Billy Walters reveals Benji Marshall mentorship for Broncos five-eighth mission
In his first interview since being pitchforked into the halves, Walters backed his emergency band-aid pairing with halfback Ben Hunt to keep Brisbane's title assault on track in Saturday's derby blockbuster against the Dolphins.
Walters has played 15 of his 20 games off the bench this season but hamstring injuries to star halves Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds has seen him answer a scrumbase SOS for the must-win Battle of Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
The makeshift pivot concedes he doesn't have the instinctive brilliance Mam, but the son of Broncos five-eighth legend Kevin Walters is steeled by his lessons from legendary Tigers magician Marshall.
The pair spent a season together at the Wests Tigers in 2020. Former whiz-kid Marshall once rated Walters' show-and-go as deceptive as that of Cowboys champion Johnathan Thurston and the Broncos hooker-turned-pivot is confident he can stabilise Brisbane's strife-torn scrumbase.
'I think I can do the job for sure,' Walters said ahead of his scrumbase duel with Dolphins halves Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa.
''Madge' (coach Michael Maguire) isn't expecting me to be like Ezra Mam, my job is to bring some experience and a bit of a calm head I guess.
'It's my role to kick to the corners and defend well and that's probably my role going forward the next few weeks while we wait for 'Reyno' and hopefully Ezra to return.
'I thought my days at five-eighth were behind me, but Madge suggested I do some reps in the halves because Ezra was serving his suspension and Reyno ended up having neck surgery, so it's ended up working out well for me and 'Hunty'.'
Walters says the advice of 346-game legend Marshall, who won a premiership at the Wests Tigers in 2005, will hold him in good stead for the Dolphins clash.
'I was lucky to work with Cameron Smith at Melbourne and it was so cool learning off Benji at the Tigers,' Walters said.
'Benji was really good for me in terms of relaxing and finding a balance between being serious in the NRL, but also enjoying the moment.
'He obviously is a better runner of the football than me, but he said you need to be in a good headspace to be having fun and playing your best football.
'That's the biggest thing I learned from him _ I'm in a good spot at the moment.'
Walters' form over the past two months has been sensational. For many years, the 31-year-old lived in the shadow of his famous father, but former Broncos coach Kevin Walters lauded his son's versatility and says he won't let the Broncos down at second receiver.
'He is maturing and proving to everybody what he can do,' said Walters, who will be analysing the Battle of Brisbane exclusively live on Fox League.
'He's played in the halves before, not only at the Broncos, but also for the Tigers and also for the Storm. He is no newcomer to that role.
'The Broncos have the luxury where you lose Adam Reynolds and you drop Ben Hunt into halfback.
'That's a huge advantage for them.
'Billy's got great self-belief and we all believe in him so much, but that belief is coming through in his football now.
'He knows that he belongs at the Broncos and in that jersey.
'I feel he's playing good football.
'Last year I thought Billy was one of our better players and the year before in the grand final run he was up with our best players.
'This year is no different. He's had a different sort of role to play this year which he's taken on and embraced and the Broncos have benefited from that.'
Walters' career at the Broncos appeared at the crossroads in pre-season when he lost the No.9 jumper to Cory Paix for the premiership opener against the Roosters.
But Walters has thrived on the challenge and is relishing the prospect of combining with Hunt to steer the Broncos to the playoffs.
'It was disappointing losing my starting position,' he said.
'But credit to Cory Paix, he had a pretty good pre-season and it was a challenge for me to bring out my best football, which it did in the end.
'I never take my spot at the Broncos for granted, especially in these Battle of Brisbane games against the Dolphins, so I'll enjoy every second I'm out there.' NRL
Popular ABC rugby league broadcaster Andrew Moore is in intensive care at Westmead hospital, after suffering a serious heart attack that required emergency surgery. NRL
Penrith's nine-game winning streak has come to an end at the hands of Melbourne, with some Xavier Coates brilliance and a moment of individual magic from Harry Grant sealing a dramatic golden point win.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Australian defector digs boot into country as Matthew Richardson becomes fastest man ever on two wheels
Just over a year on from becoming the golden boy of Australian sport after winning three medals at the Paris Games only to dump the green and gold for the colours of Great Britain, cyclist Matthew Richardson has become the fastest man ever on two wheels. The 26-year-old on Thursday became the first person to smash the nine-second barrier over 200 metres on the track, with a sizzling 8.941 seconds from a flying start at the Konya Velodrome in Turkey. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Scorching around the track at an average speed of 80.5kph, Richardson was thrilled after seeing his world record time: 'It's cool to be able to call myself the fastest cyclist of all-time.' 'It was a lot faster than I've previously ridden. I was basically just a passenger. I gave the bike a bit of direction, and it was just steering itself almost. 'I rode a lot of it outside the sprint lane, so I know there's a bit more there.' You can watch Matthew Richardson's world record run in the player above However, while Great Britain now celebrates its new world record holder, Aussies can only watch on and shake their heads, as most will likely never forgive him for his ultimate betrayal. Richardson was born in England, but after moving Down Under as a child, he was coached for his entire career in Perth. Competing for Australia, Richardson was a dual Commonwealth champion before claiming his two silvers and a bronze for Australia last August at the Paris Games. But following the games, he dropped a bombshell that shook the cycling world, that he was defecting to Great Britain. He was subsequently banned for life by AusCycling for leaving the program and was also accused of taking AusCycling property, including a custom bike, cockpit and Olympic race suit to Great Britain. And to make his world record harder to swallow for Australians, it was largely achieved thanks to British Cycling deciding to put on an event at the ideal venue for a world-breaking run. His 8.941-second run was made at the speedy Turkish velodrome, which directly benefits from the altitude assistance of being located 1,200m above sea level. Higher altitude leads to faster cycling speeds, primarily due to reduced air density and thus, lower air resistance or drag. Richardson wasn't the only Briton to break a world record at the specialised British meet either, with Will Bjergfelt setting a world record for the C5 UCI Hour Record, covering 51.471km in 60 minutes. He became the first para-cyclist to ever smash the 50km mark.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Veteran James O'Connor backed to ‘run the game' in his Wallabies return
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has no doubts flyhalf James O'Connor will be the 'guy to listen to' when he makes his first appearance for Australia since 2022 this weekend against South Africa in Johannesburg. The return of 35-year-old O'Connor for the injured Tom Lynagh (concussion) has been confirmed as the only change to the Australian team that started in the 22-12 third Test win over the British and Irish Lions in Sydney on August 2. O'Connor was part of the Wallabies' extended squad for the series against the Lions but didn't get any game time. However, Schmidt said the 64-Test veteran was more than ready to call the shots as the Wallabies' main playmaker. 'The good thing with James is he came in right at the start of the Lions series, so he had three weeks with us,' Schmidt said. 'He's had a period to probably just assimilate himself into the systems that we run and to start gaining confidence that he could run the game and the confidence of the players that he was a guy to listen to. 'He's done that really well.' Any doubt whether O'Connor would start or come off the bench was quashed when Ben Donaldson, who replaced Lynagh during the win over the Lions, suffered an injury at training on Thursday. '(O'Connor) brings a lot of experience and it's probably fortuitous because our initial thought was going with Ben Donaldson, who spent more time with us and played the last 50 minutes of that third Test against the British and Irish Lions,' Schmidt said. 'We felt that James was best served and the team was best served by James getting enough reps during the week and having the time in the saddle. 'We've obviously tracked him through the Super Rugby, playing for the Crusaders. I've seen him play for a number of years, probably because he's played for a number of years. '(He has had) a very long career but hasn't played for the Wallabies for three years, so he's pretty excited about that opportunity.' Schmidt said his squad had prepared well for the tough task of facing the world champions on Sunday morning (AEST). 'The group has had a good week of preparation, adjusting pretty well to the time zone and the altitude well here in Johannesburg,' he said. 'There's not many bigger Tests than playing South Africa on their home turf and we know we're going to need to be at our best.' Wallabies: James Slipper, Billy Pollard, Taniela Tupou, Nick Frost, Will Skelton, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c), Nic White, James O'Connor, Dylan Pietsch, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, Tom Wright. Bench: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Tate McDermott, Andrew Kellaway.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin to lead Australian Davis Cup team for Sydney clash with Belgium
Australia's top three ranked male players headlined by Alex de Minaur will fly the flag in the Davis Cup tie against Belgium in Sydney in September. But injuries have again cruelled hopes of picking Nick Kyrgios, who was denied a doubles berth against Sweden in February as his stop-start on-court career continues. Captain Lleyton Hewitt's team, ranked No.2 in the world, is chasing a fourth consecutive appearance at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Italy in November. He's picked de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, warrior Jordan Thompson and doubles specialist Matt Ebden for the second-round tie. 'Alex de Minaur obviously loves playing in Australia, and even more so playing on Ken Rosewall Arena. He feels like that's his home court out there,' Hewitt said. 'He's played some big matches on this court in the past, in the Sydney International, the Davis Cup and the United Cup as well. He's going to be really looking forward to getting back out there. 'Alex is a top-10 player and has had a fantastic season, putting himself in contention in all the big tournaments. 'Alexei Popyrin has come off a really good run again at the Canadian Open in Toronto, especially going in there as defending champion. Hopefully, he'll get some confidence during the US swing. He's going to be a big player for us in the Davis Cup tie. 'Jordan Thompson has had a few injuries this year, but he's been very solid every time he's come on court. He had a good run at Wimbledon, in singles and doubles and obviously him playing with Matty Ebden in the doubles, they've played some big Davis Cup matches for us in the past. It's good to have the four guys available for us.' It will be de Minaur's 13th Davis Cup tie having surged back into the world's top 10 after taking his 10th career singles title in Washington last month. Popyrin has also hit a career-high ranking of No.19 , becoming the seventh Australian man behind Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis, Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic and De Minaur to get into the world's top 20. Australia leads Belgium 4-3 in the head-to-head series, including a 3-0 win in Hamburg during the group stage in 2022. 'We've played some big Davis Cup ties against Belgium. They play really well, they play with a lot of pride out there every time they're playing for their country, so we're certainly not taking anything for granted,' Hewitt said. 'We've had a pretty good run the last three or four years in the Davis Cup. We feel like we've got some unfinished business, and this is another stepping stone and another chance for us to put our self in contention. 'We'll be doing absolutely everything we can to get the result that we feel like we deserve and it's really nice to be playing on home soil.'
