NRL 2022: Kevin Walters outlines Broncos’ premiership revival plans before club ‘summit’

Kevin Walters has fronted the Broncos board and tabled his premiership blueprint ahead of a football department “summit” to plan their NRL finals fightback.

Brisbane Broncos head coach Kevin Walters talking to the media after a training session on Friday 2 September 2022. Picture: Jerad Williams

Kevin Walters has fronted the Brisbane board as the coach prepares to lead a Broncos Summit in a desperate bid to break the club’s 17-year premiership drought.

News Corp can reveal Walters has tabled his premiership blueprint to a Broncos board seeking answers in the wake of Brisbane’s shocking late-season collapse which cost the club a crucial finals campaign in 2022.

Walters delivered a 45-minute presentation to Brisbane’s board on Tuesday and the Broncos coach told the executive:

* His playing squad lacked the discipline to ultimately compete with the top-eight teams;

* Brisbane’s full-time roster needed to be mentally tougher to be a genuine title force in 2023; and

* Broncos players got carried away and lost focus following the mid-season surge that had Brisbane fourth after 19 rounds.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters fronted the club board on Tuesday. Picture: Jerad Williams

Walters is under mounting pressure to deliver Brisbane’s first title since 2006 and will preside over a two-day conference next week where the Broncos football department will plot their finals fightback next season.

Walters has missed the finals in back-to-back seasons and a third successive failure will almost certainly trigger his demise at the Broncos.

But the 241-game club legend is confident Brisbane, who crashed to ninth last season, are on the cusp of a breakthrough playoffs campaign and will use the Broncos Summit to map out plans for the club’s seventh premiership.

Walters will be joined at the end-of-season planning session by his assistants, including Matt Ballin, John Cartwright and new development coach Lee Briers, who has been headhunted from English club Wigan.

Broncos head of football Ben Ikin will also be part of the wide-ranging conference as club bosses look for Walters to work more closely with his former premiership teammate following the resignation of football manager Steve Walters.

Broncos football boss Ben Ikin will be part of the end-of-season planning session. Picture: NRL Imagery

The Broncos board are mindful the club is mired in the longest title drought in the club’s history and are prepared to give Walters every possible resource to ensure he reignites Brisbane as a premiership powerhouse.

Off-contract next season, Walters has been given the financial scope to hire another assistant following the sacking of Terry Matterson and the Broncos coach is exploring possible options.

Brisbane’s board believes the club has stabilised after the wooden-spoon ructions of 2020 — they have just eight top liners off-contract next season — and Walters has promised to inject a harder edge in 2023.

“We need a general resilience and toughness among the group,” Walters said.

“That’s the thing we need to get better at.

“When we were on our winning streak (seven straight wins), our defence was really good and we kept Manly to nil this year, which hasn’t happened for a few years at the Broncos.

The Broncos had a disastrous end to the season and missed the top eight for the second straight year. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

“There are some good signs, but we have to improve our poorer performances and that comes down to defence and the tougher parts of the game mentally that are important.”

The Broncos haven’t played finals since 2019, but Walters, who won five premierships as a player at Red Hill, says he will not be satisfied with Brisbane finishing seventh or eighth.

“The goal next year is not just finals, I want a premiership,” he said.

“There is only one winner each year and all the other clubs will do their reviews and come back next year wanting to have a crack at winning it.

“The finals is a good stepping stone, but we have to work towards winning a premiership.”

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