Throughout his tenure as head coach of the Brisbane Broncos, Kevin Walters was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve.
His emotions were on show as he spoke to media following the shock announcement of his departure from the role, fighting back tears as he thanked his family and staff for their support during his time at the club.
“We have come to an agreement, both the Broncos and Walters family, that my time here as the head coach of the Broncos has finished,” Walters said in a joint press conference with club CEO Dave Donaghy.
“I was fortunate enough to play here as a player and then in the last four years as the head coach ... my time here has been very joyful, I have got to say, a lot of my time here has been good times.
“There's also ... dry moments and moments where you learn and you get better and that's certainly been the case for me the last four years.
“I am really proud of the fact that when I arrived here, the club wasn't in great shape and I feel that myself along with a lot of other good staff and people here have shaped the club ... probably the proudest moment was last year's grand final.
“My son and all my family where all in attendance, which was really nice and then, this year obviously, was a tough year for everyone ... (but) stick with the club, it's a great club and I'm sure that they'll be back challenging again before too long."
While his time as coach came to an abrupt end, Donaghy said the favourite son would remain connected to the club as an ambassador and thanked him for his contribution over many years.
"I think we all understand and appreciate the passion, the genuine passion that Kev has for this football club ... I can hand on heart say that Kev has brought a pulse back to the Broncos," Donaghy said.
“And whilst he won't continue as head coach from here, that connection will continue and Kev will remain as an ambassador of the club, which I think is a really important connection ... I'm delighted that connection will continue.”
While Donaghy declined to expand on the details of the end-of-season review which led to the decision to replace Walters or the feedback of the players, he did acknowledge the pressing need to a suitable replacement.
“We need a coach and we appreciate that pre-season starts in a matter of five or six weeks," Donaghy said.
“We understand pre-season’s a big important part of the program and we won't take too long to move on that ... we'll go to work to ensure that we identify the best person to come in to take us into the future.
“The intent is that we'll move quickly.”
Donaghy confirmed that newly appointed assistant coaches Trent Barrett and Ben Te’o would still be joining the club.
“I think it's really important that we continue with the planning that currently exists,” Donaghy said.
“Both those guys have significant experience.
“Ben, obviously is a club legend and Trent brings a wealth of experience from other clubs and his experience both as a head coach and a senior assistant, so we look forward to welcoming both those gents into the club.”
