It’s called Magic Round for a reason, and the last weekend of NRL demonstrated exactly why.
Simply the best rugby league played, in a sold-out Suncorp Stadium, over what was indeed a very magic round.
Once again, Brisbane has delivered a show that is unrivalled in Australian sport. There were certainly thousands of visitors for the weekend from all round Australia and plenty from New Zealand as well.
But it is the rugby league faithful from Brisbane and all over Queensland that make it what it is.
While some sides had a few of their star players missing through injury, the game itself always provides a platform for greatness no matter what experience or age a player may be.
I was especially pleased for the Broncos in their narrow win over Manly. In my opinion, their coach Kevin Walters has an X factor that few, if any, other coaches in the NRL have.
Wayne Bennett is the man that comes to mind when considering great coaches in our game of rugby league, and history will show he has been the greatest. But Walters is someone different with a unique ability to connect to everyone, including players, fans, sponsors, media and administration.
Most coaches are very single-minded and I totally get that. It is an unforgiving job being a head coach. But every now and then, someone special emerges from the pack. I see Walters as someone very special, and most of all, he’s a bloody good bloke!
Coaching isn’t a science as some of them would like you to believe. Coaching is an art, and Kevin has the art of coaching oozing out of him.
