Brisbane Broncos, Kevin Walters, Corey Parker, Selwyn Cobber, defence, finals, Adam Reynolds, coaches under pressure, Anthony Griffin, Justin Holbrook, Adam O’Brien
Broncos great Corey Parker believes he saw the club’s collapse coming last season and weighed in on winger Selwyn’s Cobbo’s now infamous sledging of coach Kevin Walters.
Brisbane sat comfortably in fourth place after round 19 before inexplicably losing five of their last six games to miss out on finals.
That caused an uproar among the Broncos faithful, but Parker said the warning signs were there and stressed it needed to be fixed this summer.
Check out the new look NRL Pre-Season exclusive to Fox League available on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“The reality for the Broncos is and whatever your opinion of Kev is or not – and there’s been a lot of talk about it – but priority number one for the Broncos has to be defence,” Parker told foxsports.com.au.
“Now we all know they can score and they’ve shown that, but that’s only true so many times throughout the season.
“You have to score, but the Broncos definitely lack an underbelly of resilience. They were much better at various stages last year, so much so that they sat fourth with six weeks to go, but they did not play in the final.
“It highlights the massive deficiency in and around what they did.
Kevin Walters at Broncos training in January. Photo: Steve PohlnerSource: News Corp Australia
MORE NRL NEWS
‘LINE NRL CHESS’: The ‘wild’ 2022 failure Robbo’s Roosters run
‘Simply NOT TRUE’: NRL boss hits back in escalating CBA war for player
OFF-SEASON CENTRAL: Ricky backs Raiders recruit for No.9 role
‘ME BEING A BIT IMMATURE’: Manly star reveals Origin plan amid eligibility debate
“I’m a firm believer that you get what you deserve and rugby league and while the Broncos were terrific at different stages, I saw signs that were probably eight or nine weeks from where the Broncos were and as it turned out, they didn’t make finals.
“They will use it as motivation and it will sting, but again it comes back to defense.
“When I first watched the Broncos this year, I want to see a change. I want to see change in their movement, I want to see a change in their line.
“I want to see evidence that suggests they’re really working hard as opposed to just reading that they’re working really hard in the offseason as far as the offense is concerned.”
The late-season implosion put Walters under tremendous pressure, which only got worse when Cobbo said on a podcast “he’s a good guy, but I don’t think he’s a good coach.
Selwyn Cobbo (inset) apologized to Broncos coach Kevin Walters (main). Source: Provided
MORE NRL NEWS
‘OUT OF THE GAME FOREVER’: The brutal truth behind stars’ stance against NRL
‘200 PASSES EVERY DAY’: Inside the Tigers’ ‘attacking’ revolution… and Benji factor
‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS’: Questions about Dragons’ top 30 arise as Griffin takes a stand
‘SAD WHEN PEOPLE DOUBT HIM’: Jake’s impassioned Turbo defense amid critics
The 20-year-old’s comments marked the second time in a matter of months that a Bronco has taken aim at Walters’ coaching style. Tyson Gamble has named fullback Adam Reynolds as the “mastermind” of Brisbane’s attack and to whom players turn for advice.
“Selwyn’s not the first person to come out and say that, which is going to be very frustrating for the coach because he’s there at the moment,” Parker said.
“Having said that, in Kevvie’s defence, how many coaches has Selwyn Cobbo top grade? One.
“It’s disruptive and it’s not what you want, but whether he’s the best coach or not is not as relevant as having the playing squad in the side.
“(Coaching ability) is obviously relevant, but being the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos is without a doubt very different to any other team.
“The Broncos and Kevvie Walters will certainly be under enormous pressure in the first six rounds to come up with a lot of change from what we saw last year.
Brooks hopes to reunite with Moses | 02:36
MORE NRL NEWS
‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’: Legend takes aim at Bulldogs’ six-man captaincy model
LINK: Garrick was a solution to Manly’s No.1 dilemma. He has another plan
OFF-SEASON CENTRAL: Sheens wins basketball to convert to pressure for Tigers’ No.1
‘ULTIMATE’: Manly haven’t won a title since DCE’s rookie year. A new era can deliver
“They have the Panthers to start with in round one and then the Cowboys, so they will definitely know where they are after the first few rounds against the team that won the competition and the team that finished third.”
Parker warned Walters is not the only coach who will be under pressure in the opening rounds of 2023.
“Kevin Walters, Anthony Griffin, Justin Holbrook, Adam O’Brien. The new coach of the Warriors is good, so yeah, it’s probably just those guys,” he said.
“There’s more than one way to coach, right. There is coaching to get the team better and now there is coaching for success.
“It’s interesting to see how it unfolds, how it plays out. But what people don’t have, especially fans and board members, is they don’t have time, they want instant success, which you just can’t get.
“So it will be interesting to see how those four, five individuals go with regards to the early stage of the season.”
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
