THE COACH Poll: Should Kevin Walters be sacked?

[Manofoneway]

"a game or two of bad performances"

Missing finals 3 of 4 years. Bottom 3. Biggest ladder slide to miss finals in NRL history. This year, where every neutral is noting that we look poorly coached and underperforming.

Had we not also done the biggest choke in Australian sporting history, then Kevie would have a lot more rope

Well a game or two of bad performances was referring to the players. The fans go from loving them to hating them in one or two bad performances.

Not denying this was a bad year but it is laughable to suggest that 2023 was a fluke. What makes anybody think it can't be replicated next year?

 

[johnny plath]

Tallis said on 360 that Kevvie had to buy his own Broncos shirt for his introduction press conference and has had no support since then.

He also said kevvy got the team to the grand final on his own.

 

[hench2020]

He also said kevvy got the team to the grand final on his own.

And then ended it with “I’m just sticking up for a mate. That’s what Aussies do”.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Very obvious our club is a mess. Recruitment and Retention has been a mess. Where would we be if Walsh didn't come back. I can't see any positives at all for 2025. I don't see a new coach making a difference unless it is Bellamy or maybe Trent Robinson.

 

[Broncapz]

Very obvious our club is a mess. Recruitment and Retention has been a mess. Where would we be if Walsh didn't come back. I can't see any positives at all for 2025. I don't see a new coach making a difference unless it is Bellamy or maybe Trent Robinson.

Disagree, I think a good coach would get us top 4. Some mongrel in our forward pack would see us as contenders.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Disagree, I think a good coach would get us top 4. Some mongrel in our forward pack would see us as contenders.

Our roster has shown if it isn't easy they won't work for it. I'm not sure a new coach can fix that mindset. It runs very deep with this team. We seem to recruit all these guns who dominated at Junior level and never had to actually work hard for anything.

 

[BroncsFan]

Disagree, I think a good coach would get us top 4. Some mongrel in our forward pack would see us as contenders.

Who is this mystical coach??

Noting they will also need to bring their own assistants, oversee R&R, junior development, etc. , review and potentially overhaul high performance team, talk the guys we want to keep into staying, tell the guys we dont want to take a hike, plan out the preseason within about 4 weeks and at some point actually get around to coaching.

This coach will also likely come into the club with absolutely no experience of being in the Broncos setup at all ie team manager, admin people, culture, etc. Not saying that's a bad thing because the culture has been losing and living off the 90's... but they wont know anything about being within the Broncos.

Maybe we should burn the boats again

Upper management will probably want them to spend a fair portion of their time having to do marketting and media commitments.

And if they're a rookie they may have very little contacts across the league... but neither does anyone else at the club... jobs for the boys most likely.

Oh and they'll probably need to be a Qlder, because apparently we cant have anyone from NSW in a position of power at the club as they'll get no respect from the playing group or old boys

 

[Super Freak]

 

[nopatience101]

“We understand it has been a disappointing season for our fans and members, and for Kev, but everyone here at the club are determined to turn it around next year and we'll continue to surround Kev, his staff & the playing group, with all the resources they need to achieve that….”

Yada, yada, yada…

He speaks!

Kev is the coach and he will remain the coach,” Donaghy said.

“It’s been a really disappointing year — everyone inside the club is feeling it and I’m sure our fans are, too.

“We’ll get through the game on Thursday and then with Kev, we will undertake our normal review process to start putting our plans together for next year’s campaign.

“We can’t afford to sit back and dwell for too long and we certainly don’t want to be in this position again.”

“I know Kevvie is really disappointed about our back half of the year.
“He obviously wears his heart on the sleeve and he feels it more than anyone and tries his best not to show it, but it’s been a challenging year for all of us.

“We’ll continue to invest in our footy program and put the pieces around him to ensure that we’re successful.

“We need to sharpen up to make sure we have a bounce back next year.”

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/he-will-remain-the-coach-brisbane-boss-dave-donaghy-backs-broncos-coach-kevin-walters/news-story/02098457f1a0d477e51e81264e8165b5

 

[McHunt]

THE SACKING GAME

You have now progressed to LEVEL 2: Kev has full support of the board.

Donuts:

“Kev is the coach and he will remain the coach. It’s been a really disappointing year — everyone inside the club is feeling it and I’m sure our fans are, too. We’ll get through the game on Thursday and then with Kev, we will undertake our normal review process to start putting our plans together for next year’s campaign. We can’t afford to sit back and dwell for too long and we certainly don’t want to be in this position again.”​

​

“We’ve got some new faces around Kev with the coaching group next year. I know Kevvie is really disappointed about our back half of the year. He obviously wears his heart on the sleeve and he feels it more than anyone and tries his best not to show it, but it’s been a challenging year for all of us. We’ll continue to invest in our footy program and put the pieces around him to ensure that we’re successful. We need to sharpen up to make sure we have a bounce back next year.”​

 

[Skathen]

THE SACKING GAME

You have now progressed to LEVEL 2: Kev has full support of the board.

Donuts:

"I know Kevvie is really disappointed about our back half of the year."​

100% sounds like full support of the board, but the quote part I left in, the back half of the year? WTF?

Have they been watching since Rd 1? Pea hearted defence, shit fitness, fluke plays or bust mentality were all there from the very first game of the year and never left. The difference is the other teams actually improved through the year, making our problems more glaring.

 

[McHunt]

100% sounds like full support of the board, but the quote part I left in, the back half of the year? WTF?

Have they been watching since Rd 1? Pea hearted defence, shit fitness, fluke plays or bust mentality were all there from the very first game of the year and never left. The difference is the other teams actually improved through the year, making our problems more glaring.

His denied there was anything wrong in the first half of the season, only that they had a few things to "get right." He was happy with the training. While we were winning enough games to keep us in the 8, we lost all the big ones (Roosters, Panthers, Storm, Sharks). Bear in mind, we were trying to go one better than last season. It was clear in Vegas that train had gone off the tracks.

 

[Bull Shark]

I was a fan of JD at Cup and Broncos; he couldn't have done anymore. I have never got to the bottom of Souths. Personality wise something went wrong.

I'm surprised he hasn't been hired yet or at the very least had his name mentioned more in the news cycle re coaching candidates etc.

He hasn't suddenly lost the ability to coach. In fact, after what he went through at Souths, I'd be more inclined to look at him, because I'd be close to certain that would've been a huge learning experience for him, that will ultimately make him an even better coach going forward.

 

[Bish]

Which of these options is going to get the best of the squad with the very important background point that they will seemingly once again have little to no support from management?

- Kevvie continues
- Shaun Wane (@McHunt's suggestion)
- Willie Peters (@Wolfie's suggestion)
- Trent Barrett (incoming assistant)
- Ben Hornby (current interim Souths coach)
- Michael Maguire (current NSW coach, no success at NRL level in years but won it with Souths)
- Justin Holbrook (former Titans' coach with no success but had success at St Helens)
- Brad Arthur (former GF coach currently coaching Leeds BUT used to working under disfunctional management, experienced)
- Andree Demetriou (out of his depth at NRL, newly appointed PNG coach)
- Rohan Smith (was on an upward trajectory, is up himself, recently sacked by Leeds)
- Josh Hannay (inexperienced but highly regarded and considered one of the next cabs off the rank, has been consistently overlooked for head coaching roles)
- Anyone else (Broncoshq' most prevalent suggestion)

May as well give this bloke a go

 

[Street Talk]

There is a lot of discussion on whether Kevvie Walters should remain the Coach at the Broncos. And rightly so. But in all decision making discussions, emotion and sentiments need to be removed, and what needs to be looked at are the hard cold facts ….the underlying data.

In football there are a couple of factors that distinguish whether the club (team) has been successful. Here are a couple.

1. For most clubs (& fans), each year gets a “Pass Mark” if they make the Finals. These are the stats for all the Broncos Coaches, on making the Finals for each year they coached at the Broncos.
   1. Wayne Bennett (1988 – 2008, & 2015 – 2018) – Made the Finals 22 years out of 25 years … a pass mark for 88% of the years at Brisbane.
   2. Ivan Henjak (2009 – 2010) – Made the Finals 1 out of 2 years…50% of years.
   3. Anthony Griffin (2011 – 2014) – Made the Finals 3 out of 4 years …75% of years.
   4. Anthony Seibold (2019 – 2020) – Made the Finals 1 out of 2 years…50% of years.
   5. Kevin Walters (2021 – 2024) – Made the Finals 1 out of 4 years…25% of years. This is by far the worst of all Broncos Coaches.
2. A Coach is considered successful by how many games they win during their tenure at the club. This is the percentage of games won whilst at Brisbane.
   1. Wayne Bennett – 63% of games won
   2. Ivan Henjak – 52%.
   3. Anthony Griffin – 53%.
   4. Anthony Seibold – 36%.
   5. Kevin Walters – 51% ….The second worst winning stat at the Broncos.
3. Sometimes the winning percentage of a coach comes down to their last season at the club.
   1. Wayne Bennett (2018) – 60% of games won
   2. Ivan Henjak (2010) – 45%….Sacked.
   3. Anthony Griffin (2014) – 48%….Sacked.
   4. Anthony Seibold (2020) – 23%….Sacked.
   5. Kevin Walters (2024) – 43% …. The second worst winning stat at the Broncos

The Broncos Management have obviously set benchmarks as to what the club wants and expects. If they are not being achieved, then the Club needs to take action.

Was Kevin Walters successful as Head Coach at his previous major club? He was Head Coach at the Catalan Dragons in the Super League in UK (2009 – 2010). Made the Finals 50% of the years, an average winning percentage of 39% of games, and in his last year at Catalan won 29% of games …. And won the Wooden Spoon for that year. Note that the Catalan Dragons finished 3rd the previous year to Kevins arrival.

The Broncos Players must also take responsibility for the team’s performance, and plenty of them need to take a hard look at their performance, attitude and effort this year, and decide if they are providing value for the money they are being paid. However, ….
The Players are held responsible by the Coach.
The Coach is held responsible by the Club.
The Club is held responsible by their Fans!!!

Lastly, at the start of each person’s journey (Player, Coach, Administrator), they must each ask themselves …What do they want their legacy to be? What do they want to be known for when they leave the club?

For Kevvie, the Stats, the Data, the hard cold facts, show he is the worst or second worst coach ever at the Broncos, and is becoming an embarrassment to the Club and himself. It is time for him and the club to go in a new direction…..separately.

Old saying…. Never accept or reward mediocrity.

 

[Gaz]

THE SACKING GAME

You have now progressed to LEVEL 2: Kev has full support of the board.

Donuts:

“Kev is the coach and he will remain the coach. It’s been a really disappointing year — everyone inside the club is feeling it and I’m sure our fans are, too. We’ll get through the game on Thursday and then with Kev, we will undertake our normal review process to start putting our plans together for next year’s campaign. We can’t afford to sit back and dwell for too long and we certainly don’t want to be in this position again.”​

​

“We’ve got some new faces around Kev with the coaching group next year. I know Kevvie is really disappointed about our back half of the year. He obviously wears his heart on the sleeve and he feels it more than anyone and tries his best not to show it, but it’s been a challenging year for all of us. We’ll continue to invest in our footy program and put the pieces around him to ensure that we’re successful. We need to sharpen up to make sure we have a bounce back next year.”​

Even though this was expected it is still a cop out. It remains an easy way out for those whose job it is to ensure this shit doesn’t happen.

Thing is for David it is a balance between business with profitability and winning football games for fans.
News Limited will expect him to look after the shareholders first and understand the fans will still fill Lang Park regardless of the teams standing.

In other words the fans can get fucked - show us the money. Kevin is proving he is untouchable regardless of his inability to manage coaching an NRL football team. Good luck to him but it’s going to get messy for the rest of us club supporters.

 

[nopatience101]

Even though this was expected it is still a cop out. It remains an easy way out for those whose job it is to ensure this shit doesn’t happen.

Thing is for David it is a balance between business with profitability and winning football games for fans.
News Limited will expect him to look after the shareholders first and understand the fans will still fill Lang Park regardless of the teams standing.

In other words the fans can get fucked - show us the money. Kevin is proving he is untouchable regardless of his inability to manage coaching an NRL football team. Good luck to him but it’s going to get messy for the rest of us club supporters.

I don’t think it’s about money, no one actually leads the club, they instead manage it by siting back and allowing things to fester to the point that newscorp finally decide to take an interest and make a decision. The club is crippled by its ownership structure.

 

[McHunt]

There is a lot of discussion on whether Kevvie Walters should remain the Coach at the Broncos. And rightly so. But in all decision making discussions, emotion and sentiments need to be removed, and what needs to be looked at are the hard cold facts ….the underlying data.

In football there are a couple of factors that distinguish whether the club (team) has been successful. Here are a couple.

1. For most clubs (& fans), each year gets a “Pass Mark” if they make the Finals. These are the stats for all the Broncos Coaches, on making the Finals for each year they coached at the Broncos.
   1. Wayne Bennett (1988 – 2008, & 2015 – 2018) – Made the Finals 22 years out of 25 years … a pass mark for 88% of the years at Brisbane.
   2. Ivan Henjak (2009 – 2010) – Made the Finals 1 out of 2 years…50% of years.
   3. Anthony Griffin (2011 – 2014) – Made the Finals 3 out of 4 years …75% of years.
   4. Anthony Seibold (2019 – 2020) – Made the Finals 1 out of 2 years…50% of years.
   5. Kevin Walters (2021 – 2024) – Made the Finals 1 out of 4 years…25% of years. This is by far the worst of all Broncos Coaches.
2. A Coach is considered successful by how many games they win during their tenure at the club. This is the percentage of games won whilst at Brisbane.
   1. Wayne Bennett – 63% of games won
   2. Ivan Henjak – 52%.
   3. Anthony Griffin – 53%.
   4. Anthony Seibold – 36%.
   5. Kevin Walters – 51% ….The second worst winning stat at the Broncos.
3. Sometimes the winning percentage of a coach comes down to their last season at the club.
   1. Wayne Bennett (2018) – 60% of games won
   2. Ivan Henjak (2010) – 45%….Sacked.
   3. Anthony Griffin (2014) – 48%….Sacked.
   4. Anthony Seibold (2020) – 23%….Sacked.
   5. Kevin Walters (2024) – 43% …. The second worst winning stat at the Broncos

The Broncos Management have obviously set benchmarks as to what the club wants and expects. If they are not being achieved, then the Club needs to take action.

Was Kevin Walters successful as Head Coach at his previous major club? He was Head Coach at the Catalan Dragons in the Super League in UK (2009 – 2010). Made the Finals 50% of the years, an average winning percentage of 39% of games, and in his last year at Catalan won 29% of games …. And won the Wooden Spoon for that year. Note that the Catalan Dragons finished 3rd the previous year to Kevins arrival.

The Broncos Players must also take responsibility for the team’s performance, and plenty of them need to take a hard look at their performance, attitude and effort this year, and decide if they are providing value for the money they are being paid. However, ….
The Players are held responsible by the Coach.
The Coach is held responsible by the Club.
The Club is held responsible by their Fans!!!

Lastly, at the start of each person’s journey (Player, Coach, Administrator), they must each ask themselves …What do they want their legacy to be? What do they want to be known for when they leave the club?

For Kevvie, the Stats, the Data, the hard cold facts, show he is the worst or second worst coach ever at the Broncos, and is becoming an embarrassment to the Club and himself. It is time for him and the club to go in a new direction…..separately.

Old saying…. Never accept or reward mediocrity.

There's also been the unnecessary distraction of installing his son into a starting position, to learn a critical spine position on the job. We confirmed this week, despite protestations of Kevvie being his coach at work and his father at home, he was not able to tolerate any criticism.

We can only speculate if this has caused fractures in the playing group, but it loads the dice from the outset.