Corey Parker hits back amid 'disrespectful' claims around Kevin Walters' exit from Broncos

Broncos legend Corey Parker has dismissed claims Kevin Walters was disrespected by the club as he was axed and promptly replaced by former NSW Blues boss Michael Maguire. Walters was a glaring absentee at the Brisbane Broncos' presentation night on Thursday night as the former coach opted to steer clear of the event, sparking rumours that he feels disrespected by the club following a disappointing 2024 NRL campaign.

Despite being sacked after four years in charge, Walters has been retained in an 'ambassador' role at the Broncos and club officials had hoped he would attend the end-of-season event, which was also the farewell for Corey Oates. And while club officials insisted there's no bad blood between them and Walters, the former Broncos coach's absence showed he has not moved on and is not ready to return and face the players after a post-season review painted him in such a bad light that the club felt they had no choice but to sack him.

The decision to let Walters go came as a shock to many following on from the Broncos 2023 grand final finish. However, a fall to 12th place and concerns around the club's direction saw the club part ways with the coach and appoint Maguire.

But the call didn't go down well with a large portion of the Broncos fan base who believe Walters was poorly treated by the Brisbane board given the fact he took them from wooden spooners to being minutes away from grand final glory in his time in charge. And therefore his decision to not attend the awards night didn't come as a surprise.

The club's communications about Walters leaving gave the impression the decision was mutual, something the majority of the NRL world has found hard to believe. But Parker says it was a consensus decision from within the team and had nothing to do with disrespect, insisting the club at no stage treated Walters poorly, instead, they have just done what they feel is in the best interest of the team. "We all love Kevie, he’s a loveable guy… a club legend but he has been at the club for four years. I find it hard to see that he’s been disrespected. The club made a business decision to move forward," Parker said on SEN radio on Friday.

“By all reports, they (the Broncos board) wanted to keep Kevin on, and they did everything around Kevin…but once the review came out, it was untenable that they were able to keep him on. The evidence provided from the players and the staff was heavily weighing against him which is why they made the call."

Parker also expressed his disappointment in seeing Walters leave but said the decision was strictly business and had nothing to do with him as a person or his ways of coaching. “It’s a brutal world being a head coach," he added.

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Darren Lockyer opens up on Kevin Walters sacking

Speaking earlier this week, Broncos legend and board member Darren Lockyer opened up about the reasons behind the club's decision to part ways with Walters. Lockyer said the club's hierarchy was "alarmed" at how far the side had fallen in just 12 months, which they felt was "not acceptable" considering how much star power the club had.

“Kevvie’ is a great bloke and that’s what makes it so difficult,” Lockyer told the Courier Mail. “It’s not pleasant at all when you have to move on a legend of the game. He was also five minutes away from winning the grand final last year if it wasn’t for Nathan Cleary. This year at the back end of the year the team fell away significantly. The call was made based on the playing talent that is there at the Broncos, which there is plenty of."