Kangaroos, Jillaroos, coach appointments confirmed as Kevin Walters gets the nod

A new Kangaroos era will kick off with sacked Broncos coach Kevin Walters completing the ultimate green-and-gold resurrection, while the Jillaroos’ coach has also been announced.

The ARL Commission have unveiled a new Kangaroos era with sacked Broncos coach Kevin Walters completing the ultimate resurrection with a green-and-gold comeback.

The ARLC has finalised its national appointments with Walters winning the Kangaroos job, while Jess Skinner has clinched an extended tenure with the Jillaroos until the 2026 World Cup.

It can also be revealed Queensland legend Cameron Smith is being groomed as an eventual long-term appointment for the Australian job after expressing his interest in working alongside Walters as an assistant.

The ARL Commission confirmed Walters and Skinner as Kangaroos and Jillaroos coaches respectively on Wednesday morning.

Kevin Walters was sacked as Broncos coach last September. Picture: Getty Images

“It is truly an honour and a privilege to be able to coach the Kangaroos on such a stage,” Walters said.

“Playing on a Kangaroos Tour was always a pinnacle as a player, so to be able to lead the best of the best in this environment is very humbling and obviously very exciting.

“This series will be an important step for the growth of international Rugby League and for the Kangaroos. I can’t wait to get started.”

Skinner added: “I’ve really enjoyed the chance to coach at this level so to be given the opportunity to coach the Jillaroos through the 2026 World Cup is incredibly exciting. The women’s game is experiencing continued and significant growth so to be part of the journey at this level is a real honour.”

Walters’ coaching career was at the crossroads after the Broncos legend was sensationally terminated by Brisbane bosses following the club’s 12th-placed freefall last year.

But ‘Kevvie’ has ascended to one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in Australian sport, with Mal Meninga’s move to head-up the Perth Bears opening the door for Walters to take charge of the Kangaroos.

Kevin Walters succeeded Mal Meninga as Queensland Origin coach in 2017, with history to repeat to national level. Picture: Getty Images

Walters succeeded Meninga as Queensland Origin coach in 2017 and now history is repeating with the 57-year-old ready to take over from the NRL Immortal to spearhead Australia’s end-of-year Ashes campaign.

Former NSW coach Brad Fittler was considered the front-runner to coach Australia before he opted to pull out of the race.

The search to replace has been vexing for the ARL Commission, who received a number of expressions of interest for the prestigious position.

Smith was thrown up as a possible option given his status as the most-capped NRL player of all-time (430 games), a future NRL Immortal and a 56-Test legend who captained Australia 33 times.

But the ARLC were concerned by the optics of giving the iconic national post to a man with no head-coaching experience at any level of the game _ Smith briefly operated as a Queensland Origin assistant to Billy Slater in 2022-23.

South Sydney super coach Wayne Bennett was privately keen for a third term with an Australian team he last presided over in 2005.

Mindful of Bennett’s availability, the ARL Commission considered allowing club coaches to pursue the job, only to opt against changing the rule at a meeting before Origin III.

That has opened the door for Walters, who has spent this season working for Fox League after severing ties with the Broncos at the end of last year.

Australia won the Pacific Championship in 2014, and will play an Ashes series in England later this year. Picture: Getty Images

The Broncos legend has a proven track record of success - he won his first two Origin series in charge in 2017-18 before steering Brisbane to the grand final against Penrith in 2023.

Walters was four minutes away from lifting the NRL premiership, only for the Panthers to produce a stunning comeback to break Brisbane’s hearts 26-24 in the greatest grand-final collapse in history.

Australia will embark on their first Ashes series in 22 years when they play England on October 25 at Wembley Stadium before completing a three-Test campaign in Liverpool and Leeds.

Walters understands what it takes to succeed on English soil - he famously threw his trademark ‘out-ball’ for Steve Renouf to score the try that won Australia the World Cup in their 10-6 defeat of Great Britain in 1992.

Walters’ former Broncos lock Pat Carrigan said his passion would transfer to the Kangaroos jersey he wore 12 times as a player.

Broncos and Maroons star Patrick Carrigan back Kevin Walters to succeed. Picture: Getty Images

“His personality, his charisma, his passion for any jersey that he’s ever worn and especially for his country would be massive,” Carrigan said.

“He knows how to bring the best out in a wide magnitude of players from different backgrounds.

“If he was coaching our country I’d definitely feel pretty confident as an Aussie fan.

“I hope the big fella gets the job done.”

The ARLC will consider appointing Smith as Walters’ assistant with a view to the Storm legend eventually taking over as part of a Kangaroos succession plan.

Walters recently admitted calling the shots for Australia would be his final frontier in coaching.

Jess Skinner, who coached the Indigenous Women's All Stars this year, will coach the Jillaroos. Picture: Getty Images

“One of my goals, one of my dreams was to coach Queensland,” he told Triple M radio.

“(One was to) coach in the NRL secondly and the third one and probably the biggest goal was to one day maybe coach Australia which was a dream and (I was) not thinking more about it at the time.

“It would be a huge honour to coach Australia. I’d certainly like to sit down with people and have a chat about what the situation is and what they are looking for…I’d be very interested in that role.”

Meanwhile, the ARL Commission is expected to reward Skinner after she took over from Brad Donald and masterminded the Jillaroos’ 90-4 drubbing of England in Las Vegas in March.

Jillaroos players have lauded the influence of Skinner, who boasts both Maori and Indigenous heritage and has proven a popular successor to Donald.

Originally published as Kangaroos, Jillaroos, coach appointments confirmed as Kevin Walters gets the nod