Kevvie can step out of Wayne’s ‘shadow’ tonight… but his biggest ‘weakness’ could stand in the way

Cooper Cronk has one worry for Kevin Walters on Friday evening.

But it appears, a minimum of primarily based on Walters’ feedback all through the week, that there’s no want to fret. After all, he did study from the very best — the grasp of manipulation.

Walters knew full properly what was coming after Brisbane’s 40-18 win over the Dragons final Saturday, how inevitably the post-game press convention would flip to the subject of his previous mentor.

So, when the primary query was raised about Friday’s ‘Battle of Brisbane’, Walters refused to present it a lot thought.

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“That’s for next week,” he mentioned, smiling.

“We are still in this week.”

But as for subsequent week, for rugby league’s latest rivalry and that ‘Battle of Brisbane’, Walters once more did his greatest Wayne Bennett impression and performed it down.

“We are not rivals of the Dolphins,” he mentioned, not too dissimilar to Wayne Bennett’s refusal to get drawn into questions on Felise Kaufusi’s suspension or his Broncos exit this week.

“We are the Broncos. That is our club. That is who we are, and that’s where our mindset is,” Walters added.

“We are the Broncos,” he repeated once more, in case that wasn’t clear sufficient already.

And even when attending Wednesday’s media occasion, the type that’s often reserved for launching grand finals or State of Origin video games, Walters once more provided little or no.

“To be honest, not really,” he mentioned when requested if he had seen the elevated buzz within the lead-up to the sold-out recreation.

“My role at the club is to coach the boys. I go from my house to training and back to my house. But I understand there’s a lot of news around about this week’s game and it’s great for the game. We’re very privileged and excited to be part of the occasion.

“There’s always that, not just this week but every week when you’re the Broncos. You’re a big club, we’re a big organisation and there’s a good buzz around the city from a Broncos point of view from the way we started the season.”

That buzz although has taken on a lifetime of its personal this week, with Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh declaring Suncorp Stadium their home forward of the inaugural ‘Battle of Brisbane’.

Young and brash, they know that is extra than simply one other recreation. This is about historical past as a lot as it’s in regards to the future.

The bringing collectively of two old-school coaches and beginning of a new-age rivalry. The newest chapter in a 40-year relationship that included 5 premierships.

“We’re still good friends, we’ve been through a lot together,” Walters mentioned earlier this week.

“I’ve known Wayne for nearly 40 years — I was doing the math the other night. It’s a long time. I remember the day he approached me, I was 16 turning 17… it’s amazing the career he’s had.

“I was very fortunate to be coached by him and I’ve worked with him as well on his staff.”

But now Walters is his personal coach along with his personal ambitions — and that features taking this workforce, with its good mix of youth and expertise, all the best way to the premiership.

Brisbane has made the right begin in the direction of doing simply that this yr, defeating two premiership contenders in Penrith and North Queensland earlier than disposing of the Dragons.

But this week presents a brand new problem, maybe the “biggest test” of Walters’ teaching profession as Cronk put it — and that’s the place that beforehand talked about warning is available in.

“I don’t want to over-exaggerate this, but it’s almost the biggest test of Kevvie’s coaching career,” Cronk mentioned on ‘The Matty Johns Podcast’ earlier this week.

“Because on paper, player-for-player, strength-for-strength, the Broncos are set. They have way more power, way more X-factor, skill through the roof — they should get it done.

“But one thing that cannot be crossed over this week for the Broncos this week is too much emotion and Kevvie’s greatest strength — and weakness — could be too much emotion, because he does it really well.”

And already this yr, Walters has accomplished properly to seek out the proper steadiness. But on this, doubtlessly the most important week of the 55-year-old’s teaching profession, he must be much more tactical with it.

“If he goes too hard on the, ‘We are the Broncos. This is our town. We are the big dogs, we don’t let anyone in’, and all of a sudden they don’t get an even share of statistics — the game, possession, ball, errors, missed tackles — that brings the Dolphins into play,” Cronk added.

“Because we’ve seen what they’ve been able to do in the first three games. They drag people down, hold people down and when the opposition makes an error the Dolphins attack.”

Like they did within the opening spherical towards the Roosters, scoring three tries within the house of 10 minutes. Or like Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow did towards Canberra, slicing by for the game-winning strive within the workforce’s first win at Redcliffe.

And like they did final week towards Newcastle, when the outcome was up within the air till a quickfire double from Jamayne Isaako.

“That’s the strength of the Dolphins,” added Matty Johns.

“They are acutely aware of how they need to play and what they need to do to win. They haven’t got an identity crisis where they think they’re a certain kind of team.

“They know exactly who they are — high-ball retention, they make the most of every possession they get, they’re not frivolous with the football and to double down on that is their style, how they play.

“They play patient but they drill through the middle. You see when nothing is on, Sean O’Sullivan just picks a player up on the inside. The opposition middles don’t breathe. They are just put under pressure the whole time. They just bit by bit grind the opposition down.

“I have no doubt part of Wayne’s plan is just to say, ‘Boys, let’s play a style where with 10 minutes to go we’re in the contest’, and in all three games the opposition has fell apart in the last 10 minutes and they’ve come over the top.”

It’s why Cronk warned the Broncos towards going for the jugular too quickly.

“I would be going punch for punch if I was the Broncos,” he mentioned.

“Yes they play a little bit more expansive and they should back themselves but I like the Patrick Carrigan and Payne Haas are in the meat of the Broncos’ forward pack because they can absorb a lot of pressure and play long minutes.

“That is their trump card in this game. Those two guys on the field doing what they do for long minutes will repel the Dolphins for me.”

Repelling the Dolphins although has confirmed an not possible activity already for 3 groups. And even with Felise Kaufusi suspended and younger playmaker Isaiya Katoa doubtful for Friday’s recreation, you’d be silly to rely out a Bennett-coached workforce.

In reality, that is in all probability proper the place Bennett needs them. Already solid apart as picket spoon contenders, now undefeated and but nonetheless thought of outsiders — a fairytale that has to finish.

But the Dolphins aren’t the one ones daring to dream. Walters and the Broncos too have goals of a premiership; of rediscovering these now fading glory days — the identical ones that at all times lingered within the background earlier than Anthony Seibold’s exit from Red Hill.

“You would’ve thought at the end of 2018, the Broncos were where they were and Seibold was where he was in his coaching career, it looked like a good fit,” Cronk mentioned.

“But ultimately that presence and shadow of Wayne played an important part.”

On Friday evening, Walters has an opportunity to step out of that shadow and this Broncos workforce has the possibility to assert its personal piece of historical past within the path in the direction of one thing particular.

The similar goes for the Dolphins, not that this ‘little brother’ — a minimum of in its present type — has been residing within the shadow of its ‘bigger brother’ for that lengthy anyway.

But they too have one thing to show, as do Jamayne Isaako, Brenko Lee, Tesi Niu, Sean O’Sullivan, Kodi Nikorima and doubtlessly even Anthony Milford — all with an opportunity to get one up on their former aspect.

Intersecting storylines, rivalries and pictures at redemption that arrange what already shapes as essentially the most intriguing recreation of the season up to now.

A recreation the place there can be two winners — the apparent one and, extra importantly, rugby league itself.