The NRL legend was the frontrunner to take the Kangaroos job ahead of the Ashes series at the end of the year.
Brad Fittler has reportedly made the surprising call to turn down the Kangaroos job with Cameron Smith and Kevin Walters now back in the race for the role. Fittler was widely expected to take on the Australian national side job after Mal Meninga vacated the position due to his pending job with the Perth Bears.
Mal Meninga relinquished his duties as Kangaroos coach, stepping down after nine years in charge to take on the new NRL club based in Perth. Meninga was unveiled as Perth’s inaugural coach, and will set about compiling their roster with immediate effect before they enter the NRL competition in 2027.
Leading journalist Michael Chammas reported earlier this month Fittler, Walters and Smith were the three leading candidates. And after plenty of speculation it was expected Fittler would accept the Kangaroos role having taken a step back from coaching after his State of Origin run.
Fittler was the NSW from 2018 to 2023, winning three out of six series in charge of the Blues. He returned to coaching last year to lead the Prime Minister’s XIII team in the one-off Test match against PNG.
But The Daily Telegraph has reported Fittler has opted to withdraw his name from the race as he looks to put all his focus into his media roles. This means Smith and Walters are now back in the race for the job.
Smith has no experience as a head coach, but previously worked as an assistant to Billy Slater with the Queensland State of Origin team. The Melbourne Storm legend is regarded as one of the leading brains in the NRL, but has no desire to coach at club level.
Walters most recently coached the Brisbane Broncos and took them to a grand final in 2023, but he was axed after a poor season in charge last year with the club missing the top eight. Walters has made it quite clear he wants to return to coaching as continues his media role with Fox Sports in 2025.
The Kangaroos job is even more enticing this year with Australia set to take on England in a new Ashes-style series after the NRL season is over. Both Walters and Fittler would most likely have to give up some of their media commitments to take on the Australian head coaching job.
Mal Meninga happy after his time as Kangaroos coach
After formally accepting the Bears role, Meninga stressed that the Kangaroos coach is a “full-time job”. He said: “It’s not just coaching the team, there’s a couple of other commitments. From a transition point of view I’ll hopefully be a part of all that.
“I have loved the opportunity to coach the Australian team and build the international program. I’m satisfied with the job I did with the national program, I’m really comfortable with the fact that I’m moving on.”
