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Rugby league legend Cooper Cronk would be “riding behind the coach” if he were a part of the Broncos’ playing group but believes Kevin Walters’ spray may have been too little, too late.
Walters was spotted in the sheds blasting his playing group following the Broncos’ 53-6 loss to the Eels last Thursday that saw them drop out of the top eight.
A report emerged a couple of days later claiming some players were “upset” with the way Walters spoke to them, which sparked Broncos greats Gorden Tallis and Steve Renouf to slam the playing group.
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Star lock Patrick Carrigan fronted the media on Monday and deemed the spray “fair and honest,” saying the spray was “warranted,” however it seems not all of his teammates agree.
Speaking on NRL 360, Fox League’s James Hooper revealed it’s two players who have issue with what Walters said and it began in the lead-up to last Thursday’s game.
“Apparently it was in the lead-up to the 50-point flogging from the Eels on Thursday night and Kevvie had given it to the players at training, called them soft and said their defence needed to sharpen up,” he said.
“Off the back of them being beaten by Parramatta it began to leak out that a couple of the players — and we’re only talking about two — were unhappy about how direct Kev had been.”
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta didn’t understand the issue, saying “they were ordinary,” while his co-host Paul Kent said “the best thing Kevvie does is identify them and move them on.”
Cronk acknowledged that there’s different types of coaching styles, but he would have always backed his coach.
“I was with Craig Bellamy for years and even if you just missed a tackle you’d cop a bake and it was fair and reasonable,” he said.
“Trent Robinson would come from the angle that you’ve let down people. He wouldn’t give you a bake but would come back to how you represent the Roosters.
“At the end of the day the coach is the most important part of your football team, what he says goes.
“In my history I’m riding behind the coach, what the coach says goes.”
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However Cronk believes Walters’ spray perhaps should have came earlier in the season than Round 24.
The Broncos comprehensively beat the Eels in Round 19 but then started their decline, winning just one of their next five games — and that was only over the lowly Knights.
“For me, to have a bake in Round 24… Maybe after that Newcastle win there should have been a bit of a line in the sand moment to say ‘we can’t do this otherwise we might be out the back door,” he said.
Meanwhile, News Corp journalist Phil Rothfield questioned whether blasting the playing group was the right move by Walters.
“They deserved a spray but what I will say though I think sprays are getting a little bit old fashioned with coaches,” he said.
“You saw Madge (Michael Maguire), you’re telling me he didn’t lose the sheds at Souths over his blow-ups after games? I don’t see what you get out of a blow up.”
Kent interjected with: “Come on Buzz, they’re adults.
“It’s an emotional game and he’s trying to trigger an emotional response,” he added.
“In the old days with some coaches it definitely (made teams play better) and some players that have got a little bit of tick of the heart would have made them feel better because they’d be embarrassed about their efforts.
“I cannot understand how blokes after conceding 110 points in two weeks, sit there and where they’re at right now is that they’re upset at the coach for giving them a serve over it.
“They’re supposed to be grown men, professional athletes earning six-figure sums.”
Anasta agreed, saying “that’s a gee-up.”
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The Broncos are now sitting ninth — five weeks after being in the top four — and are a strong chance of missing the finals.
Kent believes their season is over because they have simply ran out of steam.
“I reckon they hit an energy high halfway through the year and they just began red-lining,” he said.
“They won seven in a row and at some point they needed to be backed off, they needed to take a breather and get their energy back.
“But instead they kept red-lining and I don’t think they can be saved.”
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