Letters: Kevin Walters has backing to become Broncos coach
Readers have their say on who should take over a coach of the Broncos, whether Queensland should rethink the border closure, and quarantining at home instead of hotels.
Opinion
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AS FOUNDING members of the Brisbane Broncos, my husband and I, as well as other members, fans and old boys would welcome Kevin Walters to be our head coach for 2021.
Not only would he bring some enthusiasm and humour to our younger players, but he and Alfie Langer would put them in their “happy place” which they so need to be in at the moment.
Also Ben Ikin needs to be our new CEO to bring back some pride in the jersey and club.
I beg to differ with Peter Badel and Travis Meyn’s comments (C-M, Aug 29) that Paul Green masterminded the Cowboys’ maiden premiership in the grand final in 2015.
Basically we agree with Robert Craddock’s commentary (C-M, Aug 31) calling for “Kevolution Time” and Walters as the right man at the right moment for the busted Broncos.
Frankie O’Leary, Yeerongpilly
IT’S time for all the armchair rugby league experts to pull their heads in and look at all the facts.
The form guide should be thrown out the window this year as players and coaches struggle with the uncertainty of a season that could be cancelled at any time and games played to empty grandstands, only to then go home to a disrupted family life in virtual lockdown away from families and friends.
As for Anthony Seibold, I think he was harshly treated when you look at his coaching record before going to the Broncos.
He was given a young inexperienced players’ roster untested in the game at that level.
Also have a look at the teams in the top five on the ladder and you will see they all have mostly seasoned veterans tried and tested in this high-pressure cauldron.
I also question the Broncos’ recruitment record over many years where large amounts of money were squandered on players who turned out to be duds.
One case in question was their failure to acquire a quality halfback to replace Allan Langer. Thank God Darren Lockyer filled the playmaker role at five-eighth for so long.
This is not the time to press the panic button and we should look at this year for what it is.
Col Goltz, Zilzie
FRANKLY I don’t mind who gets the coaching job at the Broncos – Kevin Walters or Paul Green.
They are both good men. But what I won’t cop is if Walters gets it and then drops out of coaching Queensland, with Wayne Bennett taking over again.
If that happens this born and bred Queenslander will start supporting NSW.
Annette Grace, Broadbeach Waters
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RETHINK BORDER CLOSURE
STORIES of parents not being able to see their boarding school children (C-M, Aug 31) surely should bring about a change in thinking on state border management to a more local area approach.
I have no issue with greater Sydney being cut off as a hot spot, however the remainder of NSW should not have to suffer and people from Byron Bay, Ballina or Bellingen should be able to enter Queensland without restriction.
I understand the need to put the health of Queensland citizens first, but surely in this modern age the logistics of this can be overcome without state premiers just putting it in the “too-hard basket”.
Paul Vitale, Kippa-Ring
TO ALL those claiming Annastacia Palaszczuk is sticking with a hard border closure as a deliberate re-election ploy, I suggest they look hard at Victoria.
The frequency of asymptomatic and mild infections is now known to be much higher than initially assumed.
After the virus escaped Victorian quarantine it took many weeks before community infections were detected, by which time clusters had emerged all over the place and effective contact tracing became impossible.
Hence Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ first attempt to suppress community transmission by contact tracing was doomed, exacerbated by the reluctance of many to be tested or stay at home because they would lose pay.
The only “cure” was a return to near-total lockdown with its damaging economic consequences.
Queensland had eliminated COVID-19 from the community before some dishonest individuals snuck in from Victoria via NSW and restarted community transmission.
Hopefully we are winning the fight to terminate this (single?) cluster via competent contact tracing and testing, but continuing containment will be far more difficult and the economic consequences potentially far worse if more clusters arise from further border incursions.
Palaszczuk is not alone. Other states have came to the same conclusion and closed borders, including the Liberal premiers of South Australia and Tasmania, and NSW in regard to the Victorian border.
Donald Maclean, Fig Tree Pocket
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OPTION TO QUARANTINE AT HOME
THERE seems to me to be a no-brainer alternative to mandatory quarantine in hotels for anyone returning to our state.
Perhaps it could incur a cost, but why not give people a chance to quarantine in their own homes instead of paying thousands of dollars for hotel quarantine?
On arrival to our state, a charge could be made for the voluntary attachment of a tracking device to be worn at all times and removed after the two weeks' quarantine is over.
People should be trusted to adhere to quarantine rules, but should they choose not to, these devices would ensure that their movements were monitored, and perhaps fines could be charged for non-compliance.
At present, people are cloistered – close to each other – in hotels, with other suspected people around them.
At home they could move freely, have provisions delivered and sit outside, with an anklet or bracelet worn at all times.
Who would object? I know what I would choose to do.
Carol Pearce, Surfers Paradise
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LABOR HEADED FOR A WIN
READING Peter Gleeson’s Confidential page (C-M, Aug 31) one gets the feeling that he has all but accepted a victory by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor in the coming state election.
He is blaming this on Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his rivers of fiscal gold stimulus measures such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker in getting a lot of Queenslanders through these unprecedented tough times so they can get out and about enjoying the sunshine while Labor is reaping the benefits.
Unfortunately, not a word was said about the extraordinary effort put in by our Premier and our state’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young in making Queensland the envy of the country, and some would say the world, in keeping COVID-19 at bay.
Could this be another reason why voters are planning to vote Labor?
On the subject of the CFMEU fracas last week, I wholeheartedly agree with Gleeson that the internal party divisions and machinations, as also witnessed in the LNP recently, don’t seem to resonate with the average punter.
Valdy Kwitowski, Salisbury
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MAKE STATE GREAT AGAIN
I AGREE with your Editorial (C-M, Aug 31) that there needs to be practical vision to kick-start the economy.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's mantra of “jobs, jobs and more jobs” is just words. These words will not provide jobs.
All politicians need to stop talking and start doing.
Government and business must work together to get the economy restarted, provide essential jobs and make this state great again.
Lesley Brandis, Camp Hill
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DON’T RULE OUT TRUMP
WE SHOULD always be prepared to give credit where it's due - even to US President Donald Trump.
This man has been vilified from day one, routinely obstructed by a politicised federal judiciary and governmental agencies, and relentlessly derided and demonised by a hostile media - to whom, admittedly, he has too often provided the ammunition.
His recovery to a position of competitiveness in polling in the 2020 presidential race (C-M, Aug 31) is a Lazarus-like performance.
And if he somehow conjures up another electoral miracle in November, I could almost feel sorry for the elites who have never really come to terms with the 2016 victory of the “deplorables”. Almost.
Terry Birchley, Bundaberg
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