Brisbane Broncos in damage control after Selwyn Cobbo’s shock Kevin Walters admission

Despite apologising for his damaging Kevin Walters comments, Selwyn Cobbo’s comments will raise questions as to whether the coach is losing the dressing room.

Selwyn Cobbo (inset) has apologised to Broncos coach Kevin Walters (main).

Broncos star Selwyn Cobbo insists there is no rift with Kevin Walters after offering a formal apology in the wake of his sensational claims that the Brisbane mentor is not a good coach.

Cobbo sparked another firestorm at Red Hill with his brutal assessment Walters on a social media podcast, which resurfaced on Sunday morning after first being recorded in October.

The Cobbo comments came just weeks after former Broncos playmaker Tyson Gamble also questioned Walters’ coaching ability, claiming last year that Brisbane players sought the counsel of skipper Adam Reynolds.

But Cobbo has since walked back his sentiments, ringing Walters and personally apologising to the Broncos coach, claiming he was instead making a tongue-in-cheek reference to Gamble’s appraisal.

“Today’s article on a podcast I did last year has been taken out of context,” Cobbo said in a Broncos statement.

Selwyn Cobbo had some bridges to mend after his podcast comments. Picture: Liam Kidston

“It was two guys chatting and joking about silly things like the comments about Kev that had been made by Tyson.

“The fact is that Kev is a very good coach, as are all of our coaches at the Broncos. I was lucky enough to play Origin for Queensland last year and that is off the back of the coaching of Kev and his team.

“I have already contacted Kev to apologise and I’d like to extend that to his family and the whole Broncos club for this unwarranted attention over some silly comments from me.”

On the podcast, the Maroons Origin flyer had said: “I reckon he’s a good person.

“He’s a good person, like a good bloke but I don’t think he’s a good coach. He’s not the best coach but he’s all right.

“I feel like he’s just a good person but I don’t reckon he’s a coach. Even though he experienced footy, been through all the grand finals and all that, but I feel like he’s not a coach. “But he’s a good person, a good bloke and does a lot for the club. But the way he coaches is a bit weird, I guess. He’s a good person though. He’s an alright coach.”

Selwyn Cobbo clarifies his statements.

Selwyn Cobbo's Instagram statement.

Cobbo faces a character-testing 2023 campaign. The 20-year-old was one of the discoveries of the 2022 season, scoring 15 tries from 18 games, clinching a dream Origin debut for Queensland and representing the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII outfit.

But the Indigenous product from Cherbourg had a difficult finish, turning up late to training before Brisbane’s final game against the Dragons and seeking a week’s rest in the run to the playoffs as he battled burnout after the rigours of his breakthrough season.

Cobbo returned to pre-season overweight and is under pressure to be more professional this year - starting with his attitude towards his Broncos coach.

“Kev has taught me a lot since coming into the NRL squad and provided me with great support as I adjusted to the professionalism of NRL,” he said.

“I was late to training a few times and instead of cutting me he educated me and supported me.

“When I felt burnt out late in the year, Kev rested me and when he thought I was ready he gave me more responsibilities.”

Selwyn Cobbo intimated the Broncos were a fractured playing group at the back-end of 2022. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty

Despite Cobbo’s apology, his initial comments will raise questions as to whether Walters is losing the dressing room after failing to steer Brisbane to the finals last year, highlighted by their dramatic late-season collapse when they crashed from fourth to ninth.

Cobbo also intimated on the podcast that the playing group had splintered as the Broncos’ season unravelled, saying it felt like there were “different groups in the team”.

“I think when we was winning games, we was all together. Like we all wanted to win it. But once, throughout the end, I think we’d just fallen apart,” Cobbo said.

“That was pretty disappointing, though, yeah.”

Asked whether they would be a united group in 2023, Cobbo was unequivocal.

“One hundred per cent, yeah,” he said.

Walters is off-contract this year and needs a finals campaign to ensure his tenure at Red Hill for 2024 and beyond.

Walters needs his emerging Brisbane young guns like Cobbo, who inked a new extension back in June last year to stay at Red Hill until at least the end of the 2025 season, to take the next step in 2023 to pilot the Broncos to their first playoffs campaign in four years.

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Originally published as Brisbane Broncos in damage control after Selwyn Cobbo’s shock Kevin Walters admission