NEWS Reynolds says players ‘blind-sided’ as Broncos split with coach Kevin Walters

The Brisbane Broncos have parted ways with coach Kevin Walters just 12 months after he took the club to a grand final.

The Broncos held an end-of-season review before the decision was made to end Walters’ contract, effective immediately.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, talking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, said the decision was made via a mutual agreement between the Broncos and Walters.

“Aside from playing here, it’s been the greatest thrill and honour of my life to have coached the Broncos,” Walters said in a Broncos statement.

“Coaching in the NRL takes a toll, not just on the coach but also their family – it’s time for me to step away and spend some quality time with my loved ones, who have supported me all the way over the last four years.

“I’m grateful to the club for providing me with the opportunity to be head coach, and we have come a long way from the wooden spoon to last year’s run to the grand final.

“I wish the team and the club all the best.”

Broncos captain Adam Reynolds, who was lured to the Queensland capital by Walters, said the players were “blind-sided”, and learned about the news via the media.

“We were as surprised as anyone when the news broke – we still haven’t heard anything official,” Reynolds told this masthead late Thursday.

“Kevvie is one of the main reasons I came to the club. I’m naturally disappointed. I have a lot of respect for him. I don’t know what else to say until the club communicates with us.

“We’re all trying to find out what’s going on. He’s a great coach and I love his coaching style. It’s been a tough year. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

“We lost four players from last year’s grand final, and me, Reece [Walsh] and Payne [Haas] have been out for long periods this year. Myself and Ezra [Mam] only played a handful of games together this year.

“I’ve tried reaching out to Kev. I feel for him.”

Reynolds enters his final year at the club in 2025, and knew there was pressure on everyone, including Walters, to start well in the opening eight weeks.

Walters, a five-time premiership winner with the Broncos and former captain with 241 games as a player, took over as coach at the end of 2020.

He coached 99 NRL games - winning 50 of them - making him the third longest-serving coach the club has had.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin, for the enormous role he’s played as head coach over the past four years,” Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said.

“Kevin put his heart and soul into the club during his time as coach. He is one of the most passionate people you will ever meet when it comes to the Broncos and that helped lift us out of a really difficult time.

“While we will miss Kev and his infectious personality on a daily basis, we certainly don’t want one of the Broncos favourite sons not to stay involved with our great club.”

Walters’ only finals appearance came last season when he led the Broncos within minutes of a premiership, before being run down by Nathan Cleary and the Panthers.

The Broncos failed to return to those lofty heights in 2024 and finished the season in 12th position. That forced the club into a major review of the football department.

Brisbane favourite Ben Te’o and former Parramatta Eels interim coach Trent Barrett had been brought to the club to be Walters’ assistants for next season.

Potential options for the top job in Brisbane include Queensland State of Origin assistant coach Josh Hannay, who missed out on the Eels job that went to Jason Ryles.

NSW State of Origin coach Michael Maguire, who previously applied for the Broncos job, is also expected to be one of the leading contenders given his achievements for the Blues this year.

Queensland State of Origin coach Billy Slater has previously indicated that he is not interested in becoming an NRL head coach. The Broncos may try to tempt him to reconsider.

Ex-Eels coach Brad Arthur has signed a one-year deal with Leeds in the Super League for next year, but could also become a potential replacement candidate.

Other coaches with NRL experience include Jason Demetriou and Justin Holbrook.

Sydney Morning Herald

 

[vertigo]

"****, now we have to learn structure"

 

[Brocko]

Surely the review is what has caused this, which you would assume means the players did not (for the most part) have good things to say. As we've been told they were all interviewed before going on holidays.

Can't exactly be too much of a surprise unless they all went into bat for Kev and the club still decided to move on, which would seem unlikely.

If he means that they didn't all get a whatsapp/text before it broke letting them know, then yeah sure that definitely should have happened. But hard to get them all together when half the squad are in Bali/Europe.

 

[nopatience101]

I get the feeling that they were going to announce it tomorrow but it’s leaked & they’ve had to play catch up. Either way, it’s not a great look for donuts given his background is essentially PR and he’s muffed it by players hearing about it in the media first.

 

[bert_lifts]

Doubt the playing group give a shit overall. if they did they would've shown more heart and effort when the season was on the line. They're probably more shocked that it happened so soon, as is everyone else.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Also heard from someone who knows Steve Price well, the players knew nothing until the courier mail (that they never read...) dropped.

Disgraceful way to break it (leak it from within the club). Really strong front office, we have, to go with the wet paper back office we also have...

 

[theshed]

In all likelihood it was Kev that leaked it. I mean they even have a direct quote from Kev.

 

[mitch222]

In all likelihood it was Kev that leaked it. I mean they even have a direct quote from Kev.

The direct quote was from the club statement released an hour after the news broke
It was leaked from a board member who made the call and it’s not a shock considering newscorp at the majority owner the club

 

[Ondi]

Ugh this is just this icing on top of this wonderful season we've had this year. No outstanding coach prospects and another rebuild. At this point I'm not excited but no doubt will be once they announce someone. Hope they get this done fairly quickly so the squad can adapt a be ready for next season because I'm starting to feel as ruthless as the club in regards to coaches now.

 

[Kaz]

Reynolds should keep his thoughts to himself.

If the players 'loved' Kev so much, maybe they should have shown pride when playing.

 

[jd87]

For all those praising this move just remember how the last time we got a coach in who didn’t give a stuff about the broncos culture went? He literally burnt the whole place down and did the unthinkable and we won the spoon.

It took Walter’s to come in and restore a lot of that and he 100 per cent has earnt the right to fix the issues next year.

This whole thing just screams west tiger type mismanagement . We’re we will be bouncing from coach to coach for years while our board get off Scott free.

Hope I’m wrong but I really do see this setting back the club for years to come .

 

[Nashy]

Imagine not telling the fucking players first.

 

[Sproj]

I think they got the timing of the announcement right to try and sweep it under the rug as much as possible but once again, the manner of it is a massive stuff up.

As mentioned above, we have a Tigers like board, the only thing that puts us slightly above their level is that we are still a destination club and keep a lot of our juniors. The two constants through this period of stupidity are Morris and Lockyer. Those two need to sack themselves.

 

[mitch222]

Imagine not telling the fucking players first.

Well they are partially responsible for the coaches sacking so maybe the club was like well you obviously didn’t give a **** when he was coach so why would you care that he has been sacked
Hopefully a few players are getting sacked as well

 

[Bucking Beads]

Imagine not telling the fucking players first.

The club is a shambles

 

[Nashy]

Well they are partially responsible for the coaches sacking so maybe the club was like well you obviously didn’t give a **** when he was coach so why would you care that he has been sacked
Hopefully a few players are getting sacked as well

If that's the case, all the managers need to be sacked. That is NOT how you manage people.

 

[the_next]

Can’t wait to hear fro Tallis today in the media.
I dare say Kev will leak things through him, might get juicy.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with a few players, who I can see may leverage off this to explore other options.

Surely it’s Madge first, daylight second.
I’d be reaching out to Bellamy and offering a ridiculous offer to try and get him back here again, but we know that won’t happen.
I cannot see the club going down the path of a rookie head coach again.

This club sure knows how to destroy a head coach.

 

[FACTHUNT]

Even Carrigan couldn't be bothered to make attempts at simple tackles in our loss against Melbourne. I'd love to know what he said in the review.

Reyno seems to be the type that is friends with everyone, will say all the nice things about everyone, etc, we all know he would be stoked to play under Madge again.