The highly successful sporting mentor known as the "Coach Whisperer" has backed Brisbane coach Kevin Walters and his bar on players speaking about last year’s grand final ahead of the away NRL clash with Penrith on Thursday night.
Bradley Charles Stubbs has worked with elite coaches in multiple codes including Walters, Trent Robinson, Michael Maguire, Graham Arnold and Eddie Jones.
Several of those coaches have credited Stubbs with providing them with innovative ways of finding key improvements that have led to stunning premiership success.
It was music to Stubbs’ ears when he heard that Walters - who he assisted when he was Queensland coach in the State of Origin arena - and his players were not speaking publicly this week about the 26-24 loss to the Panthers in last year’s decider.
Prop Corey Jensen was asked about it but replied: "We are not allowed to talk about that game, sorry."
"It is great that Kevvie still remembers stuff I taught him in State of Origin," Stubbs told AAP.
"All the talk after (last year’s grand final) was that ‘we will use that loss to win’. Every player talked about it and Kevvie talked about it."
Stubbs said the constant chatter about last year’s loss by Broncos players had the potential to derail their season, but now Walters has nipped it in the bud.
"Kevvie has got it right,” Stubbs said.
"One minute ago is gone. Whether you have won or lost you don’t talk about it.
"Everybody is talking about a grand final re-match but it is not … because all the same players aren’t there. It is round three versus the Panthers in 2024."
Stubbs said players dwelling on losses was counterproductive.
"Anything they have ever lost from the day they were born to the age they are now, the conscious mind gets it and puts it in a filing cabinet," Stubbs explained.
"That filing cabinet is any loss they have ever had. Every time they talk about a loss all the emotion of every loss they have ever had in their entire life goes through their body and drains them.
"If anybody loses a championship game how do you think their energy would be after they lose? So why would you bring up those thoughts again later on? It is only going to do damage to you."
Stubbs talks a lot about how powerful "energy" and belief of the positive kind can be on a sporting environment.
His views, outlined in his first book The Science of Belief, were in play at the Broncos media session on Monday where both Corey Jensen and Billy Walters spoke about why half Jock Madden could step up successfully in captain Adam Reynolds’ absence. Reynolds will miss the match with an MCL strain.
Stubbs said Kevin Walters was an outstanding coach who had a squad that could go all the way.
During Walters' tenure as Maroons coach Stubbs famously advised him not to refer to NSW or the Blues by name and praised him for continuing to refer to his opponents as "the other team" or "opposition" in interviews.
"Kevvie has got brilliant talent," he said.
"The only thing the Broncos have got to do is believe more than anyone else and that will get them the title."
