Kevin Walters came within 15 minutes of leading Brisbane to their first NRL premiership in 17 years last season, before Nathan Cleary intervened with a masterclass to rip the trophy away from them and hand Penrith their third-straight title.
The Broncos were expected to head back north and lick their wounds before returning in 2024 ready to challenge the Panthers once again.
However, the powerhouse club has endured a nightmare campaign that has resulted in them losing 13 of their 23 games to date, while being brutally eliminated from finals contention in Round 26.
NRL LATEST NEWS: NRL live ladder | Every NRL club's updated injury list | Every NRL fixture and result for each club
Craig Bellamy defends Kevin Walters after Brisbane's nightmare season
Walters has inevitably come under fire after his side slumped to that 40-6 defeat to the Dolphins.
Questions have been asked about his long-term prospects at Red Hill with everything from on-field efforts to off-field cultural problems within the playing group being singled out as the reasons for their rapid demise.
Craig Bellamy has watched the situation involving his former teammate and close friend unfold from afar, while the Melbourne Storm have eased to yet another minor premiership.
The two will meet each other in the last round of the regular season this week before both coaches head off in very different directions in the post-season.
Although Bellamy had some warm words to say of his counterpart ahead of their dead-rubber at Suncorp Stadium.
MORE: Storm rookie handed another chance to impress amidst veteran’s struggles
"Kevvie is a really good mate of mine," Bellamy said.
"It’s not pleasant what their club is going through at the moment.
"One thing that has been forgotten is that they made a grand final last year and at the end of the day, there are some things that happen during the year that are hard to control – injuries and things like that.
"They were doing a lot of things really well last year, but sometimes some things just don’t go as you planned."
