Inside the Kevolution: How Walters orchestrated a Broncos miracle

Barely three years ago, wooden spoons were being hurled onto the Red Hill training surface.

Broncos fans had witnessed their first true dismay in the club’s history, a 2020 season which featured just three wins.

That year was daunting enough: the COVID-19 pandemic had reared its head. Many turned to sport for some sense of joy and stability, and received little from their Brisbane heroes.

But then, the Kevolution was launched.

Tough initiation

Kevin Walters, a legend of the club, was signed on as head coach at the end of the 2020 campaign.

He was met with plenty of fanfare by the old Broncos brigade, but scepticism by some over whether he had the runs on the board to return his former side to the top of the podium.

As a player, Walters knew how to win. His five premierships in the maroon and yellow proved that.

Yet as a club coach he was largely unproven, taking on his first NRL role after a 57-game tenure at the helm of Catalans Dragons.

Walters won 21 of those Super League games, while he ended his stint with the Queensland Maroons boasting a 6-6 record.

In 2021, there were signs of improvement – with young guns such as Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo, Jordan Riki and Kobe Hetherington earning their stripes.

But a 14th place finish with seven victories suggested Broncos fans would be in for a slow build.

Tough decisions were made throughout the year in Walters’ bid to restore their brand.

Tevita Pangai Junior was released, as was Matthew Lodge, in mid-season moves that opened up salary cap space.

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The new coach sought to make his mark, striving to teach the current generation how to win the Broncos way.

According to Brisbane’s former head of football Ben Ikin, the fruits were there to bear.

“You want a rebuild, if that’s what you’re embarking on, to happen as quickly as possible,” Ikin said.

“We got lucky that we made some good recruitment choices. We jagged a head coach who got there before I did and played there before I did, who just loves that club to his bones.

“When you get a group of talented individuals working under a coach who’s deeply passionate about the club he’s leading it’s a pretty handy mix.”

Recruitment masterstrokes and securing the ‘big fish’

Walters saw enough signs in the Broncos’ youthful brigade to appreciate he had the makings of a premiership-winning team.

But he needed leaders. He needed men who had been to the top of the tree, witnessed and experienced what it took to deliver titles, and teach his fledgling contingent how to respond under pressure.

When Adam Reynolds became available ahead of the 2022 season, Walters pounced.

Reynolds had cemented his name in South Sydney folklore, as the halfback who guided the Rabbitohs to their first premiership in 43 years.

The now 33-year-old felt he had plenty more to give in the NRL. Rabbitohs hierarchy, concerned with his age and potential for injuries, only offered him a one-year deal.

All it took was one meeting with Reynolds and his family for Walters to know they were a match made in heaven.

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“I wasn’t really sure [how long the rebuild would take], it was just a matter of getting the right people together, and Adam was the key signing,” Walters said.

“He was the first big fish that we got. That sort of triggered a few other things.

“When we signed him I remember going to meet him and his family and we just had an instant connection.

“I thought this is the bloke we need to get. We got him, and we gradually built it up over time.”

Reynolds admits he was unsure how long it would take for the vision he and Walters strived to put in place would take effect.

Fortunately, he would not be alone, as Penrith Panthers’ premiership-winner Kurt Capewell joined the cause.

The pair brought with them titles, a combined 327 NRL games, State of Origin caps and the experience of operating in successful systems each day.

Their impact was immediate.

By round 19, Brisbane were sitting pretty inside the top four. A first finals berth since 2019 beckoned.

Ezra Mam had announced himself as a future star at five-eighth, Cobbo and Pat Carrigan had made their Queensland Maroons debuts, and Kotoni Staggs had shown his rival centres he was a force to be reckoned him.

But just when they thought they were riding high, another diaster loomed.

Restoring pride after heartbreak returns

A shock loss to the Wests Tigers in Round 20 last year was compounded by a four-game suspension to Carrigan, who had become a major voice on the field in marshalling the Broncos’ defence.

From that point, one of the most haunting collapses in the club’s history ensued. They not only lost their place in the top four, but the finals all together.

It stung. Many of the players have still spoken about those demons to this day.

It was far from a proud moment. However, Walters sought to use that as motivation.

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These setbacks were not a reason to go into their shells, but a reason to restore pride in the Broncos’ jersey.

So emphatic was his commitment to that cause, Carrigan declared his coach was every bit as synonymous with their DNA as the likes of six-time premiership-winning maestro, Wayne Bennett.

“He’s been unreal, Kev wears his heart on his sleeve and everyone knows that he bleeds Broncos,” Carrigan said.

“Guys like him and Alfie [Langer], in my opinion are pretty synonymous with guys like Wayne in what this club means.

“His influence on the group, not even as a coach but bringing everyone together ... is probably the most important thing he cares about, and he’s put us in this position.

“I know watching those years would have hurt him, it hurt me.”

Walsh’s homecoming and a miracle nears completion

On the outside, it would appear a rise from 14th to 9th in 12 months was somewhat a success.

But all anybody remembered was the capitulation.

While Walters, Reynolds and Capewell challenged the rest of the group to galvanise around that heartache, there was one more recruitment masterstroke to take effect.

Enter Reece Walsh.

The Brisbane wunderkind’s loss to the New Zealand Warriors in 2021 was a punch to the gut of those who knew just how special he could be.

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The now 21-year-old showed signs of that potential, earning a State of Origin call up in his debut season, before injury cruelled him of that chance.

However, as the Warriors prepared to base themselves across the ditch once again – after the pandemic forced them to relocate to Redcliffe – Walsh hunted for a comeback to his former outfit.

A desire to not move away from his young daughter garnered compassion from the New Zealand club, and his injection at fullback was secured.

Walsh has proven to be the missing piece, a burst of indefensible energy that has made him one of rugby league’s most lethal threats.

His presence and the confidence he has played with, along with the guidance of Reynolds and Capewell, had a ripple effect throughout the ranks.

Not one man in the 17-man squad who will play on Sunday has failed to turn in a career best season.

Now, they face their greatest test. A Panthers side who have lost just 15 times in four years.

Do that, and the miracle comeback is complete.

“I knew there was a lot of talent and great coaching staff, and I knew I could play a part in trying to get the club back to the great successful days,” Reynolds said.

“It’s been a lot of hard work along the way, tough preseasons and a few learning curves along the way.

“I’m proud of the group and the club – another grand final, how good … but the job’s not done yet.

“It’s a great thing to make grand finals, but it’s even better winning them.”

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