Lockyer makes the right call while former Broncos comrades bawl

Darren Lockyer had every right to put the Broncos first when it came to sacking Wayne Bennett, and the new coach of the Bunnies should have taken it on the chin, writes GREG DAVIS

Darren Lockyer

• THE MASTER: Stars remember Bennett the mentor

• DEMETRIOU GONE: Assistant leaves the Broncos

Darren Lockyer does not need anybody defending his honour. But Wayne Bennett and Kevin Walters certainly do need to grow up.

In the tsunami of rugby league news that came out of The Courier-Mail NRL season launch on Monday, the revelation from Lockyer that his relationships with Bennett and Walters are now on the rocks after a tumultuous off-season was the most eye-catching.

Lockyer is on the outer with his former premiership-winning comrades because he was part of the Broncos board that was happy to part ways with Bennett and he was also part of the coaching selection panel that did not pick Walters to replace Bennett.

Darren Lockyer and Wayne Bennett before a semi-final match-up with Melbourne back when they were on speaking terms

Cue toys being thrown out of two different cots.

Somebody call the Waaam-bulance.

Firstly, Lockyer is not a one-man board at the Broncos and the panel that ultimately selected the very impressive Anthony Seibold had three people on it.

Locky is a thoughtful bloke who was charged to make decisions in the best interests of the football club he played 355 first grade games for between 1995 and 2011.

He made a career out of assessing his options and – A LOT more often than not – making the right decision that benefited his team.

And that’s what he did here. Without fear or favour.

He was a grown-up about it.

Perhaps Bennett and Walters should follow suit.

They should at least respect the fact that Lockyer is his own man. A man they helped shape after he arrived at the club as a skinny kid from Roma.

The rugby league Immortal-in-waiting did not have to put his hand up for these roles – in addition to his rep footy selector duties - after his legendary playing career with Brisbane, Queensland and Australia.

With his Channel 9 commentary job and wide number of business interests, he could just sit back and enjoy the post-football phase of his life, free of drama and controversy.

But he loves the Broncos.

Staying away from Red Hill is just not in his DNA.

Brisbane is lucky to have someone with his gravitas still involved with the club that is prepared to make hard decisions.

Bennett seemingly cannot provide an overly civil response to a Happy Birthday text. (He must have thought it came from a member of the media. And how do you tell the difference between a cranky and non-cranky text from Wayne?).

He also seemingly can’t accept that the person responsible for his sad demise and messy

Kevin Walters and Darren Lockyer during Queensland State of Origin training.

departure from Brisbane is the bloke looking back at him in the mirror.

Everyone knows how shattered Walters – and his wife, especially - was to miss out on the job he has coveted so much.

But to get the Broncos job you need more than calling in a favour from an ex-teammate and borrowing a slogan from the All Blacks and the 2012 Great Britain Olympic team on the front of your application.

Hopefully in time, the relationships between the men who shared so much success during the club’s glory days can be repaired. It is rugby league, afterall.

But Locky should stick to his guns.

He was a truly great player who is showing that he could well be a very good administrator.

What would it have done for his credibility if he was just a puppet for the Broncos old boys network?

Nothing.

He would have got a nice text back from Wayne though.