Kevin Walters watched Brisbane stoop to historic lows under new NRL laws last season but the club's new coach hopes those changes stick as he eyes a way to exploit them in 2021.
The former Broncos halfback took control of the club for the first time on Monday, admitting he was "like a kid in a lolly shop" as he walked into their Red Hill headquarters after years of coveting the role.
Brisbane were 2-0 under former coach Anthony Seibold before the COVD-19 halt, then disintegrated upon the resumption under new rules that saw the return to one referee and the introduction of six more tackles, rather than a penalty, for ruck infringements.
They won just one game after the round-three resumption and took the club's first wooden spoon on the way to historically poor defence and attack statistics.
Those rule changes will be reviewed in the NRL off-season, with feedback to be sought from coaches, administrators and fans.
Walters sat in commentary watching the carnage unfold but said, with largely the same squad, Brisbane can master them under his reign.
"If they (the NRL) ask me, I'll say I'm a big fan ... I thought we saw some great football this year, not from the Broncos but from other clubs," he said.
"I expect that style of football will really suit the Brisbane franchise; when we get things moving in the right direction (we can implement) that style of play, that flat and fast football.
"We've got some excellent players that really thrive in that environment, so one referee will do me every day of the week."
A former NRL assistant and Queensland State of Origin coach, Walters is taking a glass-half-full approach to the rigours of his new posting.
"I don't see it as a grind; I woke up this morning like a kid in a lolly shop coming into the Broncos to reignite my career again," he said.
"Walking in this morning was a beautiful feeling; I just love being here, love being part of the club.
"This is one day of many of us moving the club forward in a really positive way, together."
Australian Associated Press
