NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos sack coach Kevin Walters following disappointing season

The Brisbane Broncos have parted ways with coach Kevin Walters, who has described leading the club as the “greatest thrill and honour of my life”.

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has been sacked. Picture: NRL Images

• Heartache and heroics: The Kevin Walters story

The Broncos have been rocked by a fresh crisis with coach Kevin Walters a casualty of Brisbane’s horror 2024 NRL season.

In one of the most dramatic chapters in the club’s 36-year history, the Broncos terminated Walters on Thursday night following a wide-ranging review in the wake of Brisbane’s shock free fall to finish 12th this season.

The bombshell decision came swiftly and proactively, with club legend Walters having his deal for the 2025-26 seasons torn up after being informed of his fate at Broncos headquarters on Thursday night.

This masthead broke the news that Walters’ four-season tenure as coach was over – effectively immediately – after a two-week review of Brisbane’s football operations.

Walters later confirmed he would not be at the Broncos in 2025 in a bid to break Brisbane’s 19-year premiership drought – just 12 months after he steered the club to the NRL grand final, which they lost to Penrith.

The 56-year-old is the second coach to be axed by Brisbane in four years following the demise of Anthony Seibold in 2020.

Axed Broncos coach Kevin Walters. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Aside from playing here, it’s been the greatest thrill and honour of my life to have coached the Broncos,” Walters said.

“Coaching in the NRL takes a toll, not just on the coach but also their family – it’s time for me to step away and spend some quality time with my loved ones, who have supported me all the way over the last four years.

“I’m grateful to the club for providing me with the opportunity to be head coach and we have come a long way from the wooden spoon to last year’s run to the grand final.

“I wish the team and the club all the best.”

Broncos bosses will conduct an immediate search for Walters’ coaching successor to lead Brisbane into a new era in the 2025 pre-season starting in November as the club chases its first premiership since 2006.

The dismissal of Walters was a stunning development, triggered by a club-wide review conducted by former New Zealand rugby union official Michael Collins, who interviewed players and coaching staff.

Walters leaves as a club legend. Picture: Liam Kidston

In a News Corp poll on Thursday night, 51 per cent of votes from more than 3000 respondents believed the Broncos made the right call _ underscoring the complexity of the Walters sacking.

In March, Walters had been given a one-year contract extension until the end of 2026 after guiding the Broncos to a fairytale 2023 grand-final appearance.

But after making the finals just once in four seasons, the Broncos board acted decisively and pulled the trigger on Walters, who was informed of his termination.

Rated genuine premiership contenders this season, Brisbane endured a nightmare 2024 campaign, missing the finals after a string of injuries to key players including Reece Walsh, Adam Reynolds, Payne Haas and Ezra Mam.

The decision will cut deep to Brisbane’s core because Walters is a club legend, having won five premierships during a decorated career that saw him play 241 first-grade games for his beloved Broncos.

Just two weeks ago, Walters had the backing of Brisbane chief executive Dave Donaghy, who was adamant the Broncos coach would be in charge and ready to make amends in 2025.

Now, the Kev-olution is over.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin for the enormous role he’s played as head coach over the past four years,” Donaghy said.

“Kevin put his heart and soul into the club during his time as coach.

“He is one of the most passionate people you will ever meet when it comes to the Broncos and that helped lift us out of a really difficult time.

“While we will miss Kev and his infectious personality on a daily basis, we certainly don’t want one of the Broncos favourite sons not to stay involved with our great club.”

The Broncos were on their knees when Walters took over from Seibold in 2021 following a wooden-spoon finish and he vowed to bring unity to Red Hill.

After finishes of 14th and ninth in his first two seasons in charge, Walters took the Broncos to the NRL decider last year and the club appeared on track to win their first premiership since 2006.

But after a disastrous 2024 campaign, the Broncos ran out of patience with Walters, who had 99 games in charge, winning 50 games for a 50.5 per cent success rate.

Walters hoped to reach the century in 2025, but he was left to rue the brutal, cutthroat world of coaching at a Broncos club that demands annual excellence.

Originally published as NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos sack coach Kevin Walters following disappointing season