Broncos coach hunt: Who’ll replace ousted Walters at Red Hill

Brisbane’s plans for the 2025 NRL season have been reset to zero after the club’s powerbrokers decided to part ways with head coach Kevin Walters, leaving the NRL world asking one question: Who’ll take his place?

There are already seven potential options (technically eight considering one’s a duo act) being linked with the Brisbane vacancy, with successful Queensland coach Billy Slater and recently sacked Parramatta Eels helmsman Brad Arthur among the top choices being mused over by the Broncos bosses in the wake of Walter’s shock postseason sacking.

The Sporting Base has heard these possibilities as Brisbane’s top candidates:

• Billy Slater
• Michael Maguire
• Brad Arthur
• Ben and Shane Walker
• Trent Barrett
• Jason Demetriou
• Josh Hannay

Of these seven choices, the lead contenders are the two reigning Origin coaches. Many in rugby league were incredibly impressed by Maguire’s ability to spark New South Wales’ famous victory in 2024, while Slater’s shone as a rep coach since the 2022 series.

Hannay is another interesting option for the Broncos, especially considering just how close he just came to the Eels gig; he barely lost out to Jason Ryles in that pitching process. He’s long expressed his interest to move from the deputy role with Queensland into the NRL proper and will be at the forefront of any interviewing held at Red Hill this month.

Ipswich Jets premiership duo Ben and Shane Walker are also a chance after playing for the club.

Early word coming out of Red Hill at the end of this week is that Michael Maguire will get first swing. He’s easily one of the most experienced coaches on the market and even came close to leading the Broncos back in 2018 after Wayne Bennett left. Anthony Seibold was picked instead.

In 2018, Maguire said he’d love to coach the powerhouse club at some point in his career and said, should the time be right, he’d always “certainly consider that and any other opportunity.”

“I don’t know the ins and outs of the Broncos, but Brisbane are a club most coaches would view as a strong club to go to because of the facilities and funding they have,” he told the Courier Mail at the time. “Ultimately, it’s the people involved in a club and the ambitions and desire of an organisation to be successful that appeals to me.”

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No matter who takes the now-vacant Brisbane job, The Sporting Base expects newly-hired assistants in Ben Te’o and Trent Barrett to stay on at Red Hill under the next helmsman.