Walters’ furious reaction to ‘horrendous’ Broncos review

It’s been revealed axed Broncos coach Kevin Walters unleashed on staff in a meeting after being delivered the findings of an end of season review.

Coach Kevin Walters, Brisbane Broncos training, Red Hill. Picture: Liam Kidston

Two days after the Broncos dropped a bombshell by axing coach Kevin Walters, it’s been revealed the club legend unleashed on staff in a meeting after being delivered the findings of an end of season review.

That is according to News Corp, who report Walters was completely blindsided by the review which was described by an anonymous source as “horrendous.”

It comes amid reports that Broncos players were called into a meeting on Saturday morning to be told that the club has its sights set on Michael Maguire to replace Walters.

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Walters was summoned to a meeting on Thursday evening and was joined by his football support staff, high performance staff and the Broncos’ welfare officer among other employees.

Also in the meeting were CEO Dave Donaghy and Michael Collins — former New Zealand Rugby executive and current director of sport at Bond University — who conducted the independent review of the Broncos’ fall from a grand final to 12th place in a year.

News Corp reports Collins relayed some of the feedback from the review, which included some alarming opinions of anonymous Broncos players.

The standards and leadership within the football department were questioned, while Walters reportedly received criticism for his communication style, inconsistent messaging and lack of organisation.

News Corp revealed one issue in particular where a member of the football staff would spend hours every week cutting up vision from the previous game for video review only for it to not be used.

After hearing this criticism, Donaghy and Collins left the room, while Walters reportedly went berserk at the staff that remained in the meeting and questioned their loyalty.

The staff were said to be left in shock after seeing Walters in that state given his usual upbeat nature and some believed his behaviour was unprofessional.

Broncos management reportedly overheard the outburst.

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Walters then met with said management where he learned his fate.

The scenes at Red Hill were a far cry from 24 hours earlier when Walters was spotted at a Chinese restaurant by News Corp reporter Pete Badel.

Badel reports Walters did not look like a man who was about to get axed. He was said to be in a good mood and cracking jokes while having dinner with his new assistants Trent Barrett and Ben Te’o.

The Broncos are now on the hunt for a new coach to immediately replace Walters, who was contracted until 2026 until his sensational sacking.

News Corp reports the Broncos’ full-time squad joined an online meeting on Saturday morning where they were informed that Maguire was a candidate for the job.

Maguire is currently under contract as the Blues State of Origin coach and reportedly has not spoken to the NSW Rugby League yet about an early release.

Originally published as Walters’ furious reaction to ‘horrendous’ Broncos review