Kangaroos captain endorses next green and gold coach
Scott Bailey |
Isaah Yeo has endorsed Kevin Walters as Australia’s next coach, with the Kangaroos captain labelling the Brisbane legend a man people want to play for.
Walters is expected to be announced as Mal Meninga’s successor this week, with the ARL Commission (ARLC) finalising plans to unveil him ahead of this year’s Ashes.
It comes after Meninga was forced to step down upon taking on the Perth Bears job last month, while the ARLC has ruled out having a club coach in charge.
Walters’ appointment will mark his return to coaching, after being axed by Brisbane at the end of 2024. He previously led Queensland in State of Origin from 2016 to 2019.
Yeo has never previously worked with Walters, with his only dealings being in post-match interviews or playing against him while in charge of the Broncos.
But he has spoken to a number of players about the 57-year-old, and was happy to have him take over the Kangaroos ahead of the Ashes and 2026 World Cup.
“You can see how much he meant to the players by talking to the Broncos boys,” Yeo said.
“If it wasn’t for Nathan Cleary killing it for 16 or 17 minutes then he’d be a premiership-winning coach. Everyone I’ve spoken to has massive raps on him.
“He’s come out and said how much of an honour it’ll be to be able to coach Brisbane, Queensland and his last one was going to be Australia.
“I’m super excited for him. You can see how much it means to him already and I’d love to be a part of it with him.”
Walters’ appointment will give him three months to prepare for the Ashes, with the first Test against England at Wembley Stadium on October 25.
That short lead-in had been part of Brad Fittler’s reasoning to withdraw from the race, while also concerned about juggling media commitments.
It is for that reason Yeo is happy a coach has finally been appointed, and that Walters is able to fully focus on the tour without worrying about a club side.
“That’s probably where it’s gotten a little bit hard for whoever was going to come in because it’s going to be rushed for them,” Yeo said.
“It’d be hard being an NRL coach and having to worry about a push to the finals and then you’re trying to do this stuff on top of it.
“It’s nice that it’s all done and sealed and we can now get to planning what will hopefully be a successful series over there.
“He’s been pretty busy, Kev, doing a lot with Fox (Sports) at the moment. But it certainly helps because he’s now got three months to try to figure it out.”
Walters’ appointment comes after Cameron Smith also put his hand up for the job, while the ARLC’s no-club-job approach ruled out Wayne Bennett.
AAP
