Brisbane Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds has returned serve after club legend Gorden Tallis accused the veteran halfback of not publicly backing coach Kevin Walters.

Pressure is growing after last year’s beaten NRL grand finalists were knocked out of finals contention.

The Broncos were within minutes of beating Penrith in last year’s decider, but can now start planning for 2025 after they were embarrassed by the Dolphins in their biggest game of the season.

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A lot of the focus has been on Walters given the Broncos have missed the finals in three of the four years he’s been coach, but Tallis – who played alongside Walters – pointed the finger at Reynolds instead.

“I put pressure on Adam Reynolds,” he told Triple M’s Sin Bin program.

“Kevvie came out and stood up for him (Reynolds). Now Kevvie has been under the pump and silence (from Reynolds) … crickets.

“It was just a test (of whether Reynolds had Walters’ back).

“Billy Walters said no to coming on this station and his captain (Reynolds) jumps straight in.

“If one of my players said no to come on to this (radio network), it’s one in, all in. That’s the problem.

“I wouldn’t do it. He (Reynolds) can say no. You can say no. You have to be on the same page and you have to be one in, all in.”

The ugly feud has been simmering for a while and it’s not the first time Tallis has attacked Reynolds publicly, but the former South Sydney star didn’t bite and strongly endorsed Walters to remain coach.

“It is his opinion. He is entitled to his opinion. I was on the radio this morning backing Kev,” said Reynolds, who joined the Broncos in 2022.

“Kev brought me here from down south and has given me a great opportunity to come up to a great club and do something special. I love the place and I am forever thankful for Kev doing that.

“Kev has done a fantastic job in leading this club and he’s the right man for the job. We just need to get on-board and follow the instructions from Kev.

“I have never seen anyone more passionate about the club and someone who loves the club and it has to rub off on the players.

“I don’t believe there’s another man for the job. Kev has had success as a player and coach and we believe in him. He’s definitely the right man for the job.”

The Broncos face the daunting task of taking on the Storm on Thursday, with the minor premiers best placed to end Penrith’s streak that Brisbane could have done in last year’s grand final.

Reynolds said it was unfair to compare their situation to last year given they’ve lost stars like Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler, while Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh both missed the Dolphins game due to injury.

“It is extremely disappointing the position we find ourselves in,” he said.

“It is completely irrelevant to last year. I know a lot of people keep drawing it back to that, but it is a different team.

“We’ve had a fair few injuries. All those things you could use as excuses but we simply weren’t good enough this year.

“We will review the season once it is done, have a really good pre-season and come back better and try and improve for next year.”