NRL 2024: Kevin Walters hits back at Brisbane ‘knockers’, Wally Lewis calls on Broncos to back their under pressure coach
Under pressure coach Kevin Walters has hit back anti-Brisbane fans who are relishing his side’s turbulent year, while revealing two of his injured stars will make a return to the field this season.
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Kevin Walters has declared star duo Reece Walsh and Payne Haas will return this season as the embattled Brisbane coach hit back at the “knockers” who are deathriding the Broncos.
Brisbane’s season is on the line in Friday night’s clash against the Eels at Suncorp Stadium and they must dispose of Parramatta without injured Walsh and Haas to stay in the finals hunt.
There were fears Walsh (hand) and Haas (foot) would not return this season, compounding 10th-placed Brisbane’s woes, but Walters is adamant the dynamic duo are not finished for season 2024.
The Broncos must win their final three games to be a mathematical hope of making the playoffs and Walters is confident Walsh and Haas will be fit for the finals if Brisbane qualify for the sudden-death stage.
“Reece will be back and Payne is another one who will be back this season,” Walters said.
“He (Haas) is still around, he hasn’t left the building.
“They (Walsh and Haas) are sitting there waiting.
“It’s not ideal, but there are still opportunities for us to progress through (to the finals).
“I have a lot of faith and belief in the team and what we can do. The North Queensland game (a fortnight ago) is in the rear-vision mirror now and it’s important we back it up after the bye with a strong performance against the Eels.”
Earlier this week, Broncos hooker Billy Walters hit out at the “fake fans” who have seemingly abandoned Brisbane following their slide from grand finalists last season to possible also-rans this year.
Broncos coach Kevin lauded the support of the glamour club’s huge supporter base, but concedes there is an element of anti-Brisbane fans who are relishing his side’s turbulent year.
“I know there’s a lot of knockers out there, but they are knockers, they are sitting there,” he said.
“There’s lots of people in the world that don’t like the Broncos and we appreciate that, but there’s more people that do like the Broncos and that’s what I get excited about for our fans and their continual support has been amazing this year.
“We have more fans and more members than any other club, but on the flip side there are some people that don’t enjoy watching the Broncos play.
“We have a strong team here and a strong performance against the Eels is all we can do.”
In a boost for the Broncos, Queensland Origin star Selwyn Cobbo returns to the side after a month-long lay-off.
The Cherbourg flyer started the season in the centres but will return to the wing against the Eels, a position in which Cobbo is a proven matchwinner.
“He is in the best physical condition all season, so we’re expecting a big game from Selwyn,” Walters said.
“That (wing) is more his position, he is strong with his carries and he catches the ball well.
“He is good defensively on the wing, too, so put all those together and it makes it an easier decision to put him on the wing.”
Asked if Brisbane can still make the finals, Walters said: “I believe so, that’s why we are here. It’s very exciting to be alive and running at this time of the year.
“It should be a great contest against the Eels.”
‘REACH OUT TO WAYNE’: LEGEND’S ADVICE FOR UNDER FIRE WALTERS
NRL Immortal Wally Lewis insists Broncos coach Kevin Walters should not be in the firing line and has urged club bosses to hold their nerve as Brisbane fight to save their season.
Lewis’ support for Walters came as Broncos hooker Billy Walters took aim at the “fake fans” who have questioned if his club-legend father is capable of breaking Brisbane’s 18-year premiership drought.
Still a mathematical hope of making the playoffs, the Broncos will officially crash out of the finals race if they lose to second-last placed Parramatta in Friday night’s must-win clash at Suncorp Stadium.
It’s been a wretched 2024 campaign for Walters, whose much-vaunted ‘Kev-olution’ – headlined by Brisbane’s charge to last year’s grand final – has hit turbulence this season amid a shocking injury toll and the Origin grind.
Should Brisbane miss this year’s top-eight, it would be the third time during Walters’ four-season tenure that the Broncos have failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In the wake of last year’s grand-final fairytale, the Broncos handed Walters an upgraded deal that saw the 56-year-old extended until the end of 2026.
But in the brutal, cutthroat world of NRL coaching, long-term deals don’t guarantee security, as Walters’ predecessor Anthony Seibold discovered at Red Hill.
Seibold was handed the longest coaching deal in Broncos history – a five-year deal – but walked away with a $1.5 million payout after his contract was torn up within two years.
Pressure is building on Walters to deliver a finals campaign with a star-studded roster, but ‘The King’ Lewis, a former Queensland Origin coach, is adamant the Broncos have the right man in charge.
“I would hope they stick with Kevin,” said Lewis, Brisbane’s foundation captain.
“I think the only ones who can answer that question (about Walters’ future) are the people in charge at the Broncos, but from what I’ve seen in those training sessions and listening to ‘Kevvie’ and watching him, I think he’s in the right place.
“He’s learned under the right person as well.
“To have done that learning curve under Wayne Bennett, he couldn’t have had a better coach as a mentor.
“So Kevvie will benefit from that and I’ve got no doubt that he could probably reach out to Wayne again if he needed some advice.”
Walters will field a new-look coaching brigade next season as he injects some fresh winds of change at the Broncos.
Current assistants John Cartwright and Lee Briers will seek new challenges in the English Super League next season, opening the door for Trent Barrett and Ben Te’o to work alongside Walters in 2025.
Broncos hooker Billy Walters hit out at suggestions his father is in danger of being jettisoned if Brisbane miss the finals.
“It’s pretty red-hot from a few I suppose fake fans to say Kevvie’s not the right man for the job,” Walters said.
“He took this team from a wooden spoon to within five minutes of a grand final, so I think it’s pretty red hot to try and turn around after one season with the injuries and stuff we’ve had to try and say he’s not the right man for the job.
“He’s definitely the most passionate Broncos man going around.
“He knows how to win and it’s definitely been on the players this year, not on Kev, that the results haven’t come.
“He is definitely the right man for the job.”
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Kevin Walters hits back at Brisbane ‘knockers’, Wally Lewis calls on Broncos to back their under pressure coach
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