Broken Broncos: Board hands Kevin Walters ultimate control over Red Hill

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has been given ultimate power to tear the club down and build it back up, with a promise from the Broncos board to stay out of his way. BROKEN BRONCOS SPECIAL REPORT

The Broncos will be Kevin Walters’ club. Picture: Adam Head

Brisbane chairman Karl Morris has given Kevin Walters high-level backing to rip Brisbane’s roster apart and sign the personnel he needs to haul the embattled club out of the premiership cellar.

On the eve of Friday night’s derby against the Titans at Suncorp Stadium, Morris threw his support behind Walters, giving the besieged Broncos coach full control to hire and fire the players required to break Brisbane’s 15-year premiership drought.

Brisbane have 11 players off-contract at season’s end and Walters is beginning his purge of the Broncos, informing prop Matt Lodge he is not part of his long-term plans to revive the club as a finals force.

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In a week in which rising halfback Tom Dearden signed a three-year deal with Brisbane‘s arch-rivals the Cowboys, Morris said Walters would not suffer political interference in his quest to make the Broncos great again.

“We have to back Kevvie,” Morris said.

“We have to back the coach — and we will.

“We have a good relationship with Kevvie and he needs to get the team he wants.

“There’s lot of experts there (in the football department). It’s not for the board to determine the roster, Kevin has his opinions on the players he wants and we’ll support him as best we can.

Broncos chairman Karl Morris is determined to give under fire coach Kevin Walters more support.

“With respect to Tom (Dearden), it’s the coach’s call.

“At the end of the day, Kevin is the one who has a relationship with the players and he has to decide which players he wants long term.”

There is a view Walters is on a hiding to nothing at Red Hill and needs at least five years to clean up the wooden-spoon mess left by his failed predecessor Anthony Seibold.

The club legend is only on a two-year contract, meaning he faces a make-or-break 2022 campaign if the Broncos fail to make the playoffs this season, which appears inevitable following their dismal 1-6 start.

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Walters will get further front-office support when new CEO Dave Donaghy starts this Saturday, but the Brisbane coach insists he isn’t seeking the pressure valve of a contract extension to buy him more time to fix the Broncos.

“I’m not worried about the tenure I have here at the Broncos,” he said.

“I have been placed here to make the place better and that‘s what I am trying to do this year.

“We are sitting back and having a good look at things. The performances over the next few weeks (will be crucial). While we have a mindset and we have a thought process (on recruitment and retention), the performances over the next few weeks will determine the direction that we take.

“I’m not sure about a cleanout, but we’re working through things. I have been put in a position to make this club better than what we were.

“I am excited to get Dave (Donaghy) in the building and have him working not only with the players but the administration staff.

“It’s certainly a big job so it will be good to have Dave in control.”

Morris is adamant Walters has the football intelligence to implement a successful strategic plan, but says the Broncos, as a club, must provide support frameworks.

“Things turn when coaches have full authority of their playing squad and they make the final decisions on recruitment and retention and they are able to execute their plan,” he said.

The Broncos will be Kevin Walters’ club. Picture: Adam Head

“It takes a lot longer in sport than it does in any other enterprise.

“You can make changes quickly in business but not so quickly in the NRL.

“We’re six months into a two-year contract for Kevin. But we’re going to back the decisions Kevin wants to make and whatever changes he wants to make to the roster, we’ll support it.

“Kevin is starting to make the tough decisions that need to be made.

“We have unbelievable faith Kevin can get us there, but we need to put a very strong team around him.”

* READ PART IIII OF THE BROKEN BRONCOS ON SATURDAY

Originally published as Broken Broncos: Board hands Kevin Walters ultimate control over Red Hill