Brisbane Broncos hit by big blow as assistant coach confirms departure from NRL club

The Brisbane Broncos are going through some upheaval in their coaching staff, with one of Kevin Walters' assistants confirming he'll depart at the end of the season. The Broncos confirmed on Monday that Lee Briers is heading back to England and won't be returning in 2025.

Briers is from the UK and has been working under Walters since 2023 - helping the Broncos make the NRL grand final last year. He's been influential in his work with the likes of Reece Walsh and Adam Reynolds, and will leave a big hole at the Brisbane club.

Briers said in a statement on Monday that he's keen to head home after some trying family circumstances this year. "It's been a really tough decision to head back home, but firstly I want to thank Kev and the Broncos for giving me this opportunity - it's not often that you get an English coach coming over and plying his trade in the NRL, so massive thanks to Kev and (CEO) Dave (Donaghy) and the club for taking a chance on me," he said.

"I'm sad to be going but our family had to deal with some loss last year and the time is right now to go back home - we still have our daughter living in the UK and we do miss her, so the time is right to go back. We are forever grateful and we'll look back on these two years as one of the best experiences of our lives.

"It's been a joy to watch everybody grow at the club and this is really just the start of a very long and successful time for the Broncos - everyone is connected and pushing in the same direction - and I'm really looking forward to the next few months of football and finishing on a high with this team. The run to the grand final last year was an obvious highlight so far but for me personally the big thing has been the way the players and coaching staff and the people at the club have received me - l've made a lot of life-long friends.

"When you've been involved in sport as long as I have, it's not so much about the winning and the losing but about the memories and the friendships that you make, and I can certainly say with my hand on my heart that I've made some absolute friends for life here at the Broncos. The difference from Australia to the UK in rugby league is that here the game is on a global scale, so the pressure that comes with that is much higher and you've got to keep the players grounded. Kev's got a really good angle on that with his man management, and that aspect stands out as the thing l've learnt a lot about that while l've been here at the club."

Kevin Walters pays tribute to Lee Briers

Walters heaped praise on Briers and the role he's played in helping turn the Broncos around. "We brought Lee here to the club because he has a great football brain and he knows what it takes to be part of a winning team," the head coach said.

"He has bought into what we are building here at the Broncos and played a really important role as a leader and mentor over the past few seasons. Lee and his family have also taken the opportunity to experience the Queensland lifestyle and enjoy what our state has to offer - he has a great attitude and is always fun to be around, with a list of good stories as long as your arm. We are looking forward to some more success with Lee over the next few months before he departs, and he will always be welcomed back here at the Broncos."

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Briers played 432 games in the Super League as a player, as well as 23 Test matches for Wales. He's now on the radar of a number of Super League clubs to join as coach. Broncos fans expressed their sadness after news emerged of his departure on Monday.