How Wayne Bennett helped Kevin Walters land Kangaroos job without even interviewing for it
Walters is said to be on a three-game deal, with the Australian Rugby League Commission set to make a longer-term call after the Ashes. Walters landed the coveted role after Brad Fittler withdrew his interest, and the ARL Commission upheld it's rule that an NRL club coach can't lead the Kangaroos.
That meant Bennett was effectively banned from the Kangaroos job because he's contracted to South Sydney until the end of 2027. Speaking on SEN radio on Friday morning, former Maroons and Broncos coach Walters revealed he never actually had to interview for the Kangaroos job per se.
Walters was previously interviewed by the ARL Commission to potentially land the Perth Bears job, which instead went to Mal Meninga. That meant Meninga had to relinquish his role as Kangaroos coach, opening the door for Walters.
Kevin Walters didn't interview for Kangaroos job
Rather than re-interviewing Walters for the Kangaroos job, the Commission had apparently heard enough when he applied for the Perth gig. "As it happened, I didn't interview for the Australia job, I interviewed for the Bears job which was also done by the ARLC," he told Corey Parker and Ian Healy on SEN Queensland.
"They obviously knew a lot about me from that process. When Mal got the Bears job they started looking around for candidates. I saw my name thrown around a few times but I hadn't spoken to the NRL about it.
"The I got a phone call and things progressed from there. I found out a few days ago I had got the job so I was really thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to coach the great Kangaroos."
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Walters lifted the lid on the interview process, revealing: "It was a Zoom meeting. Sometimes they're face to face. They asked some questions and my thoughts on setting up a new franchise and what kind of players I would try and entice. You don't have to look far, if you google my name or your name a lot of information comes up. It's not hard to find out information, you've just got to ask the right questions."
Wayne Bennett's glowing reference for Kevin Walters
Walters revealed how Bennett had written him a reference when he was moved on as Broncos coach at the end of 2024. In the end it actually worked against Bennett, who was said to be keen to lead the Kangaroos in the Ashes.
"When I was moved on from the Broncos, Wayne Bennett wrote me a reference for future employment," Walters said. "When I read it I thought 'well this is bloody good, why aren't you keeping me on the books'."
The revelation that he was never interviewed about the Kangaroos job might raise some eyebrows around the NRL world. One would think the questions and criteria would be completely different when trying to find the Bears coach as opposed to the Kangaroos boss. As Walters mentioned, the questions for the Bears coach would focus on how they'd help set up a completely new franchise, whereas the Kangaroos gig is vastly different.
Speaking earlier this week, journalist Andrew Webster said it wasn't exactly a show of confidence in Walters that he's only been appointed for three games at this stage. Depending on how the Kangaroos perform in the Ashes. he could receive a longer contract.
But Webster said: 'Kevin Walters is basically the last man standing. The fact they have only given him three games shows their lack of faith. It could be a very tough tour. The Kangaroos used to be like the Harlem Globetrotters. But it's a different time now, and they are no longer the superpower that they were, and that's something Kevvie will have to deal with.'
Walters' first job will be trying to convince Payne Haas, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to remain loyal to the Kangaroos. All three are reportedly considering switching allegiances and representing Samoa due to their heritage.
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