Kevin Walters says club is ‘sick to death’ of talking about grand final defeat, but his players gagged

Broncos coach Kevin Walters opens up to PETER BADEL on Brisbane’s grand final collapse, speculation he has gagged players and blasts suggestions his team is mentally scarred.

GOLD COAST Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters during training at the Burleigh Bears, Pizzey Park in Miami. Photo: Zak Simmonds.

Kevin Walters says he is “sick to death” of talk about Brisbane’s grand final collapse and believes the Broncos’ big-dance despair will be the catalyst for a Penrith-style premiership dynasty.

Walters broke his silence on suggestions he has gagged Broncos players from discussing last year’s implosion in the NRL decider ahead of Thursday’s grand final rematch against the Panthers at Bluebet Stadium.

In a candid interview with this masthead, Walters reveals the Broncos made some mistakes in grand final week, but hit out at the perception Brisbane players have been mentally broken by the Panthers capitulation.

The Broncos blew a 24-8 lead with 18 minutes to play to lose 26-24 as Penrith sealed a hat-trick of titles, extending Brisbane’s premiership drought to a club-record 18 years.

In recent days, Broncos players have gone cold on reflecting on last year’s decider, with Walters adamant the pain of botching a 16-point lead will steel the squad for a multi-season title assault.

Brisbane players are ‘over’ last year’s grand final defeat. Picture: NRL Photos

“It’s not a ban as such,” Walters said of Broncos players refusing to talk about the 2023 grand final.

“We’ve talked to death about it so I’m bloody sick of hearing about it – it’s done and dusted.

“We’ve just had so many questions about it.

“It’s gone that grand final, get rid of it.

“I’ve just seen a lot of negative publicity about the way we lost, but it was a magnificent year for us.

“At the start of the season, every club’s aim is to be there on grand final day and be on the dais, first and foremost, then if you aren’t there, you want to be on the ground on grand final day.

“It hasn’t broken the group. And I will tell you something else – 15 other clubs wanted to be there on that day and they weren’t.

“It was only us and Penrith left on grand final day.”

Walters points to the Panthers and Craig Bellamy’s Storm as clubs that have embarked on a golden premiership run after losing a grand final.

Ivan Cleary’s current Penrith squad celebrated a Three-Peat after losing the 2020 decider to the Storm, while Melbourne fell to the Broncos in 2006 before winning titles in 2007, 2009 and 2012.

Kevin Walters is keen to move on from the game. Photo: Zak Simmonds

Now Walters says Brisbane’s class of 2024 can deliver the club’s seventh premiership, not chastened by last year’s failure, but motivated by some shortcomings in grand final week.

“There were so many learnings from it and that’s why I’ve had enough,” Walters said.

“There were a few things we could have done better.

“Grand final week wasn’t ideal for us.

“I thought we had some distractions. We made some decisions from a preparation point of view that we wouldn’t do again.

“I won’t go into too much detail, but I feel like when we get back there this year, we will take advantage of those learnings.

“It was a big week, an emotional week and our preparation could have been better.

“People think it was a bad experience. It wasn’t. It was a great experience, it was wonderful for this group of players.

In pre-season, the Broncos squad watched the final 20 minutes of the grand final. Walters barely spoke as Broncos players took charge of the review session.

Adam Reynolds will be missing against the Panthers. Picture: NRL Photos

“We’re over it,” Walters said.

“Look, we watched the grand final, yes, and it was a bit sad watching it.

“It was my third time watching it and there were lots of emotions, but good ones as well.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. Sometimes when you lose, you learn more out of it than a win.

“Penrith lost their first grand final and they have gone on to win three in a row. Melbourne lost their first one to the Broncos in 2006 and came back to win.

“It’s happened in other sports too, so I have no doubt we can fight back from it and become one of the great teams of the modern era.

“People think we’re shattered. We’re not shattered at all.

“We’re ready to go. We’re pumped up for the season ahead.”

The Broncos shocked Penrith 13-12 in round 1 last season on the road and Walters is relishing the grand final replay, even without injured skipper Adam Reynolds (knee).

“There’s still some things for us to work on, but at this time of the year you just need to bank the points,” he said.

“If you are a rugby league player and you want to challenge yourself, well the Panthers are the best. That’s the world we live in. If you don’t want to be challenged and competitive, you’re in the wrong sport.

“We don’t want to be anywhere else but at Penrith on Thursday.”