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Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters has opened up in detail on his sacking from Brisbane last year and how he vows to coach again in the NRL.
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Walters, who almost led the Broncos to a premiership in 2023, was sacked on September 26, not even 12 months after that heartbreaking defeat to Penrith.
Speaking on his new podcast, Inside Ball, he hosts with journalist Ben Dobbin, Walters believed he was the man to lead the Broncos going forward, admitting the sacking caught him off guard.
“I was shocked,” Walters said.
“We were a long way down the track, planning for 2025. We’d hired two assistants, made some changes where we needed to make some changes, so we’re already forward-planning for the season of 2025 and then I guess I accelerated things.
“You know, I rang my manager and sort of said, ‘I’ve got a bad feeling in my stomach that this isn’t quite right’.
“He made a phone call and we went in and they made a decision to finish up with me. I’ve been sacked, basically.
“That’s a decision that they made, and I’ve accepted that.”
Walters didn’t address his replacement, Michael Maguire, by name during the podcast.
“They made a decision that the new coach coming in was the right one and that, as the head coach there, I could not take the Broncos to where they wanna get to.”
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Walters, who will commentate games for Fox League in 2025, said it “hurt” facing the media on the day following his firing but is proud of what he achieved as Broncos coach.
“I wanted to stand up in front of everyone and let them know that I was leaving,” he said.
“That’s why I did it. I did it because I want to own what happened and accept responsibility that I was moving on.
“When I got into the building, yeah I had to find my own shirt to get into the building and get a photo, compared to where they are now.
“We missed the finals last year by two wins which is not a lot. But also we should have done better and I accept that full responsibility.
“But for it to pan out the way it did, considering when I walked into the building (the Broncos had finished last), I went to a grand final in 2023 … I’m comfortable with what I did at the Broncos in my time there.”
Walters is a Broncos legend, having won five premierships there as a player.
As a head coach in the NRL, he only has the Broncos on his CV, but Walters is more than willing to coach elsewhere.
“I’m gonna coach again,” Walters declared.
“We will see what happens in the next 12 to 24 months. But coaching is my passion. I love working in the NRL.
“’ve got a lot of belief in myself and I get great comfort and confidence out of what happened at the Broncos. We got to a grand final.”
