Leading contenders to replace Walters... as 'left-field' option sparks ...

Brisbane and Kevin Walters have parted ways in a dramatic conclusion to the club legend’s stint at Red Hill, leaving the Broncos searching for a new coach.

Although as The Courier Mail’s Peter Badel noted on Thursday evening, for the Broncos to make a decision as “emphatically as this”, it suggests they “have to have a plan B in place”.

There are some logical contenders and a few left-field options, so here foxsports.com.au looks at the names that could be tossed up.

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TRENT BARRETT

Walters had recruited both Barrett and Ben Te’o as assistants for next season, although the former is obviously the more likely to take over given his coaching experience. Barrett has coached at both the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs, while he took over as caretaker coach at Parramatta last season following Brad Arthur’s mid-season exit. While Barrett is the logical option should Brisbane look internally, his winning record from stints at Manly and Canterbury-Bankstown call into question whether he would be the right choice.

Barrett had a winning record of just 32 per cent at those two clubs, with that rate dropping to just 14.7 per cent in his most recent coaching gig with the Bulldogs. Obviously results alone don’t mean everything and don’t always tell the full story, but Barrett’s performance at the Bulldogs was particularly concerning given he arrived at the club with high expectations.

Widely credited with Penrith’s attacking turnaround, Barrett struggled to replicate that success at the Bulldogs. In fact, in 2021 they finished dead-last in scoring, recording 106 fewer points than the second-worst attacking team. While Barrett may be a fine assistant coach, there could be too many question marks for the Broncos to be confident he is the man to turn their fortunes around.

MORE KEVIN WALTERS NEWS

‘MOST UNPROFESSIONAL THING’: Broncos great reacts to the news

‘FAMILY TOLL’: Walters speaks on sudden exit

Trent Barrett is one option. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

BRAD ARTHUR

Arthur, who was sacked by the Eels despite leading them to the grand final back in 2022, signed an extension last month that will keep him at the Leed Rhinos for a further two years. However, it was reported by the Daily Telegraph at the time that any contract Arthur signed with the Super League club included a clause that would allow him to depart early to take up any NRL opportunity that may come up.

Obviously Parramatta followed a similar fate to Brisbane, falling just short of a premiership only to never come close to competing for a title again in the coming seasons. Like Walters, Arthur also had to deal with a mounting injury toll at the start of the year that ultimately ended up being his undoing. Perhaps a fresh start after so long at Parramatta could bring the best out of Arthur?

He obviously is the right candidate for a rebuild, having taken over the Eels at a point when the club was at its lowest after back-to-back wooden spoons. The Broncos aren’t in that dire a situation and you would have to say with a talented, young roster like theirs, a rebuilding coach probably isn’t needed. But Arthur did transform the Eels into regular semi-finalists and eventual grand finalists, while he said earlier in the year that he still believes he has “plenty to give”, opening the door for a return to the NRL.

JOSH HANNAY

Another option who would make plenty of sense, having served as Billy Slater’s assistant coach in the Origin arena and recently thrown his hat in the ring for the Parramatta job. Hannay missed out on that position and while the Brisbane coaching gig comes with even more pressure, he is obviously prepared to take on any opportunity regardless of the circumstances. Hannay told SEN Radio earlier in the year after missing out on the Eels gig that he was “disappointed” but would “bide my time” and wait for another opportunity to come along.

Hannay also has experience in clubland, having previously served as interim coach at the Sharks in 2021 and Cowboys in 2020. Hannay received plenty of praise for his role in turning Cronulla’s fortunes around after being called on to replace Josh Morris mid-season, helping the team snap a six-game losing streak to end up falling just short of a finals berth. Hannay made some tough calls in the process, dropping senior players Chad Townsend and Josh Dugan to reserve grade, proving he may be just the kind of coach the underperforming Broncos need given there is still little doubt this is a talented roster.

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon threw his support behind his assistant coach on Friday, telling reporters Hannay “should be looking” at the Broncos job if the club has interest in him. “He was in the frame for the Parramatta job as well so with respect we’d hope some day Josh does get an opportunity,” Fitzgibbon said. “He’s obviously a wonderful coach, did a terrific job at Queensland and does amazing work with us. I’d like to keep him here... but I’d also understand if a club like Brisbane was in the running, he should be looking at that.”

Josh Hannay deserves his shot.Source: News Corp Australia

MICHAEL MAGUIRE

Maguire was previously one of the top names in Brisbane’s search for a new coach back in 2018, with the club instead deciding to give Anthony Seibold the nod. Kevin Walters was another one of the contenders at the time, eventually getting the job but now the Broncos find themselves in a similar position and with Maguire once again available. Maguire is certainly in fine coaching form, having led the Blues to a State of Origin series victory despite losing the opener to the Maroons.

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio said on Fox League’s NRL 360 at the time that a win at Suncorp Stadium could make Maguire “the most prized coach in the game”, and while Origin is obviously a completely different beast to the weekly grind of the NRL, Maguire has won a premiership before with South Sydney. Peter Badel named Maguire, who also has coached the Tigers, Wigan Warriors and New Zealand international team, as one of the leading contenders to replace Walters. “He won Origin this year, he’s won a premiership at South Sydney, he has experience,” Badel told Fox Sports News in the wake of Walters’ exit. “I know he was interviewed for the Broncos job four or five years ago. So he would have to be a contender.”

Michael Maguire is the leading contender. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

BILLY SLATER

Slater’s name was also floated as a potential option for the Eels when they sacked Brad Arthur, but the Queensland Maroons coach was adamant he did not see a future for himself coaching in the NRL. Speaking to the Courier Mail at the time, Slater said he was “all in” for the Maroons job and that if he was not coaching Queensland, he was “not coaching anyone else”. “It’s not so much the pressure of the NRL job,” he said back in May.

“I’m not worried about that. But it’s a huge commitment being an NRL coach - it’s an 11-month of the year, seven days a week job. I’ve been in and around the NRL environment for over two decades now. I understand what those NRL coaches put into it and it’s all in.” Slater did leave the door open, admitting you “never say never” but told Triple M on Friday that he would not be taking the Broncos job. “That won’t be happening,” he said.

JASON DEMETRIOU

Demetriou was another one of the coaches to apply for the Broncos job back in 2018 and while he missed out on the gig, he does have plenty of experience having served as the club’s assistant coach. Demetriou left Red Hill at the end of that season to search for a new role in the NRL and ended up finding it at South Sydney and while that didn’t end up working out, his resume still proves the former Rabbitohs coach has what it takes to be a successful coach at the top level.

Demetriou won premierships with Northern Pride (2014) and Illawarra Cutters (2016), while he also served as assistant coach to Paul Green during North Queensland’s incredible premiership-winning run in 2015. Peter Badel said on Fox Sports News that more than anything else, Demetriou’s time under Wayne Bennett at Brisbane puts him in a strong position to take over the vacant role. “He knows the club, he knows the DNA. He could be another option,” Badel said. “He’s coaching PNG but doesn’t have an NRL job at the moment.”

Is Demetriou an option?Source: Supplied

JUSTIN HOLBROOK

Another alternative with NRL experience. Holbrook is currently serving as assistant coach of the Roosters, so even if he is a contender, you would think it is unlikely you would hear much from him or the Broncos given his focus will squarely be on Friday night’s preliminary final against the Storm. But Holbrook clearly has more to give, having spoken previously about his disappointment after his sudden departure from the Titans, who sacked the 48-year-old last year.

PETER WALLACE

An unlikely option but one worth considering. The former Broncos and Panthers player led Penrith’s NSW Cup team to premiership success and a State Championship before being rewarded with a promotion, becoming the team’s NRL assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season. He has obviously been part of a winning club and culture for a number of years now and knows the Broncos well, having played 139 games for them. The Panthers didn’t stand in the way of Cameron Ciraldo taking up the role with the Bulldogs. But the question is whether Wallace would feel ready to take up such a big role with so much responsibility, should the Broncos show interest.

Peter Wallace could be a left-field option. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)Source: AAP

BRAD THORN

Another former Bronco who is a left-field choice. Thorn, who also played 171 games of rugby union, totalled 200 matches with the club before making the switch to coaching the Queensland Reds. Thorn stepped down as coach of the Super Rugby side at the end of last year, telling reporters at the time he just needed to have a “break”. Taking over the Broncos would be quite a dramatic way for Thorn to reintroduce himself to the coaching world, albeit unlikely at this stage.

THE WALKER BROTHERS

What about it? The duo’s names seem to always come up when head coaching gigs are made available in the NRL, and sure, their short dropouts and other innovations may be old news and not much of an advantage anymore, but could their relationship with Sam Walker be one here? Former Blues coach Laurie Daley floated the idea on the Big Sports Breakfast on Friday. “I love conspiracy theories,” he said.

“Now this is left-field. Do you think the Broncos at all would think about Ben and Shane Walker given Sam Walker is off-contract still.” The Sydney Morning Herald’s Adam Pengilly said it was “not the craziest idea” given the Broncos will need a halfback when Adam Reynolds retires. Although it does seem like a longshot because as much as Walker, who is off-contract, is one of the most highly sought-after signatures in the game, it isn’t good practice to make such a significant hiring decision on the basis of that alone, unless there are other factors at play.