Billy Walters opens up on dad Kevin’s sacking from the Broncos: ‘I didn’t believe it at first’
- Billy Walters says he didn’t believe the news that his father had been fired
- Says he doesn’t think Kevin Walters should be blamed for 2024
Broncos star Billy Walters has lifted the lid on how he learned his father was sacked as Brisbane coach and lifted the lid on his future at the club.
The Broncos cut ties with their coach last month following a club-wide investigation into the team’s shocking demise in the 2024 season, in which they finished 12th.
Walters was given his marching orders and the club terminated his contract which was set to expire in 2026.
Billy Walters says the news was heartbreaking and left him in shock.
“I was cooking at home when my younger brother, who lives with my dad, texted me that Kev had gone to a meeting and he might be away,” Billy said. News Corp.
‘I didn’t believe it at first. I didn’t think it would end like this.
‘I thought my brother was overreacting and that Dad might not be fired, but he would get a stern warning. When I got the message, so many thoughts went through my head.
‘What was he doing? What was I going to do?’
Hooker Billy Walters (pictured) says he couldn’t believe the news his father had been fired
Kevin Walters was fired by the Brisbane Broncos after a poor 2024 season
‘You’re clearly emotional.
‘I tried to call him to see if everything was OK, but he didn’t answer. I didn’t get to speak to him until the next day.’
Walters admitted the 2024 NRL season was one to forget, but it wasn’t fair for his father to take all the blame.
“It’s always going to sound biased because I’m his son, but I don’t think Kevvie was the reason for that,” Walters said.
‘The year we reached the grand final, 95 per cent of our squad had the best year and we had a great run of injuries. Even little things like 50/50 calls went our way.
Walters says he is keen to feature for new coach Michael Maguire in 2025
‘We have lost a lot of experienced players this year. It’s sad to think how far we’ve fallen, when you think we were three or four minutes away from beating the best team of the NRL era in a grand final.”
Walters says he is keen to impress new coach Michael Maguire, especially as he has been the target of trolls on social media.
“I’ve received a lot of messages and comments on social media about people telling me I should enjoy the Super League or the Queensland Cup,” he said.
“I’d like to get there and prove the haters wrong that I didn’t wear the No. 9 because my dad was the coach.
‘I wore it because I’m the best number 9 in the club.’