NRL 2022: Broncos coach Kevin Walters’ stunning admission over rebuild
A throwaway line from Broncos coach Kevin Walters has painted foreboding outlook for his side - and there’s no relief for fans either.
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It was nothing more than a throwaway line from Broncos coach Kevin Walters but it summed up the difference between the sweet dreams and chastening reality of first grade coaching.
“I thought the magic wand would work, but it hasn’t just yet,’’ quipped Walters with the hint of his trademark angular grin on Wednesday.
That’s the thing. When you apply for the job of raising a rugby league team from the ocean floor your mind is buzzing with list changes, new coaching staff and sparky game plans. The magic potion seems as easy to whip up as a packet pancake mix.
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But the only certainty is that nothing will happen quickly.
Changing direction can be as painstaking as turning around the Queen Mary in Cabbage Tree Creek and there’s no guarantee you won’t get stuck in the mangroves and ever get to where you want to be.
Magic wands? You look up your sleeve and all that’s there is your arm - and it better be ready to heavy lift day after day month after month.
You need to believe it can happen. Walters is confident it can as he enters a litmus test game against Cronulla which might be more winnable for Brisbane than the bookmakers think it is.
“Look at Penrith, it’s been a long journey for them to get to the top again,’’ Walters said.
“They went through a couple of coaches and they ended up going back to Ivan Cleary (who was sacked in 2015 before returning four years later). Now the results are coming for Penrith ... and they will come for us.’’
So is Walters feeling the pressure?
“No. I know what we are doing here, we are heading in the right direction, I am trying not to focus on winning and losing. It’s about us getting better as a team and I feel we are doing that, but it will take a little bit longer than we anticipated, but I’m here for the long haul, not for the short-term.’’
The pluses for Walters in his time at the club are that he has managed to make the place happier than it was under Anthony Seibold, the outcry of the old boys has been silenced, he has rid the club of complex game plans and he has recruited Adam Reynolds who Phil Gould has dubbed the buy of the season.
The question marks are that nothing is coming easily. The team has the talent to conjure the occasional good game but currently lacks the fibre to muster a good month.
If you agree that the top teams are won with the best spines then the Broncos will have to defy gravity to make a mark with a spine which has the exceptional Reynolds supported by a rotating cast of five-eighths, fullbacks and hookers.
Apart from Reynolds, the combined salary of the current spine might not top $500,000 which tells us it’s pretty much a case of Reynolds or bust this year because when it comes to shopping for Nos 6, 1 and 9 you generally get what you pay for.
The Broncos are intriguingly placed in ninth place on the ladder but the Sharks game is the type of fixture which can bring out the best in them.
Unlike last week when the Broncos seemed to be weighed down with the fear of losing before shedding the shackles and beating the Bulldogs, the Broncos are rank outsiders against the Sharks so they can play with the rousing freedom of the underdog.
Matty Johns is concerned the sides in the lower half of the ladder face a supreme battle for the next five years because the top sides are keeping their players for less and the lower clubs are having to pay a lot more.
You don’t need a magic wand … but it sure would help.
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