Broncos begin talks with dummy-half over future

He is off-contract at the end of the season.

WRITER | February 10, 2024 - 9:32am

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On the verge of participating in their first unofficial trial match this weekend, the Brisbane Broncos have reportedly begun talks to keep a key member of their spine at Red Hill.

The news comes after they confirmed the re-signing of boom five-eighth Ezra Mam and are close to finalising a new contract with veteran halfback Adam Reynolds - a contract that will see him play a further 12 months at the club.

The Courier Mail has reported that the Brisbane Broncos have begun talks with Billy Walters over a contract extension that would see him remain at Red Hill.

It is understood that it will be a two-year contract which means he will remain at the Broncos until the conclusion of the 2026 season.

Off-contract at the end of the 2024 season, the talks between the two parties come less than a fortnight before the club heads over to Las Vegas in the United States to take on the Sydney Roosters in their season opener.

Debuting for the Melbourne Storm in 2019, Walters has made 61 NRL appearances after starting his career relatively late. The new contract will likely see him reach the 100-game mark bar any significant injuries.

MACKAY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 02: Billy Walters of the Storm looks on before the start of the NRL Trial match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys on March 02, 2019 in Mackay, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Having just turned 30 years of age, Walters played a vital role in the club making the Grand Final last season. Assistant coach Matt Ballin seconded this and discussed his journey from becoming an injured player to the first-choice hooker at the club.

“Billy has been fantastic,” Ballin told News Corp.

“When I first came to this club, it was his first year, he had been playing a bit of five-eighth at Wests Tigers and a bit of hooker.

“But what I have seen is Billy has applied himself defensively. Hooker is a tough position, you are under fatigue the whole game.

“In the halves, you get a bit of a break, but he has worked hard defensively and he is quite crafty with the ball.

“The biggest thing I have noticed is when he defends, he just wants to make tackles, get up there and stop them getting to an edge and he works hard for each player around him.

“When Billy gets a chance to run the ball, he is quite skilful.”