When Kevin Walters was handed the reins of the all-conquering Queensland Maroons late last year, many rugby league pundits found themselves asking ‘Why Kevin Walters? How is he qualified to coach the greatest team of this generation?’. His supporters pointed to his experience as head coach of the Catalans Dragons in the Super League, and his time spent as an assistant at the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos. But what if Kevin Walters earned this job long before he took up his various coaching positions? Long before he’d even hung up his boots? What if Kevin Walters earned his stripes the first time he stepped onto Seiffert Oval in 1987, and unwittingly into the centre of the rugby league universe?