The Broncos have split with coach Kevin Walters after a brutal review into the club’s disappointing 2024 season.
The Courier Mail reported the Broncos terminated the contract of the club legend on Thursday night, while an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation told SMH that it was a mutual decision.
Broncos later put out a statement claiming it was Walters’ decision to quit the club.
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In the statement, Walters cited the pressure of coaching in the league for his decision to walk away with two years remaining on his deal.
“Aside from playing here, it’s been the greatest thrill and honour of my life to have coached the Broncos,” he said in the statement.
“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.”
It was revealed Walters severed ties with the Broncos immediately following a club-wide review in the wake of Brisbane’s fall from the grand final to 12th in the space of one season.
In March, Walters was given a one-year contract extension until the end of 2026, but his fourth season with the club in 2024 will now be his last as head coach.
“We feel deeply for Kev,” Broncos chairman Karl Morris told the publication.
“He will always be a respected guy and a legend of the Broncos and he will always be treated that way.
“Of course I am shocked. This is a huge job and a pressure job at the Broncos.
“We have great appreciation for Kevvie’s efforts and wish him well.”
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Broncos chief Dave Donaghy said in the statement: “We owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin, for the enormous role he’s played as head coach over the past four years.
“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 players were reportedly made aware of Walters’ departure on Thursday evening.
The Courier Mail’s Peter Badel, who broke the news, said Walters could feel hard done by in the wake of the review.
“The review of Kevvie wasn’t favourable,” he told SEN. “And it’s hard to sack 15-20 players but its easier to sack a coach. He’s the fall guy”
Just two weeks ago, Walters was backed by Donaghy, who was adamant the Broncos coach would be in charge in 2025.
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Walters had 99 games in charge of the Broncos, winning 50 games for a 50.5 per cent success rate with just one finals appearance from four attempts and one grand final.
However, the Broncos were three tries up in last year’s decider and came so close to ending their title drought, making the Walters decision one of the most brutal in recent memory.
The Broncos will begin a search for a new coach immediately with the coming weeks crucial to shaping rosters for the 2025 season.
Former Cronulla and Gold Coast player Mat Rogers said that the Broncos must act quickly.
“They are going to have to move, November 1 is just around the corner and they need a coach that can go after players to fill some holes in the squad,” he said on SEN.
Badel named champion Blues coach Michael Maguire, and sacked South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou as two key contenders to replace Walters.
Speaking of Maguire, he told Fox Sports News: “He won Origin this year, he’s won a premiership at South Sydney, he has experience.
“I know he was interviewed for the Broncos job four or five years ago. So he would have to be a contender.”
He added: “You would even have to think maybe Jason Demetriou. He was an assistant coach at the Broncos under Wayne Bennett. He knows the club, he knows the DNA. He could be another option. He’s coaching PNG but doesn’t have an NRL job at the moment.”
Other potential candidates include former Eels coach Brad Arthur, interim Eels coach Trent Barrett — who was just recruited as an assistant — and Queensland Origin assistant Josh Hannay.
Queensland coach Billy Slater could be another candidate, although he’s previously indicated he doesn’t want to become a NRL coach.
Badel suggested on SEN that the club could already have a replacement lined up.
“If a club makes a decision as emphatically as this, they have to have a plan B in place,” he said.
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