show me:

Walters turns heat on Qld's NRL stragglers

3 minute read

Queensland coach Kevin Walters has challenged Brisbane, North Queensland and Gold Coast to lift after a poor start to the NRL season.

Coach KEVIN WALTERS calls out instructions to his players during a Queensland Maroons State of Origin training session at Sanctuary Cove in Brisbane, Australia. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

State of Origin coach Kevin Walters has turned up the heat on Queensland's struggling NRL clubs.

Brisbane, North Queensland and Gold Coast occupy three of the four bottom spots on the ladder after four rounds and Walters admits it's been a "really disappointing" start for all three clubs.

Walters has reason to be concerned as those clubs supplied a good proportion of his Queensland Origin squad last year.

"I guess there's been a few factors around all that. We won't judge them too heavily until ... I reckon the six-week mark of the competition," Walters told Big Sports Breakfast.

"They've got two weeks to get their acts into gear these Queensland clubs, to get their seasons back on track. There's no doubt that they can.

"It's up players and the coaching staff to work hard and dig their way out of what has been a pretty ordinary start for all of them."