Brisbane legend Steve Renouf has tipped former teammate Kevin Walters to bring an instant improvement to the Broncos for the 2021 NRL season.

Walters was unveiled last week as the new coach of the Broncos after their horrendous 2020 season where the once-mighty club slipped to its first wooden spoon in 33 first grade seasons.

While many believe six-time premiership winner Walters faces a long haul to get the Broncos back to the NRL summit, Renouf wouldn’t be surprised if simply appointing the 52-year-old brings a new energy to Red Hill.

“The most important thing is he’s going to lift that playing group,” Renouf told AAP.

“They’re in a hole mentally, and I reckon when he was named that I would’ve just gone ‘thank god’. Because publicly they couldn’t say anything.”

Renouf, who played 183 matches for the Broncos from 1989 to 1999, also wasn’t sure reports of a clear-out at the club was necessary.

Prop Matt Lodge is one of those understood to be under scrutiny as Walters reviews his roster but Renouf is confident the players at the Broncos are much better than their 2020 performances showed.

“They’re a good group of players,” he said.

“They’re there for a reason, because they can play rugby league.

“He (Walters) can just pull them together.”