Kevin Walters, NRL Coach of the Year, Gorden Tallis, Andrew Webster, Broncos vs. Storm, Brisbane Broncos, NRL Finals

When the Brisbane Broncos hired Kevin Walters to coach the team from 2021, the proud club faltered after clinching the first wooden spoon in its history the previous season.

Walters, a Broncos legend and former coach of the Queensland Maroons from 2016-2019, was tasked with transforming the team.

He certainly did, as the Broncos rose from the bottom of the ladder and hosted one qualifier in three seasons.

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Broncos and Fox League great pundit Gorden Tallis said he had “no doubt” his former teammate would succeed.

“Well, I’m just glad that (those players) went along with it. Look at what happened at the Bulldogs and now,” Tallis said on NRL 360.

“I knew if they followed Kevvie he would be one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever played with and he’s also one of the smartest players.

“He’s so passionate and I just knew it was the only job he ever wanted to do and that his passion would rub off on the players.”

Walters is in the running for Coach of the Year honors and it appears that rookie Andrew Webster (Warriors) and Ivan Cleary (Panthers) are the other two in the running.

Tallis knows who he’s picking but believes it should only be a two-up race.

“I think with those three it comes down to which club you really support,” Tallis said foxsports.com.au.

“It’s not really a surprise with Ivan. You have the best squad.

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“It’s still a great achievement, but I think I could have coached Black Caviar and Winx.” You know what I mean?

“Webster did a great job. They (Warriors) are developing really well compared to last year (15th – penultimate).

“Kevvie did a fantastic job so I don’t really have a problem with those two (who wins).

“To be who we are a few years ago is quite a reversal. It’s the style of football they’re playing now too.”

While the Broncos are now among the best teams in the competition, not everything went smoothly for Walters.

In his first season at the club, the Broncos finished 14th. While that was an improvement from last year, Walters felt they could do better.

The signing of Premier winner Adam Reynolds from 2022 was crucial. Brisbane were a stronger side with a new leader.

However, Walters’ second season ended with heartbreak. The Broncos, perfectly placed most of the season, lost a string of games towards the end of the year and somehow dropped out of the eight despite being in the top four with six weeks to go.

It was a brutal blow to the Broncos and Walters, who found it difficult to describe the collapse of their team after a 53-6 loss to the Eels in the penultimate round.

Adding to the aftermath of the collapse, Walters had to deal with unwelcome drama during the offseason when star winger Selwyn Cobbo said on a podcast his coach was a “good person” but not a “good coach.”

Walters admitted he was injured over the comments at the time, but Tallis says there is now water under the bridge.

“In those podcast comments, the only other coach Selwyn had was Bretto from Cherbourg, who said he wasn’t a better coach than Kevvie,” Tallis laughed.

“He (Cobbo) just got caught in the moment, he was listening to a couple of dribblers at the club being singled out and that can happen.”

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Former bronco Tyson Gamble, who is now a hit with the Red-Hot Knights, also made some interesting comments about Walters, saying: “Kev is the coach but Reynolds is the go-to person for everyone.”

As Tallis said, the Broncos moved on quickly and continued to prepare for the 2023 campaign.

“After everything that’s happened, it’s like a grain of salt. It’s important to everyone who reads it, but it’s not as important within the organization.”

Superstar full-back Reece Walsh joined the fray earlier this season and helped transform Brisbane’s attack. Her 639 points scored were only surpassed by Penrith’s 645 in 2023.

The Broncos were fairly high up the table most of the year, but instead of getting eliminated again, they got better and better towards the end of the season and even led the competition early in the finals.

There was an appointment with the Storm awaiting, and a Broncos win would reward the club with their fifth minor Premier League.

With a home final coming up in Week 1 of the finals, Walters decided to give 10 starters a rest. Opposing coach Craig Bellamy allowed himself a break of more than 11 minutes.

In what was essentially a glorified Queensland Cup game, the little Broncos started as favorites but couldn’t stand the Storm and lost the little Premier League in return.

Many believed the Broncos had an excellent chance not only to finish first in the table, but also to end the chaos against the Storm, who have now beaten Brisbane in 14 straight games.

Tallis disagrees, believing minor Premierships are not talked about while big Finals are.

“I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter because it’s fantastic to be first past the post,” Tallis told foxsports.com.au.

“If the first-place finisher had won both trophies, they (Broncos) would have played everyone (against the Storm) and you think they’d won… There’s no real reward for winning the minor Premier League.

“If you look at history maybe 40-50% win the minor Premier League and then win the grand final. That’s what you talk about when you’re not hoping for victory.”

Melbourne will look to improve that number to 15 straight wins this Friday night against the Broncos when they travel to Brisbane for a qualifying final.

As for the hoodoo, Tallis acknowledges its existence but says this year’s Broncos are like no other Brisbane team he’s seen in recent history.

“While there is scandal, I have no doubt that the team playing Friday night would have beaten the Broncos’ teams for the past 13 years.”