The fractured relationship between the Broncos and former favourite son Kevin Walters could take another hit before round one. Mail out of the Broncos camp is that new coach Michael Maguire is set to leave Walters' son Billy out of his 17-man team for the start of the premiership. This comes just months after Kevvie was shown the door by the Broncos following the club's disastrous fall from grand finalists to also-rans last season. The inside mail is that Maguire will go with two hookers in his squad - likely Blake Mozer and Cory Paix - with Billy, who was the club's starting hooker for much of last season, left out in the cold. Mozer is battling an injury and if he's unfit for round one, Tyson Smoothy is also in the mix. The fact that Walters was named at five-eighth in a second-string Broncos team to meet the Titans on Sunday only adds weight to the theory. Maguire is just what the Broncos need to turn the club around - an old fashioned hard-head who will see them spending more time doing laps of the oval and less on Instagram. The players won't like it - but when the results start to come, they will realise why Maguire takes the hard line. On paper, the Broncos have as much strike power as the likes of Penrith and Melbourne but need to deliver after the calamity of 2024. The team is chock full of internationals and Origin players and has a great balance across the park. Ben Hunt's arrival will also be a huge boost, especially if Adam Reynolds again misses a large chunk of the season through injury. Up front, the Broncos have the men to get them pushing the opposition backwards in Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan and Jordan Riki. There are few weaknesses in the squad and anything less than a top four finish would be seen as a failure.
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