NRL: Brisbane Broncos ridiculed amid reports of a potential SOS to Kevin Walters

Kevin Walters has been dragged into Brisbane’s big mess as reports emerge the Broncos may change their mind after snubbing the NRL legend.

Kevin Walters is looming as the man to help Brisbane out of its mess.

The mess at the Brisbane Broncos shows no sign of clearing as the club goes into damage control after a horror start to 2020.

Coach Anthony Seibold is already under pressure to keep his job, despite being just seven games into the second season of a five-year deal, as his side slumped to second-last on the ladder after five straight losses.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Reports have emerged the Broncos are looking at bringing sacked Warriors coach Stephen Kearney in to assist Seibold, while there are also rumours Queensland Origin coach and Brisbane legend Kevin Walters may be called to Red Hill to stop the ship from sinking.

Walters played more than 200 games for the Broncos and is loved by fans and past players. However, he was overlooked for the head coaching role in 2018 when the Brisbane board instead chose Seibold to replace Wayne Bennett.

The snub angered club legends like Gorden Tallis and Glenn Lazarus, and Channel 9 reporter Danny Weidler believes the Broncos even considering asking Walters to help is incredibly strange given how they’ve treated him in recent years.

“Now they’re talking about a bizarre situation — that’s the only way I can describe it … by bringing in, for instance, Kevvy Walters for the job, who they’ve knocked back time and time again,” Weidler said on the Big Sports Breakfast.

“Kevvy’s been treated with, I would say, a level of disrespect by the Broncos and for them to now even consider offering him a position is hard to understand.”

Weidler said “the message that Seibold is sending to the players can’t be understood” and also reported the former Souths mentor isn’t keen on Walters joining his coaching staff.

“It’s a lose-lose for Seibold. I’ve been told privately that Seibold doesn’t want Kevvy Walters there,” Weidler said.

“He knows because Kevvy’s got a lot of support, he’s well regarded by the former players of the club, he’s loved by the public, he’s a very smart individual.

“And if they (the Broncos) turn it around, who gets the credit? Kevvy, not Anthony Seibold.”

RELATED: Walters’ plan to make Brisbane great again

Can Walters turn the Broncos’ fortunes around?

Seibold is under enormous pressure.

Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy last night, Sydney Morning Herald reporter Andrew Webster said it was “ridiculous” for the Broncos to entertain sending Walters an SOS.

“It’s ridiculous for even the name of Kevin Walters to be linked to it,” Webster said. “He got overlooked for the job 18 months ago and now they’re thinking of him coming in.

“That would be a huge undermining of Anthony Seibold.

“If I’m the coach I can’t let the bloke that I got the job ahead of in as an assistant coach. That doesn’t even make sense at all.”

Brisbane faces a sizeable payout if it wants to sack Seibold before his contract expires because, according to Webster, there is no performance-based clause in that contract.

“That’s a five-year deal with a sixth Anthony Seibold’s way and there’s no get-out clause in there at all,” Webster said.

“So the board has no chance but to back him or they’re going to have to pay him out an extraordinary amount of money.”

Broncos legend and board member Darren Lockyer was asked about the absence of a performance-based clause for Seibold, and admitted he knew nothing about it.

“I’m not here to speak on behalf of the board. There’s a long-term contract there for Seibold. When we appointed him, we thought he was the right person to carry us into the next five years,” Lockyer said.

“The clause that you’re referring to, I know nothing about. It mustn’t be there from a board perspective because if there was I would know about it.”