When the Brisbane Broncos signed Adam Reynolds last year, coach Kevin Walters said, “his leadership and game management are outstanding and he will really help bring out the best in our squad” – what Walters didn’t say was how much Reynolds was going to help him improve as a coach.
For without Reynolds, where would the Broncos be right now?
Where would Walters be?
Would they be sitting inside the top 8 with a 5-4 record?
They may have nabbed another quality player but would they have fit as perfectly as someone like the little premiership-winner from Redfern?
What Reynolds has brought to the Broncos isn’t just what he does on the field.
He has made Walters a better coach during the week.
The match-winning kicking, the organising, the confidence on-field has transformed the once-mighty Broncos to the point where fans can dream again but now something is happening to them as an organisation, as a squad and as a community.
After all, this is Kevvie’s first crack at the NRL.
Yes, he coached Queensland.
But that’s a different beast.
To be a successful coach in the NRL, you need to learn (quickly), that every moment you have with your players on every single day means something. It can make or break a game plan, a player’s confidence – the difference between winning and losing on the weekend.
The fact is, Reynolds needed the Broncos and Walters needed Reynolds.
So much has been reported about South Sydney turning their back on one of their favourite sons. A local junior and a legend of the Rabbitohs club. But you can’t blame the Rabbitohs for making a tough decision. They made it and they must live with it.
It might work out for the Rabbitohs and it will eventually.
But in the short-term, Reynolds was right to shift his family to Queensland and challenge himself.
Now the Broncos are enjoying the spoils.
Brisbane is feeding off Reynolds and Walters is feeding off Reynolds.
One of the greatest halves to ever come out of Queensland and one of the biggest names to play for the Broncos, Walters struggled in his first season as coach of the club in 2021.
Brodie Croft didn’t work out.
Tom Dearden played some games.
Tyson Gamble tried hard.
They even brought back Karmichael Hunt at one point.
Anthony Milford had to go.
Albert Kelly was a thing for a while.
Now, with Reynolds at the helm, they are beating teams like Souths without Payne Haas and Kurt Capewell.
Better still, Reynolds has been winning games with a rotating spine around him.
In the matches the little halfback has played this year, he has played with three different spines which began with Tesi Niu at fullback which is now Te Maire Martin. He’s had three different five-eighths in Kelly, Billy Walters and Tyson Gamble. Jake Turpin was his hooker but now it’s Walters.
The Broncos are firing and have a chance at Magic Round to put a number on the inconsistent Manly Sea Eagles.
Daly Cherry-Evans and Nicho Hynes new outright leaders of 2022 Beetson Raudonikis Medal
Yes Manly have Tom Trojevic back but does that matter anymore?
Punters would look at this fixture this time last year and pick the Eagles purely on the back of Tommy Turbo and Brisbane’s lack of belief and consistency.
2022 is a different story.
One day, Walters will look back and thank Adam Reynolds.
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