Wally Lewis is the one and only “King” of rugby league but Brisbane coach Kevin Walters wants his champion halfback Adam Reynolds to wear the crown of “king of Brisbane” in 10 weeks’ time.
Walters was speaking after the 36-20 win over South Sydney on Friday night on the Sunshine Coast when he was asked about the impact of former Rabbitohs halfback Reynolds, who won the 2014 premiership at the club.
The 33-year-old Reynolds, signed at Brisbane until the end of 2024, has orchestrated the Broncos' surge to 32 competition points and into the top two on the NRL ladder.
“He’s had a huge impact on us. We’ve had some really good imports come to the club, from the early days right the way through, and he is up there with them,” Walters said of Reynolds.
”We bought him two years ago to be our captain, lead our side and be our coach on the field … all things that the great number sevens do.
“He’s doing that for us. We’ve just got to get him to do it for another 10 weeks and he will be the king of Brisbane.”
There’s a lot to unpack in that response by Walters.
The “10 weeks from now” is October 1 and the date of the NRL grand final. Walters won five premierships with the Broncos and one with Canberra as a player. Winning titles is his forte and he wants to be at Accor Stadium in Sydney with Reynolds to put a crown on his head.
The Broncos’ greatest import from south of the Tweed River was Queanbeyan-born prop Glenn Lazarus, who won the 1992 and 1993 grand finals at Brisbane after being recruited from Canberra, where he was integral in their 1989 and 1990 title wins.
The Broncos, with honourable exceptions such as NSW Blues stars Terry Matterson and Mick De Vere, have mostly featured Queensland homegrown shining lights in their six premiership wins.
Sydney-born and raised Reynolds, if he can be part of a title win, will be regarded in a similar way to Lazarus. It is why Walters also said “the proof will be in the pudding” when asked about Reynolds’ overarching impact on the Broncos after a masterful display against his old club on Friday night, when he scored the final try.
“Adam does bring all of our players into the game and it was probably his best defensive match as well, given that left (side attack) of South Sydney is so lethal," Walters said.
“It was another good win for us. We have had a lot of good wins but there is still a long way for us to go,. Each week we keep winning we keep getting closer to where we want to get to.”
