The Brisbane legend isn’t coaching in 2025 after being let go by the NRL club.
Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters has admitted he’s found it difficult to watch and commentate on Brisbane games this season, despite wanting to see son Billy play well. Walters was sacked as Broncos coach after the 2024 season, which saw the NRL team crash from grand-finalists in 2023 to 12th on the ladder the following year.
Walters took his departure very hard, and he and wife Narelle didn’t attend the club’s end-of-season presentation night just a few weeks later. CEO Dave Donaghy declared at the time of Walters’ exit that he’d remain in an ‘ambassadorial’ role with the club, but Walters later revealed he has no formal job at Brisbane any more.
The 57-year-old has returned to commentary with Fox League in 2025, replacing Kevin Walters on the pay-TV network. Walters has called a number of Broncos games so far this year, but on Wednesday he admitted he’s found it hard to watch them play so well.
Under new coach Michael Maguire, the Broncos are off to a 4-1 start and sit second on the ladder after five rounds. Speaking on SEN radio, Walters said he’s happy to see the Broncos playing so well, but admitted he’s found it hard to watch because it’s come about due to his exit.
“Of course it’s been difficult,” he confessed. “It’s hard too with Billy there because we want him to have a great season as well. It has been a bit difficult but you’ve just got to get on with things. At the end of the day I enjoy watching them play and play well, so there’s no hard feelings there.”
Walters said he’s enjoying being out of the pressure-cooker of NRL coaching, with commentary providing a much-more relaxed environment. “It’s the next best thing for me,” he said. “It’s a lot less stressful. And coaching can be a very lonely job as well, especially after a couple of losses when things don’t seem to be working.”
Kevin Walters would bring Ezra Mam straight back in
Despite wanting son Billy to play well, Walters admitted he’d thrust Ezra Mam straight back into the first-grade team if he was still the head coach. Mam is currently serving a suspension and won’t be available until Round 10.
Ben Hunt and Adam Reynolds are thriving in the halves, with Cory Paix locking down the starting hooker role and Billy Walters coming off the bench. Walters had been used late in games by Maguire to spell Paix at hooker, and even played five-eighth last week when Reynolds went off injured.
But even though it might mean son Billy loses playing time or gets dropped, Walters said he’d be bringing Mam straight back in the halves alongside Reynolds. “I’d be giving Hunt and Reynolds some rest throughout the season to keep them fresh,” he said. “But if it was me I’d be putting Ezra straight back in and shuffling Hunt around.”
Darren Lockyer makes call on Adam Reynolds’ future amid warning about risking Broncos veteran
Reynolds limped from the field in round five with a hamstring complaint.
Brisbane Broncos director Darren Lockyer says the club is in no rush to make a call on Adam Reynolds‘ NRL future but has warned against risking him in Friday night’s home game against the Roosters. The veteran No.7 hobbled off with a hamstring complaint in the second half of Brisbane’s round five win over the Tigers, moments after scoring an epic chip-and-chase try.
However, scans cleared Reynolds of any major issues and he was named at No.7 for Michael Maguire’s side when the team lists dropped on Tuesday afternoon. But Lockyer believes it would be in the best interests of Brisbane and Reynolds to give the 34-year-old an extra week off to get his body right.
The Broncos are flying in second spot on the ladder after a 4-1 start to the season, with their only defeat so far coming away to Canberra in round two. While Trent Robinson’s Roosters are struggling for form after a 1-4 start to 2025 and will be missing rep prop Lindsay Collins, who is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks with a medial ligament injury.
Reynolds managed just 13 games for the Broncos last season, with a ruptured bicep causing him to miss a huge chunk of games for Brisbane in the middle of the season. Last week’s hamstring tightness sent a fresh scare through the Broncos camp amid suggestions the veteran No.7’s ageing body was starting to catch up with him, and Lockyer reckons it would be a wise move to give him an extra week of recovery, with a long season ahead.
“I think it’s not worth the risk, if he’s got a bit of a twinge there… that’s not showing up in the scans but if there’s a twinge mentally, I think you give him a rest,” Lockyer told Wide World of Sports’ QLDER. “He’s got history there… there is probably some mind games being played in his own mind. When he went off the team didn’t really lose too much (against the Tigers).”
In fairness to Reynolds, last year’s biceps rupture was the first major injury of his career, with the veteran playing 20-plus matches in 10 of the 13 seasons he’s completed. It’s why the 34-year-old has revealed he’s keen to play on next year, despite admitting the Broncos may have trouble squeezing him in under the salary cap. Brisbane went into 2025 thinking it would be Reynolds’ last season but his desire to play on in 2026 has thrown a spanner in the works.
“I’ll look after this year first. I’ve still got a job to do here, so that will sort itself out in the future,” said Reynolds – who is on a reported $550,000 deal this season. “I’m enjoying myself. I still feel like I have a lot to give and I still have a big job to do this year. I’m not even worried about next year at the moment. I’m worried about getting my body right for next week and doing my part for the team and trying to put us in a good position.”
Broncos in no rush to extend Adam Reynolds beyond 2025
Lockyer admits the Broncos will have to weigh up several factors before deciding whether or not they extend Reynolds beyond 2025, such as form and how his body holds up this season. But the Brisbane director says the club is in no rush to make a decision on the halfback’s future just yet.
“The CEO came out over the weekend and said we don’t want to rush anything, we’re just going to monitor it,” he said. “There’s a combination of factors – Adam’s body, if he definitely wants to go around again I guess that’s a conversation that will happen over time. His performances have been outstanding, and he’s obviously very important to the team. But it’s too early to make a call on at the moment.”
If Reynolds is ruled out of Friday night’s game, Billy Walters and Jock Madden loom as his most likely replacement, with Lockyer hailing the impact of the former off the bench for Brisbane this season. “I’m not sure which way Madge will go,” Lockyer said. “But I’ve got to give Billy Walters a wrap… he obviously would have been disappointed not to start at hooker this year, but he’s been that utility player. Every time he’s come on the field in the first six rounds he’s been very good. Defensively good, and he’s created a few things in attack.”
