Founding Brisbane Broncos chairman Barry Maranta has hit out at critics of coach Kevin Walters and says his first four seasons at the helm compare favourably with the initial four years of the club.
Walters has been savaged for missing finals for the third time in four seasons under his stewardship but founding coach Wayne Bennett had the same record from 1988-1991 before winning the first of his six titles.
"When we targeted Bennett we gave him five years to get us into a grand final. The team we delivered for him initially was a virtual State of Origin side," Maranta told AAP.
"We got into a grand final and won it (in 1992) in the fifth year.
"What I want to point out is that Kevin has had four years as coach and got us into a grand final in the third (in 2023) without the playing staff that we had then. No other Broncos coach has done that.
"The expectations have got quite stupid and the critics want to crucify Kevvie but people that don't understand history go off on a tangent and it doesn't help in any way."
Walters has been the subject of an online newspaper poll where the majority of respondents said he should be sacked. That won't happen as the club CEO Dave Donaghy has publicly stated. Maranta does not believe sacking coaches is the answer to the club's issues when they are performing poorly.
He put his money where his mouth is back in 1991 when the cacophony of external noise to sack Bennett was at its loudest.
"It was a Sunday night and we had just been beaten and I went home and was watching Channel 10," Maranta recalled.
"They were running a poll where they were asking people if they wanted Bennett sacked.
"I rang our media guy and I said, 'tell everyone in the media that I am going to make a statement on Monday'.
"Monday was the day Bennett used to talk to all the rugby league writers but instead of the usual four or five the whole place was chock-a-block with 30 or 40 media from every channel and outlet."
Maranta said Bennett's "eyes nearly popped out" but he told him not to worry as he fronted the press, who were expecting him to announce that the coach would be punted.
"I then made the statement, 'Thank you for attending. We have just extended Wayne's contract as coach for another five years'. That blew them all away," Maranta said.
Bennett, already on contract for 1992, won that year and added two more titles (1993 and 1997) in that period.
Maranta is convinced Walters will lead the Broncos to title glory and said calls for him to be sacked were just as out of order as the push for Bennett to be axed.
"I know Kevin is a Bronco through and through. He's had four or five different coaching jobs and has learned under Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett," Maranta said.
"He has done all the learning process and I know him as a serious competitor and someone that doesn't put up with mediocrity.
"Kevin understands our Broncos culture and that is significant when you appoint people."
Canberra Times
