Broncos legend and board member Darren Lockyer has shut down suggestions coach Kevin Walters doesn’t have the support of some of the club’s powerbrokers.
Nine’s Danny Weidler revealed in his The Sydney Morning Herald column on Sunday, and reiterated on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday, that Walters is heading for trouble at Red Hill.
Weidler reported that Walters’ job would come under the spotlight if the Broncos, who currently sit in ninth spot on the ladder, don’t start to show signs of significant improvement as they attempt to bounce back from consecutive seasons without finals football.
READ MORE: NRL reveals referee’s mistake in Tupou high-tackle farce
READ MORE: Dolphins lock in Cowboys forward for 2023
READ MORE: Warriors ‘gave up’ in flogging, says coach
“He’s probably doing enough at the moment but there are some people in and around the edges of the Broncos and of Kevin Walters’ life that aren’t necessarily supporting him the way that they should,” Weidler said on 100% Footy.
“And it’s a story that really could develop should Kevin Walters and the Broncos go bad.”
Responding to that report, Lockyer denied there was any friction between Walters and the club’s head office.
“The board’s behind Kevvie,” Lockyer told Wide World of Sports’ QLDER.
“He came in last year and the morale was down, just with where the club was at. With respect to (Anthony) Seibold, he tried his hardest, but in the end, it didn’t work.
“Where the club was at – wooden spoon, the morale was down – he’s done a really good job of bringing that morale back into the playing group.
“He’s added a couple of good players to his roster. Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell have been really good signings for the club.
“There is a lot to look forward to in the next year or two and Kevvie’s been a big part of that.
“It’s news to me and all I can say is the board is 100 per cent behind Kevvie and what he’s doing.”
Adding to Lockyer’s defence of the coach, fellow legend Wally Lewis, who regularly attends Broncos training sessions as a member of the media for Nine, said the playing group’s response suggests there’s nothing to worry about.
Stream the NRL premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now
“Being at every training session, we see they all work pretty well together,” Lewis said.
“They’re a happy unit… if there are any players feeling extremely uncomfortable with some of the decisions that are coming forward, they’re keeping it all to themselves.
“They don’t appear to be displaying that at every training session and every game. I think they appear to be an extremely happy team.
“They’re always in a good mood, coming over to the journos and talking to us after training sessions – that doesn’t happen in a camp that’s not happy, they stay as far away from the media.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!