So another NRL coach has been made a scapegoat. This time it’s Kevin Walters, who has been sacked by the Brisbane Broncos although they would like you to believe that he resigned. Is it Walters’ fault that some of his star players were out injured for extended parts of the season, and that those who did play ‘didn’t turn up’ for a number of matches? The other point that the Broncos’ management should have taken into account was the departure of four top players at the end of the 2023 season: Kurt Capewell, Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler and Keenan Palasia.
There have been suggestions that Walters lost the dressing room. If that’s true, that was a cop-out by the players and only signals their refusal to take accountability for their repeated below-par performances throughout the season. More League Nobody can deny that Walters gave his heart and soul to the Broncos and wore his heart on his sleeve.
The word entitlement has been linked to a number of the Broncos players this season and with good reason. You only need to look at the way that some of them behaved both on and off the field. Yes, the NRL, like any professional sport, is results-driven – if the team doesn’t perform, the coach is usually used as a scapegoat.
However, if certain players hadn’t missed tackles at crucial times in the grand final against Penrith last year, and Adam Reynolds hadn’t gone missing in action when the team needed his leadership the most to guide them to victory, the Bro.