Broncos coach Kevin Walters’ $1 million payday if Brisbane wins NRL grand final
Kevin Walters will cash in on Brisbane’s grand final run, catapulting himself from one of the NRL’s lowest-paid coaches to the rich list thanks to a series of staggering performance bonuses.
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Brisbane mentor Kevin Walters is set to become one of the NRL’s highest-paid coaches if he breaks the Broncos’ 17-year premiership drought in Sunday’s night grand final against Penrith.
In a remarkable feat, Walters is just one win away from becoming the first person to win the premiership double as a player and coach since the birth of the NRL in 1998.
A Broncos premiership triumph at Homebush will see Walters enjoy a monster pay rise and reach the $1 million mark alongside the code’s leading coaches Ivan Cleary, Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson.
Walters enters the grand-final at Sydney’s Accor Stadium as one of the game’s lowest-paid coaches, with his current deal worth around $500,000 this season after inking a two-year extension in April..
But the club legend, 55, is set to receive a major financial sweetener for taking the Broncos from ninth to the NRL decider in the space of 12 months.
It is understood Walters’ existing contract contains a number of performance clauses triggering incremental bonuses for Brisbane reaching the top eight, the top four, the grand final and, ultimately, the NRL premiership.
Walters keeps hitting his Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and if he lifts the NRL trophy with skipper Adam Reynolds on Sunday night, he will pocket a lucrative six-figure bonus.
Should Brisbane win their first title in 17 years, Walters will stand alongside $1 million coaches Cleary, Bennett, Robinson and Bellamy, sweet reward for hauling the Broncos from wooden spooners to title contenders in just three years.
Brisbane chairman Karl Morris said Broncos bosses would gladly sign off on a bumper pay rise for Walters for steering the club to their first grand final since 2015.
“I couldn’t be any happier for Kevin,” Morris said.
“He’s really grown into the role and has got very good people around him.
“At the time (we extended him) the board backed him and thought he was the best candidate and he’s proven that.
“We couldn’t be any more delighted with how confident he’s become in the role.”
A pivotal figure in Brisbane’s extended show of faith in Walters is his manager Chris Orr.
Walters came into this season off-contract at season’s end and Orr, one of the NRL’s longest-serving agents, sat down with Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy to thrash out a two-year extension laced with incentives.
Orr argued Brisbane risked their 2023 campaign being destabilised by speculation over Walters’ future as a free agent in 2024 and tabled a proposal to incentivise the coach if he delivered success at Red Hill.
Donaghy gave his imprimatur to a beefed-up deal and it has been vindicated, with the front-office support of Walters underpinning Brisbane’s resurgence, leaving them one win from a seventh premiership.
“’Kevvie’ needed more time to put his stamp on the roster and the club and Dave Donaghy deserves a lot of credit,” said Orr of PSM.
“Dave was instrumental in backing Kevvie to extend his contract.
“Getting an extension for Kevvie was significant because it provided stability, and most of the successful clubs in the industry have certainty and continuity around the head coach.
“By extending Kevvie every player on that roster knew who their coach was for the next few years, which made implementing his style of coaching easier.
“I feel any coach who wins an NRL premiership is certainly at the top of their profession and therefore worth every penny of $1 million.
“Winning a premiership is huge for a club. It means increased gates, increased membership and increased following, plus it assists with recruitment and retaining players.
“The Broncos job is probably the most prestigious and toughest in the NRL. There is a huge expectation that some people don’t understand, but Kevvie understands it because he has lived it as a premiership-winning player for the Broncos.
“I would love to see Kevvie and his team win the premiership, he and they in my opinion deserve it for all the hard work that has been done.”
Broncos co-founder Barry Maranta called for the club board to give Walters a longer-term extension if he delivers Brisbane’s first premiership since 2006.
“I just hope the people in charge at the Broncos review his contract because he certainly deserves an upgrade for what he has achieved,” Maranta said.
“In my time, the Broncos board was never afraid to back Wayne (Bennett, foundation coach) and give him an extended deal and I’m sure the current board will reward Kevvie appropriately.
“It’s been great to see what Kevvie has done.
“He has proven all his critics wrong and hopefully Sunday culminates in Kevvie bringing back the NRL trophy.”
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