Player revolt rocks Australian club

The tide has certainly turned for some of the teams who once dominated the NRL. The 2004 Champions, 2012 and 2014 Finalists Canterbury sit 15th on 6 points. Whilst 2006 Champions and 2015 Finalists Brisbane are even worse off and now sit bottom of the league with the dreaded wooden spoon beckoning.

But making matters even worse, rumour has it that the Broncos are set to face a player revolt. The rumours centre around Head Coach Kevin Walters and his coaching style. Peter Badel of The Courier Mail revealed that the Broncos players feel as though they’re receiving mixed messages from their coach. Compounding the rumours, News Corp Probe have said players believe Walters fails to properly advice them due to his inconsistent messages.

To many, that may explain the Broncos plight this season especially given the star-power they can field. The likes of Xavier Coates have impressed. Coates was even included in the Queensland side in Game I of Origin. They also have Corey Oates at their disposal. However, he appears to be at the centre of this problem. According to reports, the issues began in pre-season when Walters failed to communicate to Oates that he’d be playing for the Broncos’ feeder club.

Some former stars have also suggested that Walters’ style isn’t fitting of the Broncos side. Cooper Cronk told Fox: “It’s all on emotion and when they play poorly there’s nothing there in terms of technical effort and a few other areas. I’m not sure where this sits.”

However, others have suggested that it’s on the players to perform and blaming the coach is simply unfair. It’s true that some of their star players have failed to live up to the hype. Take Anthony Milford for example. He’s even been dropped for former Hull FC star Albert Kelly in recent weeks.

The question has to be asked: What now for the struggling Broncos? Is a change of coach needed or is it the players that need to take responsibility?