NRL finals Brisbane Broncos |Ben Ikin should be Kevin Walters’ ‘lackey’ amid rift rumours says Gorden Tallis
Gorden Tallis says Broncos football boss Ben Ikin should be a “lackey” to head coach Kevin Walters, and job titles like his are “made-up”.
The comments, made on Triple M’s Sunday Sin Bin, come amid reports of a rift between Walters and Ikin.
According to the Courier-Mail, Walters kept Ikin at arm’s length throughout the season, and locked him out of crucial decisions.
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It was reported that the relationship got so bad they were forced to hold crisis meetings in an effort to avoid an implosion.
Tallis’ comments suggest the rift may be over a power imbalance between the two. The Broncos legend bluntly gave his own view about who should be calling the shots.
“All these guys … what are they called, football managers or directors of football, it’s a made-up title. It’s absolutely made up,” Tallis said.
“Basically, the football manager should be a lackey for the head coach, unless you are Phil Gould.
“These guys all think they are Phil Gould. Let me tell you, Phil Gould’s role was made for Phil Gould, there aren’t too many people like him who can go to an organisation and be the boss.”
Following an end-of-year review, the Broncos last week sacked assistant coach Terry Matterson while Kevin Walters’ older brother, the club’s football manager Steve Walters, quit.
Coach Walters admitted he needed to “be better” in his communication, but said he “didn’t have a major issue” with Ikin, and they were “working well together”.
”Ben is new to the club, he came in at the back end of last year and we are working well together,” he told the Courier-Mail.
“Can things be better with him? Yes, everything in the club can be better. I need to be better myself and Ben needs to be better.
“I don’t have a major issue with him. I’m very clear on what needs to happen and I’m very clear on wanting to take the club forward.
“The NRL head coach is the hub of a football department. In my 20 years of working at successful football clubs like the Broncos, Storm and even Canberra when I won a premiership there, the coach, CEO and chairman carry the load of the club.”
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