NRL 2024: Kevin Walters opens up on Brisbane Broncos’ grand final loss, meeting Ange Postecoglou and the Red Hill exodus
There’s been little downtime for Kevin Walters following grand final disaster, with the Brisbane coach jetting across the globe on an overseas study trip.
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Kevin Walters has opened up about Brisbane’s shattering NRL grand final defeat and insisted the Broncos won’t be broken by Penrith’s stunning comeback triumph.
Walters returned from an overseas study trip, which included a meeting with English Premier League sensation Ange Postecoglou, this week to begin his mission of snapping Brisbane’s 18-year NRL title drought in 2024.
The Broncos fell agonisingly short of clinching the club’s seventh premiership last season after surrendering a 24-8 lead in the last 17 minutes of the most gripping grand final in NRL history.
In a wide-ranging interview with this masthead, Walters revealed he is yet to watch a replay of the grand final but he is confident the Broncos won’t be scarred by the emphatic implosion.
“I’ve seen a few of the players and caught up with a lot of them,” Walters said.
“They’re disappointed but also very mindful there’s a lot of improvement in us as a group and them as individuals.
“From all the evidence we’ve seen so far, they’re keen and hungry. They are ready for another good crack at next season.
“I’m refreshed and ready to go. There’s a good vibe around the place and the boys are going hard.”
THE REPLAY
The Broncos seemingly had two hands on the NRL premiership trophy at Accor Stadium on October 1 after five-eighth Ezra Mam’s incredible hat-trick turned an 8-6 deficit into a 24-8 lead.
All Brisbane had to do was suffocate Penrith in the final 20 minutes of the season to be crowned NRL champions for the first time since 2006.
Instead the Panthers, led by champion halfback Nathan Cleary, conjured the most incredible comeback in grand final history to sink the Broncos 26-24 and claim a third straight title.
It was as heartbreaking as grand final defeats come for the Broncos and to this day Walters hasn’t watched a replay of the game.
“There was a bit of disbelief after the game,” Walters said of the feeling that followed.
“The grand final had been played, run and lost the way it was. There was some reflection first more than anything. The first couple of weeks after the grand final were funny.
“I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan to sit down with the players and have a look at it in the New Year.
“Things happen for a reason a lot of the time. To Penrith’s credit, they’ve been a good side for a long time and played really well in that last 15 minutes while we were a bit off.
“We made a couple of little errors and a few things didn’t go our way. That’s all it is. There’s never much in it.
“We only lost by two points. We scored the same number of tries and conversions, it was just a penalty goal that beat us.
“When you think about the season we had, it makes you a bit happier and understanding of why things happen sometimes.
“I’m generally really happy with everything we’re doing at the moment. We would have liked a better result in the grand final, but if 12 months ago you said to me ‘that’s your season’ I would have taken it every day of the week.”
THE TRIP
The off-season overseas study mission has been in vogue for NRL coaches in recent years.
After heading to Fiji for the wedding of his son and Broncos hooker Billy Walters following the grand final, Walters jetted to the UK and US to embark on his own professional development tour.
With football manager Joe McDermott and coaching guru Darren Holder in tow, Walters visited EPL heavyweights Arsenal and Tottenham along with English rugby club Saracens before returning via the US to check out Brisbane’s training bases ahead of the NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener.
But it was a lengthy reunion with Australian football coach Postecoglou, who has made a flying start to his EPL career with Hotspur, which reinforced that Walters is on the right path.
“I had a good bit of time with Ange, he was very generous with his time,” Walters said.
“I met Ange when I was in Melbourne at the Storm and he was coaching the Victory (A-League club). He is a really nice fella.
“I used to watch the Victory train and knew he’d be a very successful coach no matter what league he was in because his methods have worked everywhere he’s been.
“He’s stuck to his principles, which is something I really admire. He was heavily criticised early by fans and the media saying he wasn’t up to it, but he had great belief in himself and his methods.
“I’ll take a lot out of that – believing in what you’re doing and sticking to your principles. It reinforced not only what I’m doing but all of the coaches and our team at the Broncos.
“We’re on the right pathway and we’ve got great stability in the club now with our coaches and roster.”
THE EXODUS
While Broncos players have been steadily reporting for pre-season training there will be some notable faces missing next year.
Four of Brisbane’s grand final team have moved on, the Dolphins poaching Test duo Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth, rising prop Keenan Palasia heading to the Titans and ex-Maroons forward Kurt Capewell joining the Warriors this week.
The quartet were all strong performers for the Broncos last season, but Walters is backing Brisbane’s emerging brigade like Brendan Piakura, Xavier Willison, Deine Mariner, Ben Te Kura and Roosters signing Fletcher Baker to take the next step in 2024.
“We’ve lost a couple of players we didn’t want to lose but we’ve got good depth in those positions which gives us a great opportunity to replace them with talent from our academy,” he said.
“It was a good season for us and we made so many big strides as a club and individuals to put us in a good position for next year.
“We’ve had some time to compensate for the first three leaving in Keenan, ‘Fleg’ and Herbie, we knew about them for a while. We had a good look at that and felt we could handle the loss of those three players.
“Fletcher Baker looks like a really good signing. He is a good, mature kid who’s working really hard and fitting in nicely.”
THE EXPECTATION
It wasn’t that long ago that Brisbane collected the dreaded wooden spoon following the tumultuous 2020 season which culminated in the sacking of former coach Anthony Seibold.
Since then, Walters has taken the Broncos to 14th, ninth and runners’ up, an impressive resurrection within three seasons of his first NRL head coaching gig.
But with that rise comes increased expectation and pressure. Despite losing key players, the Broncos have been widely-tipped to go one better in 2024 with excitement machines like Reece Walsh and Mam leading the way.
“Maybe there is (more expectation), but my expectations have always been the same at the Broncos,” Walters said.
“I’d like to think our team lines up every year as a genuine premiership threat. We want to make the grand final and win the thing. My opinion hasn’t changed on that for next year.
“This time last year there was a lot of noise around the Broncos and a bit of uncertainty, and rightly so after the way we finished the year before (lost five of last six games to miss finals).
“But there’s a different tone to the Broncos now when people talk about our club. It’s up to us to adjust our mentality around all of that.
“We’re not a team that’s down the bottom anymore. We are up and about and need to stay there. I’m really excited.”
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Kevin Walters opens up on Brisbane Broncos’ grand final loss, meeting Ange Postecoglou and the Red Hill exodus
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