OFFICIAL Kevin Walters Extends to End of 2023

[BroncsFan]

I reckon in Mam and Mozer (albeit too early for both) we have two key spine players there already. Hopefully one of Cobbo or Niu nails the FB position and then we have the building blocks there. We really should have gone in hard for Mahoney. Though that said, I am more than confident Paix is ready...well I was before he reportedly got Covid.

I dont like the idea of going for a Mahoney type if we have Mozer waiting in the wings... Mahoney is young and has potential so by signing him up you're effectively flagging that he's your future for the position. Mozer sees that as a road block and looks to move on.

Mozer isn't ready yet though so going after a stop gap like Api would've been handy... you could sign Api up for 2-3yr without really disrupting Mozer's development, the same cant be said if you signed Mahoney.

 

[Big Pete]

Top 8 for me this year is

Top 6 basically guaranteed, but order can vary
- Storm
- Roosters
- Panthers
- Eels
- Manly
- Rabbits

Most likely from the rest
- Sharks (have improved and were on the brink last year)

For us to make the 8 there is probably 1-2 spots left... so are we better than:
- Knights (they look due to slide, but Clifford looked better as a 7 in the trials and they still have Ponga)
- Raiders (maybe now that Fogarty is out... I think they could slide further this year)
- Dragons (probably not... Sloan gives them strike and Bhunt was quite good last year)
- Titans (probably not... forward pack is already good and their spine has Sexton, Brimson and Campbell... untried but at least it's set in stone and has potential)
- Warriors (maybe... but they have SJ, Walsh, AFB, Lodge, etc... so they're no slouch)

Dogs have also improved, but whether they can get over the inneptness of Barrett is a question mark.

With the question marks we have in the spine it's still going to be a massive task for us to start competing for a place in the top 8

That's a pretty good run-down.

Personally I couldn't guarantee a Rabbitohs finish until I see them in action and how they've handled their losses. They have some quality young players and still some vital components but they were already pretty flakey last year, can JD really make it work?

I also tend to believe the Raiders can nab a spot in the 8. They're one of those clubs that has a tendency to bounce back and with the Williams/Bateman saga behind them they actually have some pretty good prospects coming through and I believe the returns of Nicoll-Klokstead and Cotric will help them tremendously.

 

[BroncsFan]

That's a pretty good run-down.

Personally I couldn't guarantee a Rabbitohs finish until I see them in action and how they've handled their losses. They have some quality young players and still some vital components but they were already pretty flakey last year, can JD really make it work?

I also tend to believe the Raiders can nab a spot in the 8. They're one of those clubs that has a tendency to bounce back and with the Williams/Bateman saga behind them they actually have some pretty good prospects coming through and I believe the returns of Nicoll-Klokstead and Cotric will help them tremendously.

I was going to throw Rabbits into the mix with Sharks, but I gave them benefit of the doubt given they still have Latrell, Cody and Cook in the spine.

Their ability to actually compete for the premiership will come down to how Ilias goes and I'm also interested to see how JD uses Cook. He's looked very subdued since the 6 again era started, but I recall he was very good in JD's first year at Souths. In that year he became more than just a runner, picking up his try assist involvement and also providing a great option kicking close to the try line for repeats. The last few years his main role appears to be just getting it out the back to Cody and Latrell... I get the sense this might change without Reynolds there digging into the line.

For Canberra I originally had them up there with Sharks in my rankings but the loss of Fogarty is huge in my eyes. It basically puts the emphasis back onto Wighton. With Fogarty there they might've been able to go back to 2019/20 Wighton, whilst Fogarty did all the kicking, etc.... that all now lands on how well this young guy goes.

If he can fill that halfback role for Raiders then I think they'll be a good chance for the 8.

The other big change to the raiders has been the change to Hodgson's role... previously he was also able to take on that game managing work from dummy half. They rely more on Starling nowadays who looks more of a raw runner to me. I think they have been missing Hodgson's smarts and involvement within the 10m line... which puts more pressure on the backline to come up with the points.

I liked the mix they had going last year where Hodgson was coming on as a ball playing lock... if they continue with that it should also assist them

 

[pagey]

So only a wooden spoon would see him sacked? Anything more like a Bottom 4 finish would be unfair?

I'm fine with the choice the Broncos had to make in the position I just disagree with the notion that 2021 and 2022 should be treated as mulligans and nothing can come under a critical lens.

It doesn't speak to Walters' ability as a draw that Brisbane either had to make the best offer to keep these players or effectively let them walk out the door. Not even the captaincy could retain a club stalwart like Andrew McCullough.

definitely not and I'm not saying people shouldn't be critical of him , bottom 4 the writing should be pretty much on the wall. But there’s certain things to consider if it happens like injuries and team performance, because if things are looking better but results don't change to much then things need to be considered. Changes to staff and additions of quality players should be looked at before cutting the coach.
i honestly don't think I've ever mentioned giving him Mulligans for his seasons, just have asked for people to look past results before punting him. People seem to want overnight success when that was never going to happen.

 

[Big Pete]

So a bottom four finish would be unacceptable UNLESS there are mitigating circumstances then it would still be unfair to sack him? Am I reading that right?

I certainly didn't expect Walters to deliver the Broncos a premiership in his first season as coach. I knew he'd struggle and had a tough job but he was the best of what was available at that time. However I believe he's made some mistakes and he's admitted as much as well and the club needs a strong start to 2022 which is looking increasingly unlikely.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

Top 8 for me this year is

Top 6 basically guaranteed, but order can vary
- Storm
- Roosters
- Panthers
- Eels
- Manly
- Rabbits

Most likely from the rest
- Sharks (have improved and were on the brink last year)

For us to make the 8 there is probably 1-2 spots left... so are we better than:
- Knights (they look due to slide, but Clifford looked better as a 7 in the trials and they still have Ponga)
- Raiders (maybe now that Fogarty is out... I think they could slide further this year)
- Dragons (probably not... Sloan gives them strike and Bhunt was quite good last year)
- Titans (probably not... forward pack is already good and their spine has Sexton, Brimson and Campbell... untried but at least it's set in stone and has potential)
- Warriors (maybe... but they have SJ, Walsh, AFB, Lodge, etc... so they're no slouch)

Dogs have also improved, but whether they can get over the inneptness of Barrett is a question mark.

With the question marks we have in the spine it's still going to be a massive task for us to start competing for a place in the top 8

If any of those teams, especially the bottom three, have severe injury problems, they could easily slide out of the eight though.

 

[pagey]

So a bottom four finish would be unacceptable UNLESS there are mitigating circumstances then it would still be unfair to sack him? Am I reading that right?

I certainly didn't expect Walters to deliver the Broncos a premiership in his first season as coach. I knew he'd struggle and had a tough job but he was the best of what was available at that time. However I believe he's made some mistakes and he's admitted as much as well and the club needs a strong start to 2022 which is looking increasingly unlikely.

No , nothing unfair about sacking him if we are bottom 4. i just mean there's certain things that need consideration if the club chose to terminate him , like many have said there's not much to choose from so the club needs to reach the best option before pulling the trigger.

Thats the thing though isn't it , so many coaches get punted because of early results. Who's to say they don’t finish strong and then add decent players for the next season, there's plenty of things that can happen in a season. Unless you have a top tier coach that can come in and have an almost immediate impact, why bother changing the coach if things are going in the right direction .
There needs to be a fair yardstick but you already seem to think we wont reach it . So where's the position they should be in after 10 rounds?

 

[Big Pete]

For Canberra I originally had them up there with Sharks in my rankings but the loss of Fogarty is huge in my eyes. It basically puts the emphasis back onto Wighton. With Fogarty there they might've been able to go back to 2019/20 Wighton, whilst Fogarty did all the kicking, etc.... that all now lands on how well this young guy goes.

I think that's where we differ. Yes, Fogarty is a blow but I still think the Raiders can win enough games with him out of the team. It's also offset by the inclusions of Nicoll-Klokstead and Cotric which should really help them with the territorial battle since they're among the best working it out of trouble.

I think they're one of those teams where even if they start slow, Origin should really benefit them and by that point with some of the young guns coming through they should be pressing for an 8 spot.

 

[Big Pete]

No , nothing unfair about sacking him if we are bottom 4. i just mean there's certain things that need consideration if the club chose to terminate him , like many have said there's not much to choose from so the club needs to reach the best option before pulling the trigger.

Thats the thing though isn't it , so many coaches get punted because of early results. Who's to say they don’t finish strong and then add decent players for the next season, there's plenty of things that can happen in a season. Unless you have a top tier coach that can come in and have an almost immediate impact, why bother changing the coach if things are going in the right direction .
There needs to be a fair yardstick but you already seem to think we wont reach it . So where's the position they should be in after 10 rounds?

So Brisbane could finish bottom four but if there isn't anyone available with an immaculate record Brisbane should still keep Kev as head coach? It's just hard to understand what you're saying because you often conflict it.

If the Broncos are 3-7 or less by Round 10, Brisbane really should be making different plans for 2023.

 

[pagey]

So Brisbane could finish bottom four but if there isn't anyone available with an immaculate record Brisbane should still keep Kev as head coach? It's just hard to understand what you're saying because you often conflict it.

If the Broncos are 3-7 or less by Round 10, Brisbane really should be making different plans for 2023.

Nothing conflicting, just a bit of tunnel vision.
If Kevvie fails to improve on last year , replace him.
If Kevvie better's his position then last year but fails to make the 8 , bring in new assistants and some decent signings and i could live with that .
Anything above that and then I think he's deserved his upgrade.

 

[Broncapz]

This makes zero sense

You are saying people giving him 6 weeks need to chill, I am saying no team is going from being a genuine wooden spoon contender to being a premiership contender within a couple of years

Our cap is still a mess, despite the fact we've done a bit of recruiting, we're still paying for players at other clubs this season. Just because next season we won't be that doesn't make us a contender suddenly, still have to recruit well

It's not a 2 year job, sadly, however, I would like to see us make the 8 in 2023, I think that'd be acceptable

This makes zero sense?

Our cap is barely a mess., Bird, Boyd and Lodge are off the books. Our higest paid players are Hass and Reynold (not Bird, Boyd, Lodge).

We only need to win 4 more games than we did last year to make the 8.

We have money to spend next year.

Makes sense to me.

2012-2013 Roosters say Hello btw

 

[Kimlo]

This makes zero sense?

Our cap is barely a mess., Bird, Boyd and Lodge are off the books. Our higest paid players are Hass and Reynold (not Bird, Boyd, Lodge).

We only need to win 4 more games than we did last year to make the 8.

We have money to spend next year.

Makes sense to me.

2012-2013 Roosters say Hello btw

Is Lodge really off the books? I thought we were fucked with his salary until 2024

 

[Big Pete]

Nothing conflicting, just a bit of tunnel vision.
If Kevvie fails to improve on last year , replace him.
If Kevvie better's his position then last year but fails to make the 8 , bring in new assistants and some decent signings and i could live with that .
Anything above that and then I think he's deserved his upgrade.

OK I'm glad you finally nailed down your criteria. I do find it odd you gave yourself an entire season for Kevie to win 8 games meanwhile I could only base my decision around 10 games but so be it.

 

[Broncapz]

Is Lodge really off the books? I thought we were fucked with his salary until 2024

Regardless, it's relatively clean to what it was last year. There was a lot of noise about Lodge being frontloaded a lot last year.

We're probably paying under 500k for dead cap space compared to 1.5M+ in previous years

 

[Foordy]

I'd love for that to happen but even I feel like that would be an above expectations result, we've been one of the worst teams in the NRL for a few years now

we were 3 wins out of the 8 last year (say 4 due to our differential) ... since then we've add Reynolds, Capewell and get Staggs back (among others) ... i'm pretty confident is saying those 3 alone would have gotten us the wins we needed to make the 8.

 

[pagey]

OK I'm glad you finally nailed down your criteria. I do find it odd you gave yourself an entire season for Kevie to win 8 games meanwhile I could only base my decision around 10 games but so be it.

lol you can most certainly have the entire season, but did you not say 6 weeks so I actually i was more generous. from the start I've said he deserves the season and I don't think i mentioned that if he wins 1 more game then that's good enough. that's just ignorance

 

[Foordy]

That's simply untrue. Nolan gave the coach whatever he asked for- that was his role. He wasn't in a position to be telling coaches no you can't have that.

glad to see the back of them both ... the club is better of with them not involved

 

[BroncosFever]

we were 3 wins out of the 8 last year (say 4 due to our differential) ... since then we've add Reynolds, Capewell and get Staggs back (among others) ... i'm pretty confident is saying those 3 alone would have gotten us the wins we needed to make the 8.

I think we can all agree last season the bottom few teams in that 8 were fortunate that they got into the 8 given how shit some of those teams were, there were 3 teams who had won 10 game all year the only thing that separated them from being in the 8 and not being in the 8 was for and against

Usually you need to win as many as you lose to get into the 8

If that happens this season, yeah we can make the 8, however that’s not usually what gets you into the 8