State of Origin 2020: legendary Queensland manager resigns

One of Queensland’s most important figures has quietly submitted his resignation after 30 years of outstanding service both in and out of the Origin arena. PLUS Brisbane star’s backyard goalposts.

Steve Walters (R) with Alan Langer and Trevor Gillmeister. Picture: Peter Wallis

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With so much uncertainty around State of Origin at the moment, there is one unfortunate certainty this season – Queensland will be without Maroons legend Steve Walters.

Blindside can reveal ‘Boxhead’ has dropped a bombshell on the Maroons and his brother, coach Kevin Walters, by submitting his resignation after 20 seasons of outstanding service as Queensland team manager.

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Steve Walters (R) with Alan Langer and Trevor Gillmeister. Picture: Peter Wallis

Just like Chris “Choppy” Close before him, Walters was much-loved by the current Queensland players and a key member of Camp Maroon since his arrival in 2001.

In his role as team manager, Walters did much of the thankless, behind-the-scenes clean-up work.

He was a valued mentor to today’s Maroons stars with his cheeky wit, welfare work helping team family members and 14-game experience as Queensland’s greatest hooker before Cameron Smith came along.

Steve Walters played 14 times for his state. Picture: Action photos.

Coach Walters was hopeful of having Steve on board again for the 2020 series but the former Test rake has advised Maroons hierarchy he is walking away to focus on family and business interests at age 54.

Typical of his humble nature, Walters wanted to slip away quietly without fanfare but his contribution to Queensland's famous dynasty under Mal Meninga between 2006-15 has not been forgotten.

CROFT’S FOOTY ENGINEERING FEAT

Broncos halfback Brodie Croft is doing everything he can to keep in form during the NRL shutdown.

Croft has erected goalposts in the backyard of his parents’ home near Toowoomba to keep practising while in isolation.

“We used to have the goalposts up every year and then we’d take them down during the summer to lay cricket in the backyard here,” Croft said.

“They probably haven’t been up for four or five or six years now – we found them around the back of the shed, so now we can kick the footy around the back of the backyard.”

Croft showed some promising touches before injuring his shoulder in Brisbane’s Round 2 win against South Sydney.

TITANS ON THE TOOLS

Gold Coast Titans stars Kevin Proctor and Jai Arrow have been hard at work this week.

Proctor and Arrow have been doing some hard labour on the Gold Coast to keep busy while the NRL season is suspended.

Proctor has been working for a friend’s roofing business and was spotted at a job site on the northern end of the Gold Coast on Wednesday.

At the same time, Arrow was slugging away for a friend laying floor coverings.

Proctor said the NRL season suspension had been a wake-up call and he didn’t realise how good he had it as an NRL player.

The Kiwi international was back at it again on Thursday, operating a machine to ferry tiles from the ground to the roof to be laid.

DADDY DAY CARE

Spare a thought for Gold Coast Titans coach Justin Holbrook during these tough times.

Holbrook thought he had a tough enough job looking after 30 contracted NRL players all week. But he has been spending plenty of time at home lately looking after his four sons, including twins, under the age of eight.

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“The 30 are easier to look after,” Holbrook said with a laugh.

Holbrook is itching to get back in the coaches box after only overseeing two games in his debut season as an NRL coach, the second being a 40-point loss to Parramatta.