NRL 2022: Kevin Walters’ six-figure bonus if Broncos can win premiership
Broncos coach Kevin Walters cut a concerned figure in their worrying trial loss to the Cowboys - triggering concerns he could be under pressure if Brisbane have a sluggish start to the season.
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Kevin Walters stands to pocket up to $100,000 in performance bonuses if the Broncos coach hauls Brisbane out of the doldrums and breaks the club’s 16-year premiership drought.
The Sunday Mail can reveal the incentivised jackpot that awaits Walters as Broncos chairman Karl Morris moved to quash speculation the club legend could be sacked if he fails to coach Brisbane to the playoffs this season.
For the past three months, Walters’ management has been locked in delicate discussions with Broncos officialdom on a new deal for the off-contract coach.
The parties have yet to strike a definitive contractual outcome, triggering fears Broncos bosses want to see a major spike in performances before they formally commit to a new deal for Walters.
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As first revealed by The Sunday Mail last November, Broncos hierarchy have discussed the most radical coaching contract in the club’s 34-year history.
They have proposed Walters’ current deal be novated to a fresh arrangement where he would be placed on a standard employment contract, as opposed to the fixed terms traditionally negotiated with NRL coaches.
That would mean the Broncos have the power to terminate Walters without facing the type of hefty $1.5 million payout given to his predecessor Anthony Seibold, who departed just two seasons into a mega five-year deal.
But there is a potential pot of gold on the horizon for Walters.
As part of negotiations, Walters’ management have proposed a raft of beefed-up performance incentives, including the Broncos coach receiving a $50,000 bonus if Brisbane qualify for the finals.
That would rise to $75,000 if the Broncos reach the top four, while Walters will celebrate a six-figure, $100,000 bonanza if he takes Brisbane to the promised land and delivers the club’s seventh premiership – and first since 2006.
It is understood Walters’ base salary this season is around $400,000, making him one of the lowest-paid coaches in the NRL.
But success at the Broncos will not only deliver Walters greater job security, but a healthy pay rise.
A fortnight ago, the Dragons took the shock step of extending former Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin until the end of 2023 and there is a sentiment the Broncos should adopt the same strategy to ease the pressure valve on Walters by providing certainty.
While the Broncos board have yet to ratify a new deal for Walters, chairman Morris – part of the regime that brokered Seibold’s costly severance package – insists Brisbane bosses are doing everything possible for ‘Kevvie’ to succeed.
“Absolutely the club is backing him,” Morris said.
“We’ve always said that Kevvie is a long-term coach for the Broncos.”
Asked about Walters’ performance bonuses and protracted contract talks, Morris added: “I believe negotiations around contracts and remuneration and employment should remain private. I find it quite amusing that other people think it should be a public discussion.
“Kevvie came in saying we’re all on his bus. With his history and performance, we expect to be a lot better than where we are.
“With Kevvie, it’s such a public position so people are always speculating.
“All of us have to perform, it doesn’t matter what job you’re in.
“If you perform then you’ll be safe.”
Walters had a difficult rookie season as NRL coach last year, winning just seven of 24 games as Brisbane finished third last. His 29 per cent win-loss record was the worst singular-season success rate of his 20-year coaching career.
However, Walters managed to offload the wooden spoon and there is no question the Broncos are a happier, more settled club than the strife-torn rabble Seibold left behind in 2020.
During recent negotiations, it has been pointed out to Broncos hierarchy that Walters was not only forced to clean up the Seibold mess, but had to start his NRL coaching career before Brisbane had a full-time CEO to drive the front-office.
Since the arrival of CEO Dave Donaghy and head of football Ben Ikin, the Broncos have stabilised. Walters and Donaghy were key architects of the marquee signing of Souths premiership halfback Adam Reynolds and the Broncos finished the 2021 campaign with momentum, having won four of their last nine games.
But Walters is adamant there is no room for complacency and he will not be satisfied until he makes the Broncos great again.
“I’ve said for a while I want to be here long term and I intend to do that,” he said.
“But I’m no fool either. Every club has to get results and we’re no different.
“I want to be here for longer. We’ve had some player movement which hasn’t provided stability and what the Broncos need is stability across the playing group and the coaching staff.
“I never saw myself as a short-term appointment. I want to be here for a while.”
Star prop Payne Haas endured the pain of Brisbane’s wooden-spoon season in 2020 and says the playing group is happier under Walters.
“All the boys love Kevvie,” Haas said.
“His personality has brought a positive energy to the place.
“People know how he is, he is quite a relaxed guy and knows how to have a laugh. When he has to give us a spray, he will do it, but I believe he has a good balance.
“Kevvie is an Old Boy and he understands what it takes to be a Bronco. When we train, we train hard, but we also know how to have a laugh and relax.
“There is a different vibe in the club.”
Walters also found a big-name ally in $2.4 million recruit Reynolds, who believes the 241-game club legend will coach the Broncos to the playoffs this season.
“The relationship I have with Kevvie is pretty strong already,” Reynolds said.
“He is passionate about his footy, he loves the Broncos, he wants to see them back at the top and we’re on the same page to try and achieve that.”
PERFORM OR PERISH: CAM’S BRONCOS ULTIMATUM
Queensland legend Cameron Smith says Kevin Walters must steer Brisbane to the finals this season or risk being sacked as the Broncos coach fights to win a contract extension at Red Hill.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Broncos board met last Saturday to discuss a number of key agenda items ahead of Brisbane’s final pre-season trial against the Cowboys in Mackay this Saturday night.
One of the most pressing issues is the future of Walters, with the Broncos coach and Brisbane powerbrokers locked in delicate contract talks that have spanned more than three months without a definitive resolution.
Walters is unsigned for next year and the Broncos have discussed their coach being placed on a standard employment contract, as opposed to the fixed timeframes traditionally associated with NRL coaching deals.
The Dragons last week took the surprise step of extending the tenure of former Broncos mentor Anthony Griffin until the end of 2023, partly in a bid to combat intense speculation over the Red V’s coaching position.
There is a view Walters deserves an extended run to stabilise the Broncos after inheriting a club in crisis following the wooden-spoon debacle under his predecessor Anthony Seibold in 2020.
But former Maroons skipper Smith, who won two Origin crowns in 2016-17 with Walters as his Queensland coach, says the Brisbane mentor’s best form of security is hauling the Broncos out of the premiership cellar this season.
“I think ‘Kevvie’ has been backed thus far by everyone in the front office of the Broncos,” Smith said.
“But the reality for Kevvie is that in elite sports, you need results.
“It’s the black-and-white way of explaining it.
“Your team needs to be winning to prolong your position as head coach.
“I was lucky at the Melbourne Storm that we won games for a long time and we were able to keep Craig Bellamy (coach) there. But I was impressed with the way the Broncos finished the season last year in the final four to six weeks.
“They played some great footy, they just need to harness that this season for 80 minutes from round one and I think they will be OK.”
In his first season in charge at Red Hill last season, Walters won seven of 24 games for a 29 per cent success rate.
But Broncos board member Darren Lockyer lauded Walters’ man management, claiming his former premiership teammate has injected renewed positivity among the playing group.
“I don’t want to comment on Kevvie’s future too much because I’m on the board,” Lockyer said.
“But I would have to agree that there is a lot more positive energy at the club. There seems to be some calm and stability and Kevvie has played a big role in that.
“You definitely don’t want to be going through so much turbulence year after year.
“It’s been a rough ride for the last few years but I feel like things are stabilising and there’s a lot more positive vibes in the club.
“The players are happier in the environment they’re in and Kevvie can take credit for the atmosphere at training.”
Walters has found a big-name ally in $2.4 million marquee recruit Adam Reynolds, who believes the 241-game club legend will coach the Broncos to the playoffs this season.
“The relationship I have with Kevvie is pretty strong already,” Reynolds said.
“He is passionate about his footy, he loves the Broncos, he wants to see them back at the top and we’re on the same page to try and achieve that.”
LOCKYER ON NON-NEGOTIABLES FOR BRONCOS
Brisbane powerbroker Darren Lockyer says finals football is a non-negotiable target for the Broncos this season as he backed $2.4 million recruit Adam Reynolds to spearhead a playoffs revival.
It has been 16 years since Lockyer captained Brisbane to their most recent premiership in 2006 and he is now a member of a Broncos board under pressure to deliver results after consecutive finals failures in the past two seasons.
Lockyer is part of the executive arm that rubber-stamped Reynolds’ three-year deal and the marquee recruit is largely viewed as Brisbane’s scrumbase saviour in the club’s quest for a seventh premiership.
But Lockyer rallied in support of Reynolds as the playmaking legend challenged Brisbane’s class of 2022 to bury two seasons of mediocrity and restore credibility at Red Hill by qualifying for the top eight.
“The longer-term goal is to win the premiership, but the goal this year is to play finals and that would be an improvement on last year,” Lockyer said.
“We all dream of winning the premiership every year, but considering where they came from last year, we have to be patient.
“There’s a lot of young kids at our club who can play the game, ideally we have to keep that group together and allow them to build relationships and as they get more experienced, then the Broncos will become a real contender.
“I see potential there and without putting too much pressure on Adam, he will give them some direction and bring the composure in the halves we have been missing for a while.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters says Reynolds is suffering only “general soreness” after a punishing pre-season and Lockyer is confident the 231-game halfback will be ready to fire in the premiership opener against Souths on March 11.
“I don’t have any concerns over Adam,” Lockyer said.
“I don’t think he needs to play any trials, he has been there and done that and he will be excited by a new challenge.
“Obviously he isn’t 100 per cent at the moment, but it’s only a trial game and there is no point risking him in the pre-season if he’s not fully fit.
“There’s no point running him out this year when the focus is round one.
“I think Adam can handle the expectations. He has been around the NRL long enough, he knows what his job is and while it might bring a bit of pressure, I don’t think it will affect his game.
“The club has been looking for a playmaker like Adam for a little while, unfortunately there wasn’t one within so we went to market and it’s great to have Adam here.”
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