Weekend Read: The Broncos greatest error in sad coach saga isn’t Kevin Walters

Coaching is a cutthroat profession and only a lucky few avoid the sharp end of the knife. Even so, it was hard not to feel a tinge of sadness for Kevin Walters over his sacking, writes BRENT READ.

It was hard not to feel a tinge of sadness for Kevin Walters on Thursday night as news emerged of his departure from the Brisbane Broncos.

Walters is a good man and a favourite son, but results haven’t been good enough over his four-year tenure, save for one grand final appearance.

The Broncos are a big club with big expectations.

They should start every year with realistic aspirations of winning a premiership, but 2024 was a bitter disappointment and Walters has paid a steep price following a sweeping review of the club.

Coaching is a cutthroat profession and only a lucky few avoid the sharp end of the knife.

Sacked coach Kevin Walters speaks to the media on Friday. Picture: Getty

Even the great ones are only a poor season or two from being under the pump.

Which makes the efforts of the four coaches on show this weekend even more remarkable. Craig Bellamy, Trent Robinson and Ivan Cleary have won nine premierships between them and there is every chance one of them will make it a 10th this year.

They have maintained a remarkable level of consistency and drive in a business which chews you up and spits you out. The fourth – Cronulla boss Craig Fitzgibbon – is yet to win a title but you sense it is only a matter of time.

He may have done the best coaching job of anyone this year given the squad at his disposal.

Cronulla Sharks’ Craig Fitzgibbon is destined to win a premiership. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Throw Wayne Bennett in the mix and they are arguably the five best coaches in the NRL, although Ricky Stuart, Shane Flanagan and a fast-emerging Cameron Ciraldo may have a thing or two to say about that.

The point is, Bellamy, Robinson and Cleary are in the sweet spots in their careers.

They have won enough to secure their future, been around long enough to know what works, and are powerful enough to demand the unequivocal backing of their club.

It is hard to remember a time when Bellamy or Robinson have been under any pressure.

Ivan Cleary was criticised by some for his return to the Panthers – but the results speak for themselves. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Likewise Cleary on his return to the Panthers – it didn’t start overly well but it has become a coaching masterclass over the past five seasons, culminating in a series of grand final wins that have prompted a debate in recent days about whether he is now the best coach in the game.

It is a valid and worthy argument, although Bennett’s seven titles and Bellamy’s sustained greatness over two decades give them the edge in many eyes, not least these.

If anything, Bellamy is now giving Bennett a shake in debate over the greatest of all time. He has won three premierships and had a couple of others stripped over the salary cap scandal.

He has maintained the rage, regenerating and rebuilding while keeping his club at the top of the game. His work ethic is a thing of legend and it seeps into his playing ranks. His passion and drive are relentless and contagious.

Art by Boo Bailey.

Perhaps the Broncos’ greatest failing has been their inability to convince Bellamy to return to the club where he cut his teeth.

He has always resisted their overtures and the time has now passed.

Robinson has spent more than a decade at the Sydney Roosters and carved out a reputation as one of the game’s most intelligent and thoughtful coaches.

The Roosters are rarely out of the fight and despite the club’s reputation for occasionally having a trigger finger, you get the sense they would sign him to a lifetime deal if they could.

Cleary is on a path to greatness, if he isn’t there already. Win a fourth premiership on the trot and he will separate himself from Bellamy and Robinson.

That would sure be something for a bloke who copped his share of flak – from this columnist included – when he walked out on the Wests Tigers to coach his son, Nathan, at Penrith.

Hindsight suggests he made the right decision, although long-suffering Tigers fans would no doubt argue the point.

The point is that we all live and die by our choices. Cleary made a good one and he has become one of the greatest coaches in the game’s history as a result.

The Broncos made a choice this week as well as they severed ties with a coach who has been part of the club’s history. Only time will tell whether they got it right as well.

Walters had four seasons at Brisbane – and made the finals on just one occasion. Picture: Liam Kidston

THE KAYLN PONGA CONUNDRUM

Kalyn Ponga sent rugby league into a spin this week with a decision that infuriated rugby league powerbrokers, but no doubt further endeared him to Newcastle fans.

His decision to withdraw from Kangaroos contention – a decision he changed late on Friday after pressure from head office – was very much about winning a premierships with the Knights, something he made clear in a statement that he issued via the club.

Ponga is their highest-paid player and he wants to give back to the city that has given him so much. He thinks the best way to do that is to make sure he hits the ground running next year because time is running out.

Ponga is 26 and his career has gone in a flash. He has won the Dally M medal, played for Queensland and pulled on the green and gold in the now-defunct 9s tournament.

Kalyn Ponga put rugby league in a spin this week. Picture: Getty

He has been brilliant for the Knights – Newcastle legend Andrew Johns recently claimed he was the best recruit in the club’s history – but not brilliant enough to help the club to a title.

He wants that to change and he clearly believes the best way to make that happen is to devote his pre-season to being in the best shape for Newcastle.

If that was to come at the expense of an Australian jersey, it was a sacrifice Ponga was willing to make. No doubt, it was a decision he gave serious thought.

There is an unfair misconception about Ponga that he is flighty and too easily influenced by his father Andre. No doubt, Kalyn deeply respects his father’s opinion and takes it on board.

Life has thrown him and his family some painful and tragic curveballs. Ponga plays for them as much as himself. But he is also very much his own man.

Ponga’s intention was to push things all in for the Knights. Picture: Getty

He is the bloke with his hand on the tiller when it comes to his career and he recognises that his legacy may be defined by whether he can deliver Newcastle a title.

The Kalyn I know loathes talking about himself. I have spoken to him on a handful of occasions and I’m not sure I have worked him out yet. He doesn’t trust easily and he prefers to shun the spotlight.

Veer the conversation to his teammates or the club and he is more effusive. Along with many others, I would love to see him in an Australian jersey. So would the Knights but they recognise their priority is to support their player.

They have done the same with Bradman Best, backing his desire to play for Australia when many would argue he would be better served devoting his off-season to working on his troublesome hamstrings.

Best wants to wear the green and gold and the Knights have no desire to stand in his way. Ponga initially went the other way before changing his mind, which is ultimately his choice.

He will need to live the repercussions of his decision. If it helps deliver the Knights a premiership, I reckon he will sleep easily at night.

Originally published as Weekend Read: The Broncos greatest error in sad coach saga isn’t Kevin Walters