BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 25: Broncos coach Kevin Walters looks dejected as he speaks at a press conference after the round 24 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium, on August 25, 2022, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Brisbane Broncos' Kevin Walters has insisted his side will "get it right" this season despite losing three of their last four ahead of what could be a difficult State of Origin period.

The latest comments came on the back of a 15 points to 4 loss for the Broncos to the Penrith Panthers at home on Thursday night to launch Round 12.

The Broncos found life difficult in attack without star halfback Adam Reynolds in what was their third loss out of their last four appearances.

Walters said that the run of form for the club who led the table during the opening instalments of the season wasn't alarming.

"It's not alarming [being one from our last four] because we have played Souths, Penrith, Manly and Melbourne. We would prefer to win one or all four of them ideally, but I'm okay with where we are," Walters said during his post-match press conference.

"When we get it right, and we will get it right in September, we are going to be okay."

Walters bristled when pressed further on the tightness of the competition table, sending a reminder that almost every club in the game would take the position the Broncos find themselves in.

"We have beaten Penrith already this year in Round 1, so that's locked away. We have to play Melbourne again, the Roosters, I think we play Souths again. Let's have another look in ten or twelve weeks time," Walters said.

"If we are continually getting beaten then, well that's not great, but at the moment, I'm okay with where we are at.

"If you had of said last year in September when everyone was throwing bricks that after 12 rounds you have won eight games, you'd take that from a Broncos' position. Every club would take that. Who has won more games than us?"

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The Broncos, who only had 42 per cent possession during the game, made a staggering 443 tackles and were committed in defence.

Walters was quick to label his side's performance as "brave" but admitted their shortcomings in attack throughout the contest.

"We were really brave. I was happy with the effort, just not quite good enough tonight with the execution of our plays that we wanted to do," Walters said.

"Again, it's all learning for us. They have been doing it for three or four years now the Panthers and we are just coming into that - learngin about ourselves and what sort of team we can be.

"That [the desperation we showed] was a real positive for us. They put 50-something on the Roosters last week and have scored a lot of points in the last month of footy. They are obviously a team that can score points and to keep them to 14, I thought that was a good job for us defensively, but we just didn't quite get our attack.

"And when they had 60 per cent of the possession, it makes it very hard with your energy levels in defence to keep tackling and then get the ball and want to run it down the other end of the field."

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The Broncos now enter a tricky Origin period where they could lose all or a combination of Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo, Payne Haas, Thomas Flegler, Patrick Carrigan and Kurt Capewell. Haas, Carrigan and Capewell are almost certainties to be selected.

Playing the New Zealand Warriors in Napier next week, the Broncos don't enjoy another bye until Round 16, with another to follow quickly in Round 19, but could play multiple games without their Origin stars if Walters elects to rest in games directly after the Wednesday night encounters.

That could leave the Broncos, who have struggled without stars this year, sliding down a tightly compacted ladder ahead of a final push to September - a period they struggled enormously in last year to miss out on the top eight.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hey Scott,
    I like your takes in general… but please work on grammar. It sends me nuts!
    ‘Had’ve’ – not ‘had of’.

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