Top coach's quit Broncos

[Super Cronk]

Broncos at war


THE Broncos are facing the biggest crisis in their 18-year history, with sacked assistant Kevin Walters last night firing a parting shot at coach Wayne Bennett.

The reaction from Walters - one of Brisbane's favourite sons and a loyal Bennett servant - came amid revelations of low morale and a player mutiny towards sacked performance co-ordinator Gary Belcher.

On Friday, Bennett delivered a bombshell, sacking Belcher, Glenn Lazarus and trusted right-hand man Walters after an intensive review of the club's operations.

Bennett's fourth and remaining assistant, John Dixon, also severed ties with the club to accept a coaching post in Wales.

On the day of the bloodletting, Walters refused to discuss the circumstances that led to his axing. But yesterday he revealed he was told to find another job by Bennett - making a mockery of a Broncos press release that claimed Walters resigned to focus on his car wash business.

Just two weeks ago, Walters told The Sunday Telegraph he was content at the Broncos and "was not going anywhere as far as I know".

"I still don't know why I've been moved on," said Walters, who played 241 first-grade games for the club and won five premierships under Bennett.

"Wayne never gave me a reason [for the sacking]. He just called me in and said, 'You're better off trying to find a job at another club'.

"It's disappointing. I love this club and I wanted to be here, but it was either Wayne or us, and clearly it was us."


Asked if the fallout from his sacking would end their friendship, Walters said: "I guess we're still friends but it would have been nice if Wayne let me know halfway through the year and I could have made some plans.

"Clearly I'm not a yes man, that's why I'm no longer there. I find this all a bit puzzling."

The Walters sacking is just one element in a series of ructions that prompted decisive action from Bennett, who has been criticised for being too rigid and too loyal to under-achieving players.

The Sunday Telegraph understands Belcher was released after losing the respect of senior players, who were disenchanted with his training methods.

Morale, it seems, is an issue at the club, with just five players agreeing to take part in the end-of-season trip.

It is also understood two rookie players had fallen out of favour with Bennett this season and were compelled to improve their attitude to training.

But Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen slammed suggestions the club is in crisis and defended the besieged Bennett.

"Sacking Wayne is not the answer," said Cullen. "Wayne is totally accountable, he has said the buck stops with him.

"But what are we trying to account for? The facts are these: we were 40 minutes away from being minor premiers this season. We've made the semis 14 years in a row under Wayne.

"The Roosters didn't make the finals this year, but Ricky Stuart's head's not on the chopping block.

"This should not be a blame game. Wayne still has a hell of a lot to contribute, but we wonder if the people and structure around him detracted from that."

Queensland greats Wally Lewis and Arthur Beetson last night questioned the Broncos' actions, with Beetson accusing Bennett of disloyalty.

"Some of these blokes have been very loyal to Benny and now they are gone. It seems there hasn't been much loyalty shown," said Beetson.

"I find it hard to believe Kevin would rather wash bloody cars than coach at the Broncos."

Lewis, who was stripped of the Broncos captaincy by Bennett in 1990, said: "I'm sure the club asked Wayne who was to blame for the performance this year and he wouldn't have looked at himself. But I know who's been there the longest."

Former Broncos reserve grade coach Ivan Henjak is tipped to return to the club.

Cullen insisted the Broncos would not conduct a shake-up of the playing squad.

Sundaytelegraph.com.au

Not good for the broncos....but atleast its happening now and not at the start of next year or worse half way through the season.

[DeeGan]

Well there is seemingly more to this story involving Bennett and the sacking of Belcher, Walters and Lazo.

Also, I am hearing Michael Ennis's signature is a done deal with Brisbane which will solved their goalkicking issues of 2005.

DeeGan

[ridgey]

oh well i'm sick of talking bout em,their results will speak for em selves.

[Super Cronk]

oh well i'm sick of talking bout em,their results will speak for em selves.

sick of talking about what?

[ridgey]

the broncos!

[Super Cronk]

the broncos!

noone is forcing you to post in this thread. They dont have a gun to your head telling you to read this thread .

[ridgey]

noone is forcing you to post in this thread. They dont have a gun to your head telling you to read this thread .

that's right no gun to the head,but you don't live in Brisbane so you wouldn't understand my pain

[[BroncosGirl]]

that's right no gun to the head,but you don't live in Brisbane so you wouldn't understand my pain

Then move, what else do you expect in Brisbane I hate it when people live in Brisbane then complain abotu all the coverage they get, well duh

(if thats not what you're talking about then I apologise)

[Queenslander]

Then move, what else do you expect in Brisbane I hate it when people live in Brisbane then complain abotu all the coverage they get, well duh

(if thats not what you're talking about then I apologise)

Exactly, in a one team town what do you expect........detailed reports about the rabbitohs

[Super Cronk]

FORMER Canberra halfback Ivan Henjak and State of Origin players Peter Ryan and Paul Green have scored positions on Brisbane's revamped 2006 coaching roster.

rest of the article>>> http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23214,00.html

[Steelers]

rest of the article>>> http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23214,00.html

what is it with the broncos and former players! this is why they have been failing and they will continue to fail

[Super Cronk]

what is it with the broncos and former players! this is why they have been failing and they will continue to fail

failing?

[Dakink]

A little bit more

Broncos bring in new coaching team
Written by: Broncos media
11/10/2005 Views: 46
Former Canberra halfback Ivan Henjak, and former State of Origin players Peter Ryan and Paul Green have scored positions on Brisbane's revamped NRL coaching roster for 2006.

Three days after running the cleaners through Wayne Bennett's support staff of assistant coach Kevin Walters, performance director Gary Belcher and Colts coach and forward advisor Glenn Lazarus, the club named four new key appointments today.

Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup assistant coach Mark Gee will take over the reins at Brisbane feeder club Toowoomba from John Dixon, who is heading to Britain to continue his coaching career.


Didnt Ryan come in and try to help pre-finals????

All Heil King Bennett... Not

[Coaster]

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23214,00.html

Opinion by Paul Kent
October 11, 2005

WAYNE Bennett, who casts the biggest shadow in the game, is a man under attack for the very trait that has made him one of the great ones.

That is the irony, the sadness and the hypocrisy.

Only a shallow dig into the past of those who came out on the weekend and attacked Bennett, after he sacked his coaching staff last Friday, will find all were sacked by him.

Number one critic was Willie Carne, who did little of any significance again after Bennett sacked him.

There was Trevor Gillmeister, who faded away at Penrith, and Wally Lewis, the all-time great who couldn't put together another winning season after Bennett gave him the punt.

Bennett's sacking of Gary Belcher, Glenn Lazarus and Kevin Walters from his coaching staff last Friday was enough cause, it seems, for them to attempt to settle old scores. Once again it reveals their own failings, and anyone else who buys into Bennett's purge as blame-shifting has missed the lesson of history.

Belcher, Lazarus and Walters might not have been the problem at the Broncos, but after several unsatisfactory years by Brisbane standards, they are clearly not the answer, either.

So getting it right again starts with Bennett.

He couldn't have quit himself because nobody was able to do a better job.

Five premierships has taught the coach that. By accepting this truth, and making the tough call, Bennett has gone back to an old formula.

When Jack Gibson coached his rule was never stay at a club for more than three years, and for all coaches it became a rule set in stone.

Gibson, perhaps the greatest ever, believed he needed to move on before he tired of the players and the players tired of him, and three years was about the limit.

So he would take his entire coaching staff with him to his new club and there he would refresh his enthusiasm and also his ideas.

He did the same for the players, too. Bennett changed it by doing it the other way.

People wonder why Bennett has been able to stay at a club for 18 seasons and get them into the past 14 finals series.

It was a simple reversal.

Rather than refresh himself by finding a new club, Bennett refreshed his ideas by hiring new talent under him.

He hired ex-players that had played under Gibson, Warren Ryan, Tim Sheens, Brian Smith and other coaches that have made their mark.

Then he questioned them, and challenged the ideas they brought with them. If he liked their response he stole it for the Broncos, if he didn't he explained why. Then he was challenged by them about his ideas, and questioned why, and it all worked for the good of the Broncos.

In the past few years Bennett strayed, though, and hired his coaching staff not for their smarts but for loyalty, for what they did for him as players.

The Broncos declined in that period, ideas grew stale.

By making the tough call Bennett has taken the steps to reinvigorate the Broncos.

As for the opinions of the disgruntled, well, it just underlines the coach's decision.

The Daily Telegraph

A different view of it

[Steve Dangerous]

I guess they got to the point where they had to do something, and Bennett is at a point now where it's extremely unlikely for him to leave or get sacked so this was the only alternative.

I don't really rate Kevvy as coaching type. We need some good young football minds like Bellamy or somebody really trying to mix things up a bit than Kev who just sat in the mould and went with the flow of the broncos culture.