Kevin Walters a bolter for Titans job with axe set to fall on coach Neil Henry
WITH the axe set to fall on Neil Henry, the Titans must turn their attention to finding a new coach — and Kevin Walters is among the top contenders.
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KEVIN Walters has bolted into contention to coach the Titans after QRL boss Bruce Hatcher revealed he would consider releasing the Maroons Origin mentor to pursue an NRL job.
Judgment day is nearing on the Gold Coast with Titans powerbrokers expected to formally axe coach Neil Henry this week.
The Titans are in wooden-spoon contention, languishing in 14th spot following five-straight losses where they have conceded a staggering 176 points.
Henry’s public falling out with superstar fullback Jarryd Hayne was the catalyst for Titans hierarchy to call crisis meetings last week.
The board and chief executive Graham Annesley will reconvene in the coming days and are expected to sever ties with Henry a year before his contract expires.
The Titans must then turn their attention to finding a new coach and Walters should be among the top candidates.
The 49-year-old guided the Maroons to one of the state’s greatest series victories this year and cut his teeth as an assistant to NRL heavyweights Craig Bellamy (Melbourne) and Wayne Bennett (Brisbane).
Walters is contracted to coach the Maroons until the end of next year and the QRL is keen to extend his tenure until 2020.
But NRL head coaching roles are few and far between, and Hatcher said the QRL would consider letting Walters walk if he asked.
“I’d like to think we’d have an open mind about it but I’d also like to think he wants to coach Origin,” he said.
“I must admit I don’t like people breaking contracts. People in professional sport these days use the reason that if there is a better offer then they should move on.
“We’re looking to extend Kevin’s contract in a sensible way but if he came along and said it was the opportunity of a lifetime, the board would have to consider that.
“I’d personally hate to see him go at this stage, but if he said ‘this is what I want to do’ then I would take it to the board and see what they thought.”
While Walters had ambitions to coach the Broncos, he recently said he was happy in his role with the Queensland team and had no immediate plans to leave the Origin fold.
But NRL jobs, particularly at a Queensland club, do not come around often and the Titans role could be a long-term prospect at the Gold Coast.
The QRL had reservations about Walters’ coaching credentials, approaching Bennett and Cowboys coach Paul Green to replace Mal Meninga in 2015, but he has proved critics wrong.
Other potential candidates for the Titans job include former Manly coach Geoff Toovey, Bennett’s assistant Jason Demetriou and Walters’ Maroons assistant Anthony Seibold.
Originally published as Kevin Walters a bolter for Titans job with axe set to fall on coach Neil Henry
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