Brisbane Broncos officially out of NRL finals race as Kevin Walters braces for brutal season review

Less than 12 months after coming within a whisker of lifting the NRL premiership trophy, the Broncos and Kevin Walters will begin a brutal examination after missing the finals for the third time in for seasons.

Despite his best efforts, Brisbane coach Kevin Walters couldn’t manifest a finals berth. Picture: NRL Images

Newcastle have killed off Brisbane’s finals hopes after defeating the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Instead of playing for a chance to avenge last year’s grand final loss to Penrith, the Broncos are now set for a post-mortem at Red Hill.

A post mortem that will have to answer the question why it all went so horribly wrong - a question that coach Kevin Walters has not been able to answer in 2024.

Walters was not able to answer that question again after the Broncos’ disappointing loss to the Dolphins in the Battle of Brisbane.

While Walters had no answers, supercoach Wayne Bennett not only out-foxed but out-coached his former protégé over the weekend.

And in the process he handed Walters a lesson or two on how to deal with pressure.

Walters was defiant last week insisting the Broncos were finals bound, telling media “There’s no if, we will make the finals” after scoring a six-point victory over Parramatta.

But there were two major problems with that declaration which never eventuated.

Despite his best efforts, Brisbane coach Kevin Walters couldn’t manifest a finals berth. Picture: NRL Images

It reinforced a major issue at Brisbane - that the playing group went into 2024 believing the results were just going to come.

Walters’ defiance had that same fragrance. All season, the Broncos had shown at times they were unwilling to do the hard work required to be a finals force.

At the same time, it heaped pressure on a side that didn’t appear capable of withstanding it.

Bennett took the opposite approach.

Both Herbie Farnworth and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow spoke after the 40-6 win about Bennett going out of his way to relieve that pressure.

The supercoach made numerous eyebrow raising team changes too - he benched Isaiya Katoa and moved centre Jake Averillo into the halves. Tabaui-Tabuai-Fidow shifted to an edge to make way for livewire fullback Trai Fuller.

Bennett needed a response to the occasion, and a spark in attack, and he pulled the right rein on both fronts.

Now the Dolphins are one win away from a finals berth in their second year in the NRL.

While the Broncos are facing the reality of missing three final series in four years under Walters.

The Broncos have had to deal with injuries all season but those disruptions are minimised if the side is willing to work hard week in week out.

Walters has suggested all season long that he has no answer for the Broncos’ woes but the coach needs to find a solution quickly otherwise his future at the club will come under intense scrutiny.

Originally published as Brisbane Broncos officially out of NRL finals race as Kevin Walters braces for brutal season review