Kotoni Staggs gives Broncos clip as Kevin Walters act emerges

The Broncos are dealing with yet another drama with strike centre Kotoni Staggs making some prickly public comments.

Kotoni Staggs has given Broncos bosses a clip over the handling of Kevin Walters’ shock exit from the Broncos.

The strike centre on Tuesday poured more fuel on the dumpster fire that has been the club’s post-season from hell when he shared his displeasure at his former mentor’s axing.

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After a reportedly damning end of season review, Walters was shown the door — with players only told of Walters’ exit after the news broke.

Captain Adam Reynolds said last month he wasn’t consulted about the decision to tap Walters on the shoulder and had sent the club legend a thankful message of support.

Staggs has now revealed he also reached out to Walters when the news broke.

“I have a good relationship with Kev, I loved playing under him,” Staggs said on 2GB.

“He helped me get the best out of my footy. I was pretty down by the way we found out actually, it was off the news, that’s not what you want to hear about your coach.

Kotoni Staggs and Kevin Walters.

“I gave him a call after it and told him thanks for the last four years I’ve had, I learned a lot off him and wished him the best for his future. It wasn’t the thing I wanted to see on the news ... that’s not the right way to go about it I guess but we’ve got to move on from there.”

The club has been widely criticised for the brutal move with club legends Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke among those to give their own club a serve.

Walters, 56, was given a one-year extension in March, which should have taken him up to the end of the 2026 season.

Instead, Michael Maguire was signed, sealed and delivered in the space of a few days.

The former NSW State of Origin coach has one of the most difficult jobs in the game in trying to pull the star-studded squad out of its tailspin.

It has been a nightmare season for the club where they failed to qualify for the finals — just 12 months after they went agonisingly close to beating Penrith in the 2023 NRL Grand Final.

Maguire’s first days on the job have been dominated by questions around the future of playmaker Ezra Mam.

Kotoni Staggs of the Broncos. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images.

The club has refused to rule out ripping up Mam’s five-year, $4 million contract after a head on car crash on Friday night.

Mam and two passengers, a mum and a four-year-old girl, in an Uber travelling in the other direction were hospitalised.

The 21-year-old returned a positive result from a roadside drug test. No charges have been laid.

On Monday night it was revealed Mam had admitted himself to a rehab facility.

Staggs, meanwhile, is celebrating his recent engagement to partner Brittany Becht.

The pair have been together since 2021 and shared their exciting news on Instagram last week, posting “for life” and a white heart emoji.

Originally published as Kotoni Staggs gives Broncos clip as Kevin Walters act emerges