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DCE hopes Walters stays on as Qld coach

3 minute read

Captain Daly Cherry-Evans hopes Kevin Walters will stay on as Queensland coach and lead a Maroons revival but Cameron Munster is not so sure.

Coach KEVIN WALTERS
Coach KEVIN WALTERS Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

While Cameron Munster wasn't so sure, captain Daly Cherry-Evans hopes Kevin Walters will stay on as Queensland coach and lead a Maroons revival.

Walters was quick to shut down speculation that NSW's 26-20 State of Origin series-clinching win would be his last with the Maroons reins.

"I'll be back next year," he said.

But speculation won't go away that Walters is set to relinquish his Maroons job and head for the NRL, taking over from besieged Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan next year.

Walters even back-tracked in the post-match Origin press conference when pressed on what he would do if offered the Titans gig.

"I don't want to talk about that now. I want to talk about this great Queensland team and how proud I am of them," he said.

Maroons fullback Munster admitted Walters may be lost to the NRL with reports former Queensland mentor Wayne Bennett has already put his hand up to take over the Origin job next year.

"I am fairly sure he dreams of being an NRL coach," Munster said of Walters.

"Whatever he decides to do it's his decision and I will back him 100 per cent.

"Kevvie has done so much for this Queensland side and state, I really respect him.

"But if he decides to stay I am very confident that this group can bounce back."

Cherry-Evans hoped Walters saw out his Queensland contract which does not expire until the end of 2020 as he plots the Maroons' revenge.

Cherry-Evans was confident he had the side to hit back after NSW clinched back-to-back series for the first time since 2005 - and he wanted Walters by his side.

"I thoroughly enjoy being coached by Kevvie Walters. This series has been a really enjoyable one," he said.

"The result is going to hurt for a long time, but I would love to be able to win a series with Kevvie as my coach."

For the record Walters was convinced the Maroons were on track as they launched a new era following the representative retirements of the men who inspired their decade of dominance - Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis and Billy Slater.

"When I first got the job four years ago I knew there was going to be a changing of the guard," he said.

"It was something I was actually really excited about.

"But we made some good progress this year. If you look back from the last couple of years with the changing of the guard, I thought we made some small steps last year but some even bigger ones this year."

Walters became the first Queensland coach to lose back-to-back Origin series since Michael Hagan in 2004-05 and just the fourth overall.

Still, Walters was happy Queensland had put pride back in the jersey after threatening to pull off a trademark Maroons comeback following their 38-6 Origin II thumping in Perth.

"It was a great game of footy. I'm sure everyone enjoyed the game regardless of which state you come from - but I am very proud of our boys," he said.

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