Former Brisbane, Queensland and Australian five eighth Kevin ‘Kevvy’ Walters made a habit of winning as a deft and canny pivot in his playing days, which coincided with the glory era of the now embattled Brisbane Broncos.
Chiming into a backline bristling with world class talent, Walters and his darting runs proved the ultimate foil for knee high maestro Alfie Langer.
His precision passing made him a highly bankable link man to the likes of Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Mick Hancock, Wendell Sailor and Darren Lockyer, plus countless others.
Tough, cunning and cheeky, Walters was as elegant on the field as he was squeaky clean off it, a classic clubman that woke up with six grand final hangovers for his exploits in the halves for the Broncos and, earlier, Canberra.
288 games for six GF rings. For the statistically inclined, that means just over 2.25% of all Kevin Walters first grade games were premiership victories.
Throw in 20 Origins and 8 Tests and we have ourselves a bonafide winner in Kevin David Walters.
For the purposes of illustrating that very fact, the remainder of this article will scrub the nickname ‘Kevvy’ and replace it with ‘Winner.’
Winner Walters is now a career coach, and has found himself equally spoilt for success with the chewy and clipboard as he was with the six on his back.
Just like his playing career tee’d off in the relatively low-key stripes of the mighty Booval Swifts and then the Norths Devils in the Queensland competition, his coaching reign began in earnest holding the stirrups at former Broncos stronghold the Toowoomba Clydesdales.
To date however, he hasn’t replicated his 2.25% premiership strike rate and it remains to be seen whether Winner’s inaugural appointment will push up the ‘as coach’ win column, given the decidedly non-winning ways of his present options.
Firstly, though, a brief rundown of Winner Walters’ coaching acumen.
From the Clydesdales he graduated to the semi-big league and understudied for the great Wayne Bennett at the Broncos.
That was until, in 2005, Bennett decided that Winner wasn’t helping the Broncos add to their trophy cabinet and sensationally punted him.
Then it was back to the state league with the Ipswich Jets before the time came to tape up the boots for a head coach role in the top flight, albeit with French Super League club Catalans Dragons.
He was first fitted for a Catalans polo in 2009 and despite a less than Winner-esque start (he lost 5 from his first six in charge), he ended up taking the unfancied Frenchmen to within one game of the 2009 SL grand final.
This established Winner as an up and coming, exciting youngster (he was 42) of the coaching realm, and so it was that the very next year he found himself falling into rank beside arguably the pre-eminent coaching Tsar of the new millennium: Craig Bellamy.
Fast forward two years and a seventh premiership ring (or cap, or shirt, or whatever the assistant coach gets) and Winner now finds himself pining for the real deal.
Resigning from the NRL’s southern fortress and setting his sights on a return to Queensland and a coaching gig with one of the sunshine states red hot top-flight franchises.
Could it be the Cold coast, currently giving up more points than a speed dealer at a rave party?
Or the once mighty Broncos, who given their recent age-centric recruiting choices would probably be more likely to ink him as a new five eighth?
No, odds are shortening that he will saddle up in the tropics, taking his Winning ways to the deep north and its long suffering legion of Cowboys fans.
Neil Henry has finally fallen off a seemingly lengthy plank after another season of woe. It will forever sit snugly alongside the previous seasons of woe poor old King Henry has presided over in Townsville.
Some would say the much maligned yet likeable Henry was given a generous stay of execution, given calls for his head have seemingly circulated longer than phantom Elvis sightings.
The question now for Winner Walters or whomever the next coach may be, is this; will the same degree of patience be extended from a club that is approaching 20 years in the top grade and a solitary GF appearance to show for it?
Sure in the early years the Cowboys weren’t known for their on-field prowess, however in more recent times they have very much had the cattle; so much so they seem to enter just about every new season as premiership favourites or top four certainties.
Having served his apprenticeship under the best and still smarting from missing out on the Tigers job to Mick Potter a year ago, Winner Walters is understandably chomping at the bit to be the man giving stone faced three word answers at post match pressers and no longer the sidekick running the water.
He wants his chunk of post-retirement glory and there’s no-one more deserving. However he might just be about to step into a feisty bullring at the cowboys, blessed with a powerful roster yet cursed with oft thwarted expectation.
League types can only watch on to see if he will take his 2.25% into the coaching history books in 2014.
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