NRL 2022: Kevin Walters slams nepotism talk over son Billy’s No. 6 selection
Broncos coach Kevin Walters says there’s only one way his son Billy can prove the doubters wrong and show his selection is more about talent than his surname.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters has blasted suggestions he is favouring his son after Billy Walters clinched the hotly-contested No. 6 jumper for Brisbane’s premiership opener against Souths on Friday night.
The withdrawal of star halfback recruit Adam Reynolds due to Covid will see the Broncos roll the dice with an untested Walters-Albert Kelly scrumbase alliance for the round 1 blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.
But the Broncos coach has been forced to defend his selection methodology after opting for his offspring ahead of Tyson Gamble and teenager Ezra Mam to partner Kelly in the halves.
It is a special moment for former Wests Tigers utility Billy, who will make his Broncos debut wearing the No. 6 jumper his famous father donned in Brisbane’s back-to-back premiership triumphs in 1992-93.
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Walters junior struggled to dominate at five-eighth in Brisbane’s mediocre trial performances against the Titans (26-all) and Cowboys (6-26), but the Broncos coach says form – not family bloodlines – is all that matters.
“I am extremely proud for him with my dad’s hat on,” Walters senior said of Billy’s selection.
“All the dads out there whose sons play this weekend, whether it’s the NRL or any level, it makes you feel warm and proud.
“I’m no different, but I have my coach’s hat on tomorrow night.
“It’s a great opportunity for Billy. If he plays the football he is capable of, that will be great for us and great for the team as well.
“It’s not about what other people think, it’s about what we think as a playing group and the only way to silence all the doubters is for Billy to go out and play the way we know he can play.
“I remember a famous line from Wayne Bennett, if you start listening to the punters, you will be sitting there with them in the stands.”
The Broncos enjoyed a seamless captain’s run at Red Hill on Friday as they prepare for one of the most critical campaigns in the club’s decorated 34-year history.
After two dismal seasons, the Broncos are under pressure to hit back by playing finals football and Walters is confident Brisbane can rise again after a gruelling pre-season.
“Round one is really important for us that we show the work we have done in pre-season,” he said.
“There’s no expectation from us internally. What I want to see from us is to improve and get better. We did that last year as a playing group and we will improve even more this year.
“That’s the expectation from me and once we do that, all the results will look after themselves.
“While round one is really important, it’s not the be-all and end-all.
“We have some combinations we have to work on within the playing group, but I’m very confident in the team we have.”
Walters says he is confident Brisbane can overcome the loss of chief shot-caller Reynolds after the initial disappointment of his Covid diagnosis.
“I have to be honest, when I found out he had Covid, I was a bit down and kicking cans,” he said.
“But this week I have come in with energy.
“Adam is one of 29 players in our squad, so we’ll do well without Adam.
“I have tried to be myself a lot more this year. I learnt a lot about myself last year when things weren’t going so well.
“But my mantra this year is to be Kev Walters and if I do that, all of our players will be comfortable.
“I bring energy as a coach and I need to keep bringing that each week to make sure they are ready to go.”
BRONCOS RECRUIT INTENT ON RESTORING GLORY DAYS
Ryan James has capped an emotional comeback by clinching his Broncos debut — two years after it was feared the veteran forward’s NRL career was over.
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters threw James a lifeline over summer and the show of faith has paid dividends, with the former Titans skipper winning his maiden Broncos jumper in Friday night’s round 1 clash with Souths at Suncorp Stadium.
The 30-year-old has endured a physical and emotional rollercoaster over the past two years. He suffered back-to-back knee reconstructions, prompting the Titans to offload him last season to Canberra, who subsequently released him to the Bulldogs for a two-game cameo at Belmore.
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But James has been a revelation in Brisbane’s pre-season, with Walters impressed by his leadership, work ethic and high standards garnered from 12 seasons and 158 games of NRL experience.
With Queensland Origin prop Tom Flegler suspended for round one, James has been named on Brisbane’s bench and he will play a key role in their middle-forward rotation in the Souths blockbuster at Suncorp.
“It’s good to come up the road (from the Titans) and pull on a Broncos jersey. This week I finally get to do that,” James said.
“It’s great, watching the Broncos growing up in south-east Queensland, I played the majority of my career at the Titans so they (Brisbane) were always the bigger brother.
“The whole pre-season has been built around the history of the club, we’ve had a lot of the old boys come in and we need to get back to what the Brisbane Broncos were.
“They were a very proud club in the early 1990s and 2000s and we would like to get back to that.”
At his peak in 2017-18, James was one of the most consistent forwards in the code and he went agonisingly close to winning his NSW Origin debut, only to be named the Blues’ 18th man on several occasions.
The Broncos purchased James on a cut-price deal to provide some mentoring for their posse of younger forwards and Walters has been rapt with his contribution.
While some believed James was a spent force in the NRL, the Indigenous All Stars forward insists he never gave up hope.
“I am a pretty resilient person,” he said.
“I’ve had to come back from serious knee injuries, so to fight my way back into the NRL is something I am proud of.
“I will come off the bench. My role will be to try and control that middle section of the game. I have a lot of experience, I have played a fair bit of first grade, so hopefully we start fast (against Souths) and I will try to maintain that.”
WHY WALTERS PULLED PIN ON REYNOLDS’ ROUND 1 HOPES
Adam Reynolds has been ruled out of Brisbane’s premiership opener after Broncos doctors warned playing the Covid-stricken skipper in the South Sydney blockbuster was a major risk to his health.
Reynolds was not named in Brisbane’s extended 24-man squad on Tuesday, ending any hope of the $2.4 million marquee recruit recovering from Covid to make his Broncos debut against his former club.
Under NRL Covid guidelines, Reynolds would have been available for selection from Thursday, the conclusion of his seven-day isolation — giving the Broncos time to rush the champion halfback into their starting line-up for round 1.
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It is understood Reynolds indicated to Broncos coach Kevin Walters that his Covid case was only minor and he was prepared to play if cleared by Brisbane doctors.
But Walters insists he is taking no risks with Reynolds in the latest blow for Brisbane’s major off-season import, who has yet to wear Broncos colours after missing the entire trial period due to general soreness.
“We are taking the safety-first option,” Walters said. “I know the NRL guidelines are there, but I want to take all the speculation out of it and let Adam get better.
“It’s a medical decision. We back our club’s medical advice 100 per cent and that advice is that asking Adam to play is too much of a risk to his health so soon after being diagnosed with Covid.
“At the end of the day, this is just one game – a big game, yes, but just one game in a Broncos career that will see Adam play many great games for our club.
“Covid affects different people in different ways. Some players have shown no symptoms but then come back from isolation and been floored once they started running.
“We place the health of our players first and putting Adam out there on Friday night would just be too much of a risk.”
The scratching of Reynolds has opened the door for Albert Kelly to snatch the No. 7 jumper alongside new five-eighth Billy Walters for the Souths showdown at Suncorp.
In other major selection news, Jamayne Isaako has won the vacant fullback spot, Keenan Palasia is a shock starter at prop with Payne Haas, while Tyrone Roberts has come from the clouds to be a possible utility option off the bench.
On the wing, Corey Oates has edged out in-form Dragons import Jordan Pereira to partner young gun Selwyn Cobbo.
Walters snared the No. 6 jumper by virtue of his defensive displays in the trials, while the Broncos coach is confident the 30-year-old Kelly can handle the task of organising Brisbane’s offence.
“I have full faith in Alby,” Walters said.
“I said through the pre-season that I wanted defence to be our strong point and that’s why I have gone for Billy at five-eighth. Billy has been defensively very good in the trials and his game will evolve in attack as he builds combinations with his outside backs.
“I just need Billy to be nice and steady on Friday and Albert will run the show.
“Alby had some very good games for us last season and he has come back well at training after having Covid, so he will get the job done.”
How Souths skipper will walk fine line with hot heads
— Paul Crawley
New South Sydney skipper Cameron Murray says Latrell Mitchell is fully aware “for us to be successful he needs to spend as much time as he can on the field”.
It comes in the wake of the Rabbitohs superstar full-back’s comments last week where he basically threatened not to pull back his aggression, while taking a crack at the modern game for going soft.
Murray also had his say on “the fine line” Cody Walker walks on the field, but why it is equally important for him not to lose his passion.
Mitchell has already lit a fuse for what could be an explosive return from his six-match suspension for smashing Joey Manu’s cheekbone when he likened it to “Oztag”.
But the fact of the matter is that with so much focus on player safety these days the game is not going to go back in time, and there is no doubt Latrell’s absence in the grand final may have ultimately cost Souths a premiership.
However, Murray showed exactly why he is the right man to be taking over from Adam Reynolds when he sent out his own subtle message without throwing his teammate under the bus.
“I think Latrell’s actions do the talking,” Murray said.
“I know he is itching to get back out there and I know that he knows, for us to be successful, he needs to spend as much time as he can on the field.”
Murray concedes “it is a fine line” with a small margin for error.
“Yeah, there is (a fine line),” he continued.
“Latrell, and I know everyone from our club, don’t go out there with malice. And they don’t go out there to hurt people or hit them high or injure someone.
“They go out there to show aggression and try to get on top of the other side through that aggression and through that dominance.
“It is a fine line.”
Asked if he thinks Latrell understands he needs to change some things so he stays on the field, Murray could not have been more honest: “I don’t know. I haven’t thought too much about it.
“But I just know Latrell knows that he needs to be on the field.
“So, I know he is going to be doing everything to make sure he is doing what it takes to do his role as best he can and make our team successful.
“How that plays out, I guess we will just have to wait and see.”
Murray was equally supportive of his five-eighth who has also come under fire for allowing his emotions to get the better of him.
It was on show in the Charity Shield when Walker reacted to a shove by former teammate Jaydn Su’a and ended up giving away the penalty.
“There is a fine line there (also),” he conceded.
“Do you want him to change to compromise on what that side of him brings out in the good things he does? Or do you want him to change altogether and compromise the good and the bad?
“I just want our boys to be thinking that every action that they do on the field is a positive action towards their game and towards team success.
“I think everyone is continually learning about how to deal with their own emotions and how to channel those emotions in a way that is beneficial for our side.
“Cody is a passionate player, it is the same as Latrell. It is one of their best traits and assets and what they bring to our footy team.
“We are sitting here talking about some of the negatives of their game like everyone has.
“But the positives definitely outweigh (the negatives) in what they do on the field.
“Cody has had a great pre-season and I know Latrell is itching to get out there.
“I know neither of them are thinking about maybe changing some of their actions that maybe have been controversial in the past.
“All they are thinking of is ripping in and playing good footy and making sure they are at their best every week.
“I know that is the mindset the coach wants them in and I think it is the best mindset for them to play their best footy.”
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