Overview

• The three-Test Ashes series, Australia’s first in 22 years, begins October 25 at Wembley Stadium with Walters set to make his international coaching debut.
• The coaching post opened when Mal Meninga stepped aside to take charge of the NRL’s new Perth Bears expansion team.
• ARL Commission rules bar active club coaches from the national role, narrowing the field and elevating Walters to frontrunner.
• Walters’s track record includes two State of Origin series wins with Queensland and guiding Brisbane to the 2023 NRL Grand Final.
• Former Kangaroos captain Isaah Yeo has publicly backed Walters, and the ARLC will review his tour performance before choosing a permanent coach.