Kevin Walters promises to deliver the Broncos an NRL premiership as head of coach
With one word, Kevin Walters declared he is the man to end Brisbane’s premiership drought as the club begins to pick up the pieces from a disastrous season.
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A defiant Kevin Walters has declared he can deliver a premiership to Brisbane as the besieged coach vowed to inject a harder edge at the Broncos.
Walters’ stance came as the Broncos suffered another injury setback, with star prop Payne Haas to undergo surgery on a Lisfranc injury that will sideline him for three to four months.
Haas was ruled out of Thursday night’s clash against the Storm at Suncorp Stadium and will go under the knife next week, ensuring he is no hope of featuring for Australia at the Pacific Championships in October.
It’s been a disastrous season for the Broncos and Walters promised his side would go down swinging against a ladder-leading Storm side who could consign Brisbane to a 12th-placed finish in 2024.
Walters has missed the finals for the third time in his four-season tenure, with detractors questioning whether the club legend has the answers to haul the Broncos back into title contention.
Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy insists Walters will not be sacked ahead of the 2025 season and the embattled mentor still believes he is the right man to break Brisbane’s 19-year title drought.
Asked if he can deliver a seventh premiership to the Broncos, Walters was emphatic, saying: “Yes.”
Pressed on why he can take his beloved Brisbane to the title summit, Walters, a five-time premiership winner as a Broncos player, said: “Well, we were pretty close last year I thought (losing to Penrith in the grand final).
“I’ve been involved in seven premierships here, or seven grand finals as a player and coach, so it’s not news to the club about (playing in) the big end-of-season games.
“We’ve just got to fix up our off season, get a few things right, and we’ll be there next year when the whips are cracking.”
Walters confirmed Haas will undergo surgery immediately. The one positive for the Broncos is the timing of Haas’ operation. While he will miss the opening month or two of Brisbane’s pre-season, Haas will be back on deck in the New Year and fully fit for the Broncos’ revenge mission in 2025.
Walters also revealed Reece Walsh (hand) will not be rushed back for a dead rubber against the Storm, despite the superstar fullback doing some light running and training drills during the week.
“Payne will have surgery next Tuesday on his foot,” Walters said.
“It’s a Lisfranc injury, so he’s trying to get some surgery on that.
“I don’t know how long he’ll be out for but it will probably eliminate him from the internationals at the end of the year, so it’s not so good for Payne but I really commend him on his efforts to get back on the field
“It shows what a true Bronco is. He put himself on the line for the club and then risked further injury, that’s just the type of player that Payne is and the type of person that he is.
“It was amazing for him to play last week, that just speaks volumes and it’s a great sign to his teammates as well.”
Of Walsh, Walters said: “He’s not ready to play so there’s no point in risking him this weekend.”
The Broncos will conduct a post-season review from next week and Walters said the entire club needed to learn some harsh lessons, himself included.
“I know there’s people out there, the critics, the people that don’t like the Broncos, so that’s fine. What’s more important is what’s happening inside our walls,” he said.
“We need to finish strong as a club and be proud of who we are.
“We’re playing for pride and the jersey.
“It’s very disappointing. We have high expectations at our club. All the players are hurting, all the staff are hurting.”
Originally published as Kevin Walters promises to deliver the Broncos an NRL premiership as head of coach
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