NEWS Walters' record compares with early Broncos: Maranta

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

 

[Foordy]

Why did we have the structure last year but not this year? That is what I want to know. I'm happy to give Kev one more shot at it but if 12 weeks into next season we have not shown marked improvement, I'm open to bringing someone else in, just want to make sure it is the right person.

IMO, the structure during matches is set by the spine.

Last year our spine was locked in with minimal disruption.

This year our spine was decimated by a long term injury to Reynolds, our skipper and game manager ... And repeated injuries (many due to illegal shots) to our most lethal attacking weapon in Walsh .... Our spine was further disrupted by injuries to our back up halves.

 

[Foordy]

Dave Donaghy has Kevs back, but I suppose you all think he is wrong too?

I thought you'd been around these parts this season ... They've turned on him too, after thinking he was God's gift to Broncos for the last few years.

 

[Jason Simmons]

So who do we replace Kev with?
We didn't make the eight so he has to go.
**** the fact that he took a young rookie side within 20 minutes of winning a grand final against the best side the NRL has seen in recent history.
A side that had won three consecutive Grand Finals.
A side packed to the rim with experienced world class players that have played together since their teens.

We had Reynolds and Capewell and the rest of our side were kids, in a club down on confidence and morale from winning the first ever spoon in the clubs history on the back of a disastrous coaching appointment.

And Kev still got us to a Grand Final.
But yea, let's sack the guy because we missed the eight in an injury riddled season.

Fucken clowns.
You ***** want to get personal, that's fine with me, I will happily take a break from this nutjob circle jerk forum till next season.
Because it seems everyone else has Kevs back except you miserable lot.
Dave Donaghy has Kevs back, but I suppose you all think he is wrong too?
The players seem to support Kev, the old boys do as well.
But sure, you lot all know better!

Throw a ban at me if you want, I used the term fairweather and a whole pack of soft ***** got their panties in a twist and threw a tantrum about it, and started with the personal insults so you can all get fucked.

I'm out.

You mad bro?

 

[Jason Simmons]

Hard disagree. The GF loss had everything to do with our error rate. The errors meant we were gassed at the end of the game.

We were at 50 odd percent completions at one stage late in the first half.

Shhh. He doesn’t want to hear such things as “facts”…

Everything should be emotional based… Clear thinking, logic and factual discussion is anathema to a rugby leach coach apparently.

Someone called him Billy, but I am starting to wonder on the above basis, whether or not Kevin is in our midst…

 

[Wolfie]

Actually if you’ll recall, which you likely don’t, many on here were worried about our comp leading error rate and other school boy errors, we had in our side last year, issues which a real coach should be able to address.

Those same errors cost us that GF appearance you’ve hung your hat on and those issues magnified themselves this year, into the absolute rubbish they dished up, which the coach despite personally promising to address repeatedly throughout the year, was yet again unable to address…

So maybe this lot are uncoachable.

Or maybe Kevin can’t coach…

Even last year i was still critical of how frantic we played, and how we relied on individual brilliance to win games. Luckily, what we were doing worked last year. The year before, it wasnt working, and we capitulated. This year it didnt work, and we capitulated. Both the players and the coach need to take blame for it, but if the foundations of a solid system were there i doubt we miss the finals this year.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Even last year i was still critical of how frantic we played, and how we relied on individual brilliance to win games. Luckily, what we were doing worked last year. The year before, it wasnt working, and we capitulated. This year it didnt work, and we capitulated. Both the players and the coach need to take blame for it, but if the foundations of a solid system were there i doubt we miss the finals this year.

Yup, why do I keep getting the sense in so many areas of the Broncos from their style of play, coaching structures, recruitment and retention and so on, those foundations aren’t actually there?

We occasionally get it together and end up near the top of the heap (2015 and 2023).

And every other year we end up being a middle of the pack club, or lower…

Yet we are a “superstar club” with “so many resources” we kept getting told over and over…

Our actual football results don’t reflect that:

Haven’t won a premiership for 18 years.

Haven’t won a minor premiership for 24 years.

Without Wayne, our record of even making the finals has been patchy at best.

Not much there you might expect from “superstars”.

 

[Sproj]

Well with two new teams coming in, our preference to sit on our hands will exacerbate our glaring R&R problem and nothing will continue to be done.

 

[McHunt]

Watch the first four sets from the Melbourne Storm VS Broncos game and see where the differences are. Firstly, we are too passive in defense. We wait for them to come to us and give them a million metres from the get go. If our fitness isn't good enough to move forward in defense for 80 minutes, the coaching is at fault.

Secondly, the play the ball. I understand that you're supposed to get up and play the ball with your foot, but we are legitimately the only team who consistently makes contact with our foot when playing the ball. It slows everything down. Seriously, I implore you to watch the first four sets of the Storm game and you'll see just how much it makes a difference. Storm were playing tunnel ball. The Panthers (Specifically Yeo who throws it backwards like he's snapping it back to a quarterback) do this so well and it gets them on the front foot immediately. We start every game on the back foot because we are doing both of these things poorly.

That's on the coach

Sounds like a coach/dummy half clusterfuck.

 

[Cult]

Sounds like a coach/dummy half clusterfuck.

Dummy half isn’t the one playing the ball, but i get what you’re trying to do there. This place hasn’t changed much in some aspects

 

[McHunt]

Dummy half isn’t the one playing the ball, but i get what you’re trying to do there. This place hasn’t changed much in some aspects

You're letting the bloke who directs the play the ball off the hook after you just complained specifically about the play the ball? Make up your mind about what you're angry about today.

 

[Cult]

You're letting the bloke who directs the play the ball off the hook after you just complained specifically about the play the ball? Make up your mind about what you're angry about today.

The hooker always passes to the halfback so it’s his fault when a kick isn’t perfect too right?

 

[Big Del]

the bloke who directs the play the ball

That`s a new job designation .
So Bill has to tell them how and when to place the ball on the ground and roll it with their heel ?
Sounds like micro management to me ? LOL .

No wonder he needs a break after the 1st 20 minutes .

 

[McHunt]

The hooker always passes to the halfback so it’s his fault when a kick isn’t perfect too right?

That`s a new job designation .
So Bill has to tell them how and when to place the ball on the ground and roll it with their heel ?
Sounds like micro management to me ? LOL .

No wonder he needs a break after the 1st 20 minutes .

So who is responsible for the slow play the balls, and why is one of our hookers so much faster than the others?

If you're going to talk about slow play the balls, at least talk about the specific guy whose job it is to play the ball. Does he really have no insights into his own job?

 

[Cult]

So who is responsible for the slow play the balls, and why is one of our hookers so much faster than the others?

You make wanting to respond to you very difficult. If you can’t work out the answer to this yourself I think this sport might be lost on you.

 

[McHunt]

You make wanting to respond to you very difficult. If you can’t work out the answer to this yourself I think this sport might be lost on you.

I understand your cantankerous opinion on our play the balls is more of an artistic expression that isn't meant to be applied to the player tasked with executing them. He's merely an innocent bystander, and God help anyone who mentions HE'S THE COACH'S CHILD.

 

[Dash]

So who is responsible for the slow play the balls, and why is one of our hookers so much faster than the others?

Do you have a stat to back this up?

 

[mstreet]

Yup, why do I keep getting the sense in so many areas of the Broncos from their style of play, coaching structures, recruitment and retention and so on, those foundations aren’t actually there?

We occasionally get it together and end up near the top of the heap (2015 and 2023).

And every other year we end up being a middle of the pack club, or lower…

Yet we are a “superstar club” with “so many resources” we kept getting told over and over…

Our actual football results don’t reflect that:

Haven’t won a premiership for 18 years.

Haven’t won a minor premiership for 24 years.

Without Wayne, our record of even making the finals has been patchy at best.

Not much there you might expect from “superstars”.

If you looked at the Broncos finals admission over the last 20 years, spiked it for the three grand finals admission, one grand final win 18 years ago, and all the not made finals into a share market performance graph over 20 years, you would not buy the Broncos.

Objectively, the Broncos are a hard sell. You wouldn't want this company in your portfolio.

 

[Cult]

I understand your cantankerous opinion on our play the balls is more of an artistic expression that isn't meant to be applied to the player tasked with executing them. He's merely an innocent bystander, and God help anyone who mentions HE'S THE COACH'S CHILD.

He’s absolutely at fault when he plays the ball himself, but he’s not the one executing play the balls and honestly it’s ridiculous that you even think that. It says a lot about your knowledge of the sport