Corey Parker’s brutal Kevin Walters swipe as he flips script on Reece Walsh drama
Corey Parker has delivered some hard truths that both former and current Broncos players and staff will find hard to hear.
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Corey Parker has backed Michael Maguire to do whatever is required to bring a premiership to Brisbane, as he revealed the playing group is finally being held accountable for their actions on and off the field.
The Broncos great – who spent 16 years at the club – told news.com.au on Tuesday the decision to sack Kevin Walters and appoint Michael Maguire has put the club in the perfect position to challenge for a premiership in 2025.
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“There’s been a lot of change at Brisbane, most notably the coach and I’ve loved the approach Madge (Michael Maguire) has had since he walked into the establishment,” Parker told news.com.au at the official NRL SuperCoach launch at Luna Park on Tuesday.
“There’s no two ways about it if you look at their roster it’s one of the most talented rosters in the entire NRL.
“They played in a grand final in 2023 and with Maguire in charge I expect them to rocket back up at least into the top four on the back of some accountability, responsibility and more importantly some ownership that the coach has been able to provide.”
Player accountability is something that came under the microscope towards the end of Walters’ stint in charge, with claims that star fullback Reece Walsh and the ‘rockstar’ dressing room resulted in the players being in charge instead of the coach.
Walsh was one of the main players who many felt got too big for his boots, with the No. 1 donning sunglasses in the sheds ahead of the 2023 grand final and regularly showing up to training with bright nail polish and without a shirt.
And since arriving at Red Hill, Maguire has banned players from being topless at training and has conducted gruelling pre-season training sessions as he looks to raise standards at the club.
However, on the weekend Walters dismissed the notion standards slipped under his watch and said Walsh expressing himself by painting his nails and being his true self never bothered him nor should it Maguire.
“That was never an issue for me because I let them express themselves and I feel if they don’t, they’re not the person who they want to be and you don’t get the best out of them,” Walters said.
“If he wants to wear those glasses, wear them. Paint your nails. Do what makes you happy and get the job done on the footy field.”
Corey Parker rubbishes claims of player discontent
Ahead of the 2025 season, the Broncos endured a military-style camp to put them through their paces, with the aim to start the season all guns blazing.
However, in recent weeks reports have emerged that not everyone has bought into Maguire’s methods and hard-nosed coaching style.
Maguire has been vocal about his tough pre-season methods being the best approach but Phil Rothfield claimed certain players “aren’t happy” and that Maguire’s methods could spectacularly backfire.
“I’m worried about the Broncos,” Rothfield said on his Footy Talk podcast.
“I think they needed a hard edge but Madge is so hard, so demanding, so tough. We saw this happen at the Wests Tigers. We saw this happen at Souths. I can see them (the Broncos players) burning out and I’m hearing that the players aren’t that happy.”
But Parker shut down those suggestions, telling news.com.au that Maguire knows how to bring success to a club better than anyone.
“We’ve heard the rumblings (of player discontent) but I don’t believe it. I think it’ll work out well and when they start to win all questions are answered,” Parker told news.com.au.
“When Brisbane gets success this year all questions are answered.
“A lot of people forget there is no coach in the game in the history of the game that has done what Madge has done. He’s won comps in the Super League, in the NRL, won it for NSW against all the odds against Queensland and he’s won coaching New Zealand.
“He understands what success looks like and what it means and he’s got a group of guys that having worked at Brisbane personally are willing to do whatever it takes.
“Ultimately everyone wants to win. Sometimes people think they know what it takes. But in Madge’s case, he will create an environment where they will work extremely hard to make it happen.”
Corey Parker moves into new role in 2025
After spending last year as a Fox Sports analyst, in 2025 Parker has moved into a role as the face of NRL Supercoach, while also rejoining Australian cricket great Ian Healy on Radio SENQ’s breakfast show.
And for anyone thinking about NRL SuperCoach in 2025, on the quiet Parker gave me some advice on who he believes is the must-have player flying under the radar, Titans youngster Keano Kini.
“Based on what we saw last year, he has an unbelievable work rate and he provides great value,” Parker said.
“There’s plenty of talk about must-haves but he’s the first one in my team.”
Kini is only in 1 per cent of teams as it stands and is definitely sneaking under the radar.
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Originally published as Corey Parker’s brutal Kevin Walters swipe as he flips script on Reece Walsh drama
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