NRL 2021: Broncos football manager Peter Nolan set to depart the club

The overhaul of Brisbane’s football department has begun, with two big names already set to depart as others get ready to pack their bags.

Brisbane Broncos training at Red Hill. John Cartwright. 18 February 2021 Red Hill Picture by Richard Gosling

Broncos chairman Karl Morris says more heads could roll at Red Hill with two staffers already sacked, including football boss Peter Nolan, and Kevin Walters ordered to put his coaching unit under the microscope.

Breaking his silence on the bloodletting at the crisis-torn Broncos, Morris admits the shake-up is “painful”, but says the Brisbane board is backing new chief executive Dave Donaghy in his overhaul of the ailing glamour club.

The first dominos in Brisbane’s rebuild have fallen, with long-serving official Nolan terminated and high-performance chief Andrew Croll given his marching orders on Friday.

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Football manager Peter Nolan has come under scrutiny. Picture: Annette Dew

Meanwhile, Donaghy has instructed Walters to review the performance of assistant coaches John Cartwright and Terry Matterson with Brisbane sitting last on the NRL ladder.

Cartwright and Matterson are contracted until the end of next year and while they may survive this season, Walters is under pressure to construct a formidable team of assistants - or risk losing his own job.

Broncos chief executive Donaghy was appointed to the role in May and has completed an extensive review of the club.

Now seismic change will be coming to a strife-torn Broncos club sick of wooden-spoon mediocrity.

Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy and coach Kevin Walters are making big changes at Red Hill. Pic Annette Dew

News Corp understands:

- A Broncos review has recommended Walters be given more help by hiring a third assistant, with Corey Parker being linked with a return;

- Big-name players Tevita Pangai Jr and Matt Lodge are on the verge of leaving while others are also set to be given permission to break contracts;

- Former Broncos premiership-winning conditioner Dean Benton has been called in to conduct a full review of Brisbane’s high-performance unit;

- Former Queensland Origin and Storm high-performance boss Alex Corvo is one option to return to bring a harder edge to Brisbane’s training methods; and

- The Broncos will formally advertise for a new general manager of football to replace Nolan next week.

High performance expert Dean Benton has been spotted at Red Hill recently with Walters. Photographer: Liam Kidston

The Broncos are in danger of collecting a second consecutive wooden-spoon and Morris says Donaghy’s decision to pull the mid-season trigger is vital for Brisbane’s recovery as a title force.

“I don’t want to talk about individuals in this, but this change is not easy and there is pain involved,” he said.

“With the continual upgrading of the roster, I believe we can be competitive very quickly.

“Parramatta finished at the bottom of the ladder (in 2018) and became a top-four side within a few years.

“These changes were always forecast with the new CEO coming in and we support Dave in making these needed but painful changes.”

Asked if more sackings are on the horizon, Morris said: “There is always continual change when you have a new CEO who comes in.

“I don’t see things being drastic but yes, there will be some continual change moving forward.”

There is a view Brisbane need fresh blood on their coaching staff.

Assistant coach John Cartwright is fighting for his job. Picture by Richard Gosling

Cartwright has been tasked with fixing Brisbane’s defence, but the former Titans coach is in the firing line with the Broncos having leaked 482 points this season as the worst defensive side in the league.

Parker is highly-rated by several of Brisbane’s young forwards who respect his record as a 347-game club legend with a contemporary knowledge of NRL tactics.

Matterson arrived at the Broncos this season with Cartwright and the foundation player has largely presided over Brisbane’s attacking structures.

It is understood the Broncos will open the chequebook to hire another assistant coach in a desperate bid to ensure Walters, a cherished club legend, does not fail as head coach following the Anthony Seibold disaster.

“Dave is looking at how best to strengthen what Kevin needs around him,” Morris said.

“Dave has come from a high-performance environment at the Storm and knows what the structures are.

“We will put some proper structures around Kevin.”

Walters said no facet of the Broncos would be overlooked in his quest to bring last-placed Brisbane out of the NRL cellar.

Attack coach Terry Matterson is also under review. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

“Everyone is under review, including myself,” he said.

“Everyone has had 15 weeks to prove themselves and their value on the field.

“We’re all under the microscope. Not just players, but coaches, performance staff, everyone is in the firing line.

“We’re going to have a really good look at all of ourselves, which we’ve already done. There is a plan there.

“There’s a lot of things that aren’t right with us. We have a plan that we’re going to implement over the next two-three weeks and we will get things rolling again.

“We’ll have a really good look at every part of our club in the next couple of weeks.

“Everything we do has to be first class and professional. That hasn’t happened in the last three-four years.

“Take it back as long as you want. We haven’t been great for a long time. It’s not something that’s happened overnight, it’s gradually happened to us.”

Tevita Pangai Jr has been told he is free to leave the Broncos. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Donaghy has also looked to appraise Brisbane’s high-performance program and whether the Broncos are fit enough to compete with the best sides in the league.

Benton helped Brisbane win the premiership in 2006 and he has spent recent weeks taking a forensic look at the club’s training and high-performance methods.

The Broncos are the worst defensive team in the competition, conceding an average of 32.1 points per game, more than the battling Canterbury Bulldogs (28.2).

The worrying sign is after some promising performances the Broncos appear to be going backwards, conceding 176 points in their past four losses at an average of 44 points per game.

“We’re not up to scratch and NRL level, that’s it basically, it’s not good enough,” Walters said.

“We’re just having a good look at ourselves, how we do things and why we do things because it’s clear in the first 15 weeks that whatever we’re doing is not right.

“Dave’s been in a month and had a chance to have a look around. I guess he doesn’t really like what he sees.

“Of course I have (had enough), everyone has. If we don’t change things, they’re going to stay the same. What’s going to change?

“I wouldn’t say we’ve gone backwards. We’ve got three wins from 15 games and we’ve got 10 to go. Come and see me at the end of the year.