Kevin Walters

For those of a similar name, see Kevin Waters (disambiguation).

Kevin Walters

Personal information
Full name	Kevin David Walters
Born	(1967-10-20) 20 October 1967 (age 57) Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	83 kg (13 st 1 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Halfback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1986 Ipswich Jets 4 1 0 0 4 1987–89 Canberra Raiders 50 9 0 0 36 1990–00 Brisbane Broncos 237 63 0 0 252 2001 Warrington Wolves 4 1 0 0 4 2001 Brisbane Broncos 4 2 0 0 8 Total 299 76 0 0 304 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1989–99 Queensland 20 3 0 0 12 1990–98 Australia 11 1 0 0 4 1997 Queensland (SL) 3 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2009–10 Catalans Dragons 63 25 0 38 40 2021–24 Brisbane Broncos 99 50 0 49 51 Total 162 75 0 87 46 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2016–19 Queensland 12 6 0 6 50
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] As of 5 September 2024

Kevin David Walters (born 20 October 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league coach and former player, who was the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL) from 2021-2024.

Walters previously coached Queensland in the State of Origin series, ^[5] and the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. He has also commentated for Fox League in Australia.

As a first-grade player for the Canberra Raiders and the Brisbane Broncos clubs, Walters was positioned at five-eighth or halfback in squads that cumulatively won six premiership titles. He played for the Warrington Wolves in the British Super League, and the Ipswich Jets in the Brisbane Rugby League Premiership. Mostly in the 1990s, Walters represented Australia and Queensland.

Early life

Walters was born in Rockhampton, Queensland ^[6] in 1967 to parents Kevin (died 2010) ^[7] and Sandra (died 2013), ^[8] who had a total of five children, all male: Brett, Steve, Andrew, Kevin and his twin Kerrod. ^[9]

Walters attended Bremer State High School until gaining a sporting scholarship ^[10] for Years 11 and 12 at Ipswich Grammar School, ^[11] where he and his twin became school prefects. ^[12] Walters grew up playing football with his brothers, in particular Steve and Kerrod, as well as Allan Langer. This combination of players was later referred to as "The Ipswich Connection". ^[13]

Playing career

From 1983 to 1984, Walters and three of his brothers (Brett, Steve and Kerrod) played for the Booval Swifts club before joining the Ipswich Jets in the Brisbane Rugby League Premiership competition in 1986. The next year, Walters followed Steve to the Canberra Raiders and the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership competition and remained until transferring to the Brisbane Broncos in 1990.

According to the Broncos, Kevin Walters holds the record for most finals' appearances ^[14] and has played six times in premiership-winning teams; one with the Canberra Raiders (1989) and five with the Brisbane Broncos (1992, 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2000). ^[6]

Canberra Raiders (1987–1989)

In the 1987 NSWRL season, Walters was a reserve^{[ citation needed ]} in the Canberra Raiders' first grand final, which they lost 8–18 to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Notwithstanding, he was named the Raiders' Rookie of the Year.^{[ citation needed ]} In 1989, Walters played from the bench for Canberra in their 19–14 NSWRL Grand Final win against the Balmain Tigers at the Sydney Football Stadium.^{[ citation needed ]}

Separately, Walters made his debut for the Queensland Maroons in the 1989 State of Origin series as a reserve in game 3 at Lang Park in Brisbane.

Brisbane Broncos (1990–2001)

Walters signed with the Brisbane Broncos in 1990 and played again alongside his twin brother. Head coach Wayne Bennett positioned Walters at five-eighth. Walters won the Broncos' 1990 Player of the Year award.^{[ citation needed ]} At representative level, Walters played from the reserve bench for Queensland in all six games of the 1990 and the 1991 State of Origin series. He gained selection for the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, but only played in tour matches against local sides rather than in Test matches. On the 1991 Kangaroo tour of Papua New Guinea, Walters made his test match debut; he and Kerrod became the first twin brothers to play rugby league for Australia.^{[ citation needed ]}

Walters played in the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand that saw Australia retain The Ashes. Later that year, he was part of the Brisbane roster that won the 1992 Grand Final 28–8 against the St George Dragons at Sydney Football Stadium. Steve, Kevin and Kerrod Walters had already become the first trio of brothers to play for Queensland and Australia in 1992, ^[15] and another milestone was achieved when all three were selected to tour in England with the Australian Rugby League World Cup squad. Australia won the final 10–6. Furthermore, Walters played in Brisbane's 1992 World Club Challenge win over the Wigan Warriors at Central Park in England. In 1993, he was part of Brisbane's 14–6 grand final victory over the St George Dragons at ANZ Stadium, Brisbane.

During the 1994 NSWRL season, Walters played at five-eighth for defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted and lost the 1994 World Club Challenge 14–20 to British champions Wigan Warriors at ANZ Stadium. At the end of the season, Walters went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour.

Walters also played in the 1997 Super League Grand Final victory for Brisbane. Although not a consistent player for the Maroons, Walters was part of the winning 1998 State of Origin team, dummying his way over for a try in the decider. ^[16] That year, he played at five-eighth in the 1998 NRL grand final and won another premiership with the Broncos. When Allan Langer retired in 1999, Walters became the Brisbane Broncos' team captain. In the second match of the 1999 State of Origin series, he also captained Queensland. In the Broncos' 2000 NRL grand final 14–6 win against the Sydney Roosters at Stadium Australia, Walters captained at halfback, claiming one more premiership ring with the club before moving to England at the request of Allan Langer. ^[17]

In 2001, Walters played four games for the Warrington Wolves in the English Super League. However, he and his family preferred to be in Australia, so Walters returned to the Brisbane Broncos, played five games and finished his playing career in the 2001 NRL season. ^[18] In 2003, Walters was one of the first four former players inducted into the Broncos official Hall of Fame. ^[19] In 2007, Walters was included in a club list of their best twenty best players to date. ^[20]

Coaching career

Following retirement as a player, Walters started his coaching career with the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the Queensland Cup regional competition as head coach (2001–2003), then the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL as assistant coach (2003–2005, 2015, 2018) and the Queensland Maroons in the State of Origin series as assistant coach (2006–2008, 2014–2015). Each of Walters' stints (2003–2005, 2015, 2018) as an assistant coach at Brisbane was under head coach Wayne Bennett. At the end of the 2005 season, after five successive years without a grand final appearance, Bennett decided to clean-out the coaching staff and removed long-time allies such as Walters, Gary Belcher and Glenn Lazarus. ^[21] Walters then became head coach of the Ipswich Jets (2007–2008) in the Queensland Cup competition before securing a coaching contract in the English Super League with the France-based Catalans Dragons.

Catalans Dragons (2009–2010)

In 2009, Walters was appointed as the head coach of the Catalans Dragons. ^{[22] [23]} The team reached the qualifying semi-final for the Super League Grand Final and finished eighth in the competition after sixteen wins and sixteen losses during the Catalans Dragons 2009 season. In the 2010 season, the Dragons finished fourteenth (last) after six wins and twenty-one losses.

Returning to Australia, Walters was going to coach the Easts Tigers in the Queensland Cup in 2011, but instead joined the Melbourne Storm as an NRL assistant coach ^[24] under Craig Bellamy, where he remained until the end of the 2013 NRL season. After Melbourne, Walters was appointed in 2014 as the halves' coach for the Newcastle Knights under Wayne Bennett.

Queensland Maroons (2016–2019)

In December 2015, Walters was appointed as head coach of the Queensland State of Origin team after Mal Meninga had to resign on becoming the Australian national rugby league team coach. ^[5] In both 2016 and 2017, the Maroons achieved a 2–1 series victory over New South Wales. In the 2018 series, New South Wales won 2–1. In the 2019 State of Origin series, Queensland won the first game but suffered a 38–6 loss at Optus Stadium in the second game. In game 3, Queensland lost in the final twenty seconds after New South Wales scored a length of the field try. ^{[25] [26] [27] [28]} In September 2020, Walters resigned as the Maroons' head coach after being appointed head coach of the Brisbane Broncos. ^{[29] [30]}

Brisbane Broncos (2021–2024)

In the 2021 NRL season, Walters made his debut as an NRL head coach. His first victory as such was in round 3 when the Brisbane Broncos defeated the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24–0 at Suncorp Stadium. ^[31] By the end of 2021, Brisbane had won a total of seven matches and lost seventeen. They did not qualify for the finals and finished fourteenth on the NRL ladder. In 2022, former South Sydney Rabbitohs captain and prolific football-kicker Adam Reynolds joined Brisbane as halfback and team captain. They won a total of thirteen matches and lost eleven, but missed out on the finals again, finishing ninth.

Brisbane started 2023 with five consecutive wins, including the Battle for Brisbane 18–12 victory on 24 March at Suncorp Stadium against the Dolphins – coached by Walters' former mentor Wayne Bennett – in their inaugural NRL season. Brisbane extended Walters' contract until the end of the 2025 season. ^[32] At the end of round 10, Brisbane was on top of the 2023 league ladder; however, that changed the following week. By round 25, Brisbane was back in first position and needed to defeat the Melbourne Storm to secure the minor premiership, but a decision to rest eleven of thirteen regular players that match contributed significantly to Brisbane finishing second (two weeks later) on the 2023 ladder after the Penrith Panthers, the minor and major premiers from 2022. Nevertheless, Brisbane went on to qualify for their first grand final in eight years. In the 2023 NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium against the Penrith Panthers, Brisbane trailed 6–8 at half-time. In the second half, they scored three quick tries to lead 24–8. However, during the last twenty minutes, Brisbane suffered the worst collapse in NRL Grand Final history, losing 26–24. ^{[33] [34]}

Under Walters in the 2024 NRL season, Brisbane were unable to back up their feats from 2023 with the club finishing twelfth on the table. Walters' position as Brisbane head coach came under heavy scrutiny by the media. ^[35] The club conducted an internal review after the end of the regular season, and Walters was terminated from his coaching position on 26 September 2024.

Sporting positions
Preceded by Mick Potter 2007–2008	Coach Catalans Dragons 2009–2010	Succeeded by Trent Robinson 2011–2012
Preceded by Mal Meninga 2006–2015	Coach Queensland rugby league team 2016–2019	Succeeded by Wayne Bennett 2020
Preceded by Peter Gentle (interim) 2020	Coach Brisbane Broncos 2021–2024	Succeeded by Michael Maguire

Personal life

Walters is a carpenter by trade, completing his apprenticeship with MBA Group Training in Canberra. ^[36] He was awarded Apprentice of the Year in 1988.^{[ citation needed ]} Walters married long-term partner Narelle Bristow in 2012 and together they have two children, Harry (born 2003) and Ava (born 2005). ^[37] In total, Walters has five children from two marriages; all of whom play rugby league. ^[38]

In January 1991, Walters married Kim Alison Facer and together had three children: Jack, Billy (a qualified carpenter) ^[39] and Jett. ^[38] Kim died from breast cancer in 1998. With Dr Cherrell Hirst, the then director of the Wesley Breast Clinic, Walters launched The Wesley Hospital Kim Walters Choices Program – a free community service that offers support to people diagnosed with cancer – in Brisbane. ^[40] In 2017, the program's name changed to The Wesley Hospital Choices Cancer Support Centre with Walters continuing as Patron. ^[40]

Recognition

• 2000: Australian Sports Medal for contributions to Australia's international standing in rugby league.

References

1. "Statistics at yesterdayshero.com.au". yesterdayshero.com.au. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
2. "Statistics at qrl.com.au". qrl.com.au. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
3. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
4. "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
5. Morton, Jim (28 December 2015). "Walters gets Qld Origin job". NRL.com. AAP. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
6. Mitchell Dale. "Legend Q&A". Rugby League Week (16 April 2008). Sydney, NSW: PBLMedia: 28–29.
7. Jackson, Zane (2 August 2010). "Kevin Walters Snr remembered". couriermail. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
8. Egan, Geoff (16 April 2013). "Walters brothers farewell mum Sandra". Brisbane Times.
9. "Queensland's first family: The Walters clan". National Rugby League. 24 November 2018.
10. "The origin of Kevin Walters". Courier Mail. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
11. Levinge, Carol. "Kevin Walters (Class of 1984)". IGS OBA.
12. "Kerrod Walters to ‘play ball’ with Glenn Lazarus". couriermail. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
13. "NRL Family Stories: The Walters clan". National Rugby League. 17 July 2020.
14. "Kevin Walters". Brisbane Broncos. 3 February 2024.
15. "NRL Family Stories: The Walters clan". 17 July 2020.
16. Harms, John (2005). The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 195. ISBN   9780702235368.
17. Whitiker, Alan – History of Rugby League Clubs Published 2004
18. Book – Whiticker, Alan – The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players (Broncos)
19. "Broncos Hall of Fame". broncos.com.au. Brisbane Broncos. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
20. Dekroo, Karl (9 May 2007). "Still the king". The Courier-Mail. Australia: Queensland Newspapers. Archived from the original on 12 May 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
21. Dick, Barry (1 October 2006). "Special day for Benny". The Courier-Mail. Queensland Newspapers. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
22. "Catalans move to appoint Walters". BBC. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
23. "Walters may join Dragons". Sportinglife. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
24. "Walters tackles new era:Assistant coach back in NRL saddle with Storm". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 28 February 2011. p. 29.
25. Connolly, Paul (22 June 2016). "Queensland Maroons win State of Origin game 2 and 2016 series – as it happened". The Guardian.
26. "NSW greats question Kevin Walters' behaviour after Blues ban". Daily Telegraph.
27. "All the reaction from Origin III as NSW breaks Queensland's heart". news.com.au.
28. "F***ing p***ed off': Kevin Walters' epic blow-up after State of Origin disaster". 7news.com.au. 23 June 2019.
29. "Broncos get their man as Kevvie Walters signs and targets coaching dream team". Fox Sports. 30 September 2020.
30. "Maroons looking for new State of Origin coach as Kevin Walters signs for Broncos". TheGuardian.com . 30 September 2020.
31. "Parramatta unbeaten in NRL after 28–4 win over Cronulla as Brisbane and Warriors enjoy victories". ABC News. 27 March 2021.
32. Pryde, Scott (6 April 2023). "Broncos make call on Kevin Walters' future as contract expiry looms". Zero Tackle.
33. "Late Cleary magic leads stunning Panthers comeback over Broncos to win third straight NRL premiership". ABC News. October 2023.
34. Howcroft, Jonathan (October 2023). "NRL grand final 2023: Penrith Panthers defeat Brisbane Broncos – as it happened". The Guardian.
35. "'Really can't hide': Queensland superstars back under-siege Walters amid Broncos review". www.foxsports.com.au.
36. Warner, Madeleine (30 September 2015). "What it means to be a real world Rugby League WAG!".
37. "Kevin Walters' wife drops vicious C-bomb on Broncos". 6 February 2019.
38. "In the spotlight: Ava Walters". 8 February 2023.
39. Ward, Roy (8 March 2018). ""Late Bloomer" Billy Walters out to make his mark at Melbourne Storm". The Sydney Morning Herald.
40. "Our history". www.wesley.com.au.

Further reading

• Walters, Kevin (1999). Brave Hearts. Ironbark. ISBN   978-0-330-36182-8.

External links

• Brisbane Broncos profile
• Kevin Walters at the Former Origin Greats website.