{"id":289547,"date":"2023-09-22T02:19:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T02:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=289547"},"modified":"2023-09-22T02:19:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T02:19:06","slug":"inside-the-deal-that-brought-reynolds-and-maybe-a-premiership-to-brisbane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/rugby-league\/inside-the-deal-that-brought-reynolds-and-maybe-a-premiership-to-brisbane\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the deal that brought Reynolds – and maybe a premiership – to Brisbane"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Roy Masters<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Adam Reynolds is in career-best form since his move north of the Tweed.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature, American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote.<\/p>\n

The story of how Adam Reynolds came to Brisbane is a touching tale of old-school football loyalties centring on how a former Broncos premiership player, aware what was need to save the coaching career of his mate and Broncos boss Kevin Walters, drove a deal after consulting with two of rugby league\u2019s greatest leaders and confiding in a player manager from a bygone era.<\/p>\n

Chris Johns and Walters are more than teammates from the Broncos\u2019 1992-93 premiership years.<\/p>\n

They were business partners back in 2005, each holding a one-third share in a booming Brisbane car wash business, along with former Australian cricketer, Ian Healy. But Walters\u2019 ambition was always to coach and in 2008 he surrendered his share to Johns\u2019 brother, Cameron.<\/p>\n

Walters, widely known by his good bloke Kevvy name, accepted assistant coach\u2019s roles with the Broncos (three times), Melbourne and Newcastle, while earlier taking charge of the Ipswich Jets and France\u2019s Catalans in Super League, before being appointed Queensland Origin coach and working for Fox Sports.<\/p>\n

Yet, as the car wash business grew to five franchises, Walters was punished by the sin of ambition, failing to secure a top NRL position. Johns agonised, calling me, as his former coach at St George, to check on Walters\u2019 progress with the Storm.<\/p>\n

As president of the Broncos\u2019 past players association, Johns lobbied hard for Walters to be appointed head coach, annoying chair Karl Morris with furious late-night text messages.<\/p>\n

Anthony Seibold won the job but delivered the Broncos their only wooden spoon.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kevin Walters had long coveted the Broncos\u2019 coaching job he finally landed in 2021.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

So, after the longest coaching apprenticeship for a five-time premiership player, Walters finally won the job he always craved. But he didn\u2019t do much better than Seibold in his inaugural season of 2021, coming 14th.<\/p>\n

Johns has footy smarts, being the Storm\u2019s inaugural CEO as well as a Kangaroo. He was convinced an organising halfback could save his mate\u2019s coaching career.<\/p>\n

Three potential names had been mentioned \u2013 Parramatta\u2019s Mitchell Moses, Cronulla\u2019s Shaun Johnson and South Sydney\u2019s Reynolds \u2013 but no one at the Broncos, still a club in turmoil, had seized the initiative to commence negotiations.<\/p>\n

The tenacious Johns, despite having no formal role at the Broncos, is not one to stay silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said to them, \u2018You\u2019ve got to get Reynolds. He\u2019s exactly what we need.\u2019 But they were not convinced.\u201d<\/p>\n

He threatened to fly to Sydney and sign Reynolds himself, only to be told by Walters, sensitive to club politics, \u201cYou can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

You should be going for Reynolds but it\u2019s not about what I think … It\u2019s what the players think. They know he will be good for them.<\/p>\n

Johns called his former Broncos coach Wayne Bennett and asked which of the three halves Brisbane should choose. Bennett, who had coached Reynolds at the Rabbitohs, nominated his former No.7.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the thing that pushed me hard,\u201d admitted Johns in reference to Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, \u201cwas Bellyache.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Johns, Bellamy, said, \u201cYou should be going for Reynolds but it\u2019s not about what I think, or what Wayne thinks, or what the board thinks. It\u2019s what the players think. They will know Reynolds will be good for them. They will know he\u2019s the one who can run a game plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reynolds is managed by long-term agent Steve \u201cChimes\u201d Gillis, universally held in high regard by ex-players, particularly those who have placed their son\u2019s affairs in his care. Old-schoolers noted that when Brett Finch (son of Robert), Jarrod Mullen (son of Steve) and Jack De Belin (grandson of Fred) attended court, Chimes didn\u2019t miss a day and didn\u2019t hide from the cameras.<\/p>\n

Gillis said, \u201cJohnsie rang me and said he needed a favour. He said he needed to get Kevvy in front of Adam. He knew Adam was the man who could turn the place around.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came down on a Sunday night and I drove them to Adam\u2019s house at Mascot. They chatted for an hour or so and Kevvy presented Adam with a Broncos jumper. It was old-school stuff. They flew back on a 8.30pm flight. A physio came down to give Adam the once-over and they did the deal only two or three days after the meeting.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kevin Walters, Chris Johns and Ian Healy at their car wash in 2005.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Glenn Hunt<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u201cJohnsie was the man who put us all together. He was the one who flicked the switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johns defers credit to Gillis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no authority to sign Reynolds,\u201d he said. \u201cChimes made it happen. Chimes always does the best for his clients. A few player managers could learn from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Reynolds\u2019 first year at the Broncos did not deliver success. They were in the top four by round 19, despite Reynolds missing four mid-season matches. The Broncos then lost five of their last six matches with him on the field. But, despite the mounting losses and the \u201cKevvy can\u2019t coach\u201d cries, he maintained faith with his talented but troubled team. Most coaches would have axed the many youngsters and brought back experienced players to secure a top-eight place. The Broncos finished ninth but the rookies gained experience.<\/p>\n

Walters also gambled on the future at the end of this season.<\/p>\n

Guaranteed the minor premiership if they defeated an understrength Melbourne team in the final round, Walters rested almost his entire squad and was beaten, gifting the Panthers the JJ Giltinan trophy. The Broncos, with their top side selected, then humiliated the Storm in the first week of the finals and now meet the Warriors, travelling back across the Tasman to play in front of a parochial Brisbane crowd on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Walters and Johns were both part of the Broncos 1990s golden era.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fairfax Media<\/cite><\/p>\n

Walters acknowledges John\u2019s role in securing Reynolds, conceding, \u201che has always looked out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

State loyalty is the only enduring difference between them, with Johns being the first Brisbane-based player selected in a NSW State of Origin team in 1990.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had our differences over the years,\u201d says Walters, \u201cbut the thing I like about him more than anything is his honesty.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it can be very brutal. When I was coaching Queensland, he rang me up the morning after we\u2019d just picked the Queensland team. He said, \u2018I just want to congratulate you.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018What for?\u2019 He said, \u2018You just picked the worst Queensland team in history.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s always been honest with me. He hasn\u2019t wavered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men know life is no scripted book. It\u2019s page after page of rocks and diamonds, a volume of success and survival without a back cover to foretell the end.<\/p>\n

Nor will their football relationship end with a premiership in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy next challenge is to get Kevvy a halfback to follow Reynolds,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n

Watch the NRL Grand Final Exclusive Live and Free on Channel 9 and <\/i><\/b>9Now<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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