Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kevin David Walters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1967-10-20)20 October 1967 (age 58) Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 83 kg (13 st 1 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Education | Bremer State High School Ipswich Grammar School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Billy Walters (son) Steve Walters (brother) Kerrod Walters (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kevin David Walters (born 20 October 1967) is an Australian former professionalrugby league player and coach, as well as apundit (2017–2018, 2025) forFox League.
As a first-grade player for theCanberra Raiders and theBrisbane Broncos clubs, Walters was positioned atfive-eighth orhalfback in squads that cumulatively won six premiership titles. He played a few games for theWarrington Wolves in the British Super League, and theIpswich Jets in theBrisbane Rugby League Premiership. Mostly in the 1990s, Walters representedAustralia andQueensland.
Walters coached theCatalans Dragons (2009–2010) in the BritishSuper League, Queensland in theState of Origin series (2016–2019),[5] and the Brisbane Broncos (2021–2024) in theNational Rugby League (NRL).
Walters was born inRockhampton, Queensland[6] in 1967 to parents Kevin (died 2010)[7] and Sandra (died 2013),[8] who had a total of five children, all male: Brett,Steve, Andrew, Kevin and his twinKerrod.[9]
Walters attendedBremer State High School until gaining a sporting scholarship[10] for Years 11 and 12 atIpswich Grammar School,[11] where he and his twin became school prefects.[12] Walters grew up playing football with his brothers, in particular Steve and Kerrod, as well asAllan Langer. This combination of players was later referred to as "TheIpswich Connection".[13]
From 1983 to 1984, Walters and three of his brothers (Brett, Steve and Kerrod) played for theBooval Swifts club before joining theIpswich Jets in theBrisbane Rugby League Premiership competition in 1986. The next year, Walters followed Steve to theCanberra Raiders and theNew South Wales Rugby League Premiership competition and remained until transferring to the Brisbane Broncos in 1990.
According to the Broncos, Kevin Walters holds the record for most finals' appearances[14] and has played six times in premiership-winning teams; one with the Canberra Raiders (1989) and five with the Brisbane Broncos (1992, 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2000).[6]
In the1987 NSWRL season, Walters was a reserve[citation needed] in the Canberra Raiders' first grand final, which they lost 8–18 to theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles at theSydney Cricket Ground. Notwithstanding, he was named the Raiders'Rookie of the Year.[citation needed] In 1989, Walters played from the bench for Canberra in their 19–14NSWRL Grand Final win against theBalmain Tigers at theSydney Football Stadium.[citation needed]
Separately, Walters made his debut for theQueensland Maroons in the1989 State of Origin series as a reserve in game 3 atLang Park in Brisbane.
Walters signed with the Brisbane Broncos in1990 and played again alongside his twin brother. Head coachWayne Bennett positioned Walters atfive-eighth. Walters won the Broncos' 1990Player of the Year award.[citation needed] At representative level, Walters played from the reserve bench for Queensland in all six games of the1990 and the1991 State of Origin series. He gained selection for the1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, but only played in tour matches against local sides rather than inTest matches. On the1991 Kangaroo tour of Papua New Guinea, Walters made his test match debut; he and Kerrod became the first twin brothers to play rugby league for Australia.[citation needed]
Walters played in the1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand that saw Australia retainThe Ashes. Later that year, he was part of the Brisbane roster that won the1992 Grand Final 28–8 against theSt George Dragons at Sydney Football Stadium. Steve, Kevin and Kerrod Walters had already become the first trio of brothers to play for Queensland and Australia in 1992,[15] and another milestone was achieved when all three were selected to tour in England with the AustralianRugby League World Cup squad. Australia won the final 10–6. Furthermore, Walters played in Brisbane's 1992World Club Challenge win over theWigan Warriors atCentral Park in England. In 1993, he was part ofBrisbane's 14–6 grand final victory over the St George Dragons atANZ Stadium, Brisbane.
During the1994 NSWRL season, Walters played at five-eighth for defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted and lost the1994 World Club Challenge 14–20 to British championsWigan Warriors atANZ Stadium. At the end of the season, Walters went on the1994 Kangaroo tour.
Walters also played in the1997 Super League Grand Final victory for Brisbane. Although not a consistent player for the Maroons, Walters was part of the winning1998 State of Origin team, dummying his way over for a try in the decider.[16] That year, he played at five-eighth in the1998 NRL grand final and won another premiership with the Broncos. WhenAllan Langer retired in 1999, Walters became the Brisbane Broncos' team captain. In the second match of the1999 State of Origin series, he also captained Queensland. In the Broncos'2000 NRL grand final 14–6 win against theSydney Roosters atStadium Australia, Walters captained at halfback, claiming one more premiership ring with the club before moving to England at the request of Allan Langer.[17]
In 2001, Walters played four games for theWarrington Wolves in the English Super League. However, he and his family preferred to be in Australia, so Walters returned to the Brisbane Broncos, played five games and finished his playing career in the2001 NRL season.[18] In 2003, Walters was one of the first four former players inducted into the Broncos official Hall of Fame.[19] In 2007, Walters was included in a club list of their best twenty best players to date.[20]
Following retirement as a player, Walters started his coaching career with theToowoomba Clydesdales in theQueensland Cup regional competition as head coach (2001–2003), then the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL as assistant coach (2003–2005, 2015, 2018) and theQueensland Maroons in theState of Origin series as assistant coach (2006–2008, 2014–2015). Each of Walters' stints (2003–2005, 2015, 2018) as an assistant coach at Brisbane was under head coachWayne Bennett. At the end of the 2005 season, after five successive years without a grand final appearance, Bennett decided to clean-out the coaching staff and removed long-time allies such as Walters,Gary Belcher andGlenn Lazarus.[21] Walters then became head coach of theIpswich Jets (2007–2008) in theQueensland Cup competition before securing a coaching contract in the EnglishSuper League with the France-basedCatalans Dragons.
In 2009, Walters was appointed as the head coach of theCatalans Dragons.[22][23] The team reached the qualifying semi-final for theSuper League Grand Final and finished eighth in the competition after sixteen wins and sixteen losses during theCatalans Dragons 2009 season. In the2010 season, the Dragons finished fourteenth (last) after six wins and twenty-one losses.
Returning to Australia, Walters was going to coach theEasts Tigers in theQueensland Cup in 2011, but instead joined theMelbourne Storm as an NRL assistant coach[24] underCraig Bellamy, where he remained until the end of the2013 NRL season. After Melbourne, Walters was appointed in 2014 as the halves' coach for theNewcastle Knights under Wayne Bennett.
In December 2015, Walters was appointed as head coach of theQueenslandState of Origin team afterMal Meninga had to resign on becoming theAustralian national rugby league team coach.[5] In both 2016 and 2017, the Maroons achieved a 2–1 series victory over New South Wales. In the2018 series, New South Wales won 2–1. In the2019 State of Origin series, Queensland won the first game but suffered a 38–6 loss atOptus Stadium in the second game. In game 3, Queensland lost in the final twenty seconds after New South Wales scored a length of the field try.[25][26][27][28] In September 2020, Walters resigned as the Maroons' head coach after being appointed head coach of the Brisbane Broncos.[29][30]
In the2021 NRL season, Walters made his debut as an NRL head coach. His first victory as such was in round 3 when the Brisbane Broncos defeated the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24–0 atSuncorp Stadium.[31] By the end of 2021, Brisbane had won a total of seven matches and lost seventeen. They did not qualify for the finals and finished fourteenth on the NRL ladder. In2022, formerSouth Sydney Rabbitohs captain and prolific football-kickerAdam Reynolds joined Brisbane ashalfback and team captain. They won a total of thirteen matches and lost eleven, but missed out on the finals again, finishing ninth.
Brisbane started2023 with five consecutive wins, including theBattle for Brisbane 18–12 victory on 24 March atSuncorp Stadium against theDolphins – coached by Walters' former mentorWayne Bennett – in their inaugural NRL season. Brisbane extended Walters' contract until the end of the 2025 season.[32] At the end of round 10, Brisbane was on top of the 2023 league ladder; however, that changed the following week. By round 25, Brisbane was back in first position and needed to defeat the Melbourne Storm to secure theminor premiership, but a decision to rest eleven of thirteen regular players that match contributed significantly to Brisbane finishing second (two weeks later) on the 2023 ladder after thePenrith Panthers, the minor and major premiers from 2022. Nevertheless, Brisbane went on to qualify for their first grand final in eight years. In the2023 NRL Grand Final atAccor Stadium against the Penrith Panthers, Brisbane trailed 6–8 at half-time. In the second half, they scored three quick tries to lead 24–8. However, during the last twenty minutes, Brisbane suffered the worst collapse in NRL Grand Final history, losing 26–24.[33][34]
Under Walters in the2024 NRL season, Brisbane were unable to back up their feats from 2023 with the club finishing twelfth on the table. Walters' position as Brisbane head coach came under heavy scrutiny by the media.[35] The club conducted an internal review after the end of the regular season, and Walters was terminated from his coaching position on 26 September 2024.
Walters was head coach of theAustralia national rugby league team for the2025 Kangaroo tour of England.[36] Australia won the series 3-0.
Walters is a carpenter by trade, completing his apprenticeship with MBA Group Training in Canberra.[37] Walters married long-term partner Narelle Bristow in 2012 and together they have two children, Harry (born 2003) and Ava (born 2005).[38] In total, Walters has five children from two marriages; all of whom have played rugby league.[39]
In January 1991, Walters married Kim Alison Facer and together had three children: Jack,Billy (a qualified carpenter)[40] and Jett.[39] Kim died frombreast cancer in 1998. With Dr Cherrell Hirst, the then director of theWesley Breast Clinic, Walters launchedThe Wesley Hospital Kim Walters Choices Program – a free community service that offers support to people diagnosed with cancer – in Brisbane.[41] In 2017, the program's name changed toThe Wesley Hospital Choices Cancer Support Centre with Walters continuing as Patron.[41]
