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
