NRL 2021: Broncos ready for major long-term rebuild but time not on Kevin Walters’ side

While Broncos boss Dave Donaghy will stand by Kevin Walters in a much-needed club rebuild, the coach needs some strong results short term to ensure he’s around for the long haul.

Kevin Walters and Dave Donaghy at Red Hill . Pic Annette Dew

New Broncos boss Dave Donaghy has promised Kevin Walters every bit of support in his quest to revitalise the club, but there’s one precious ingredient he cannot guarantee … time.

As an almost inevitable reaction to the fact that previous coach Anthony Seibold was given a five-year deal and lasted less than two, the Broncos hired Walters on a two-year deal.

“I’ll work with Kevvie really closely around identifying areas short and long-term that he thinks will assist and grow the program,’’ Donaghy said of Walters.

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Kevin Walters and Dave Donaghy at Red Hill . Pic Annette Dew

The duo will crunch numbers, manage the list, throw some hooks in the water for big names and hopefully make some serious headway.

But all of this will take place against a fascinating back drop of a fast ticking clock because Walters’ two years will flash by and the club would be expected to make a call on his future before this term is finished.

As well as putting down the bricks and mortar for the future, Walters needs short term results to convince Donaghy and the board he is the man to finish the renovation with some fancy interior decorating.

Donaghy, in just his third day as Broncos chief executive, went as far as he could expressing deep and sincere hope that Walters had a long stay at the club but, understandably given Walters is so early in his tenure, did not buy into any talk about a possible contract extension.

Dave Donaghy meets the Broncos players on Monday.

Coaches may insist the length of their contracts does not shape their master plan but inevitably it does.

Seibold’s half-decade deal initially gave him what he thought was the chance to grow a generation of young blue bloods from boys to men together and he was in no early rush for them to ripen.

The trouble was, given almost too much rope, he went too young too quickly and the whole operation imploded due to a lack of senior players.

Walters has a different challenge.

Kevvie needs to snare some wins.

His two-year deal means he has one of the most delicate assignments a coach can get – rebuilding on the run and planning short and long term at the same time with the same squad.

Some of his planning will be to try and grow, nurture and retain young Queensland talent.

And on the same day he might visit the other end of the spectrum and be on a plane trying to pluck veteran Adam Reynolds out of South Sydney.

It’s a difficult balance and, somehow in the midst of it, Walters has to snare a few wins to ensure his contract is extended.

Originally published as NRL 2021: Broncos ready for major long-term rebuild but time not on Kevin Walters’ side