal. I said when I started that if we genuinely wanted sustainable success, we can’t go chasing a sugar hit and I still believe that."
"Peter Nolan's a good guy, he’s worked tirelessly for the club for a long time and I wish him all the very best. We’ll be catching up this week to necessitate a handover, he’s a professional. The role of General Manager in Football is often a thankless job, but it has also evolved in the modern game and our structure meant that role had too many functions, so structural change was required. It’s not a reflection of Pete."
"Kevin won’t be sacked. Kevin is up for the fight. Being a head coach in the NRL is a tough job. We’re going to make significant investment in our football program."
"There are always areas to improve, no matter where you are on the ladder. If there are communication challenges, they can be overcome by getting everyone together."
Resources
"Kevin is assessing whether he needs additional resources in the coaching unit. He’s the coach, so that’s his call and we’ll support him here."
"We've provided Tevita with permission to speak to other clubs. That’s where it’s at. The question was asked about whether a request was made, would we grant it. After a lot of consideration, we have. We’ve been honest with Tevita. In an ideal world, these calls would be made post-season, but free agency in the NRL does not enable that."
"From my perspective, there’s been almost daily discussions with Matthew’s Lodge's management, if not more, over the past few months."
"I can’t speak to why Kevin wasn't given more resources back in November, I started in May. There’s been an opportunity to look at the program now and we will prioritise investment where required in consultation with Kevin and the football staff. Kevin will tell me what he needs."
"There are clear priorities — the spine, leadership and experience to complement our existing squad is at the top of that group. Adam Reynolds was a good start and we’ve got some great talent under contract for next year, but we’ll be looking to add some pieces to the roster still."
"There was a thorough process in place for Steve Walter's role and he was the best available candidate. Steve has been a great addition to the club, he’s a tireless worker. He was the long-term football manager for the Maroons. Is it any different to Craig and Aaron Bellamy, or Paul and Geordie Bunn at Storm, or Brad and Jake Arthur at the Eels?"
"We’ll go to market and identify the best candidates for General Manager in Football. It’s an incredibly important role for the club. They will need to be a strong leader of both people and culture and play a key role alongside Kevin, too."
"Fans, we hear you. We’re being honest about where we are right now. There have been some challenging times and we’re grateful for your support. When it turns, we’ll enjoy it even more."
"Making the finals next year is one of our goals."
