NRL News: How the Ezra Mam fallout revealed a glaring detail surrounding Brisbane’s sacking of Kevin Walters

OPINION

Brisbane Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy might as well kick out Kevin Walters while he was depressed after admitting to “culture” and “leadership” problems at NRL club this week, after Ezra Ma’am, drama. The Broncos are dealing with the aftermath of a car crash involving the 21-year-old playmaker, who Queensland police say was driving without a license and tested positive for drugs after a collision with an Uber driver in Brisbane last Friday.

Police have not yet laid charges and will await the results of a second blood drug test before determining the fate Mom who went to rehab on Monday. But there is speculation in the NRL world that the five-eighths star’s $4 million contract could be torn up if he is found guilty of the charges against him.

Broncos CEO Donaghy reviewed the situation Monday and said the mom was remorseful and was particularly concerned about the passengers in the other car, amid reports 4-year-old Uber ride suffers hip fracture. The Broncos boss noted they would wait for police to deal with Mam before deciding what action the club would take, but described it as a “coming of age” moment for the wider playing group.

But Donaghy’s admission that the situation highlights wider problems at the club goes some way to explaining their shock decision to sack former coach Walters and replace him with notorious disciplinarian Michael Maguire. “We have been very intentional about investing in our leadership and our culture within the football program. We’ve been disappointed all year with where we are,” the Broncos CEO said on radio in Brisbane on Monday.

“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I do believe we have some cultural problems. Part of this is a return to leadership. This is an area where I have emphasized that we need to invest. We know it will be possible, we won’t be able to fix it overnight, but we will certainly be very careful in how we design it.”

Kevin Walters sacked due to falling standards at Broncos

These comments suggest that Broncos management had little faith in Kevvie’s ability to crack the whip and turn around an underperforming team. But in Maguire the club have signed more of an old-school coach, known for his no-nonsense approach to hard work, attitude and dedication, who is not afraid to bring hard truths to a playing group often accused of being too big for its own boots.

Donaghy’s eye-opening remarks are not the first time the Broncos’ culture and leadership have come under fire in 2024, with a pre-season row between rep star Patrick Carrigan and captain Adam Reynolds foreshadowing trouble back in February. There were some unflattering reviews question the Broncos’ training standards during a disastrous run of form mid-season, when AAP reporter Joel Gould, who regularly attends training sessions with the Broncos, said teammates were not blaming each other for the plethora of errors he witnessed.

It seemed clear that the Broncos lacked a strong leader to live up to those standards, and there is a sense that Walters was too lenient with his big stars and left the situation unresolved for too long. Kevvie had accumulated a large bank loan for masterminding Brisbane’s run to last year’s grand final, but by the end of the 2024 season – and their failure to qualify for the finals – that credit had completely dried up.

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Brisbane’s fall in 2024 was by no means Walters’ fault. The playing group and particularly the senior members of the squad must take on more responsibility after the Broncos had one of the worst defensive and scoring records of any NRL team last season. But ultimately, a coach’s job is to address the team’s weaknesses and find solutions, as the best NRL coaches such as Craig Bellamy and Ivan Cleary do. Unfortunately for Walters, he failed in this regard.