Kevin Walters warns rivals his Broncos will only get BETTER after victory over the Rabbitohs - and Brisbane boss says he can't wait to include star recruit Adam Reynolds against the Bulldogs

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Kevin Walters has fired a warning to the NRL following Brisbane's surprise victory over the Rabbitohs, claiming his Broncos will only get better.

A rejuvenated Pat Carrigan, the arrival of Selwyn Cobbo and an opportunistic Kurt Capewell shot Brisbane to a season-opening NRL win over a disappointing South Sydney, with an 11-4 win at Suncorp Stadium.

The victory was made all the more impressive given the absence of the Broncos' new recruit Adam Reynolds, with the former Rabbitohs captain missing out due to Covid. 

Kevin Walters has fired a warning to the rest of the comp after Brisbane's win over the Bunnies

The Broncs clinched an impressive 11-4 win over last year's Grand Finalists on Friday night

The Broncos won 11-4 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, despite the absence of star recruit and former Rabbitohs captain Adam Reynolds due to COVID-19.

With the likes of Albert Kelly and Selwyn Cobbo impressing, the future looks bright for Walters' side, and the coach delighted in his side's 'gritty' performance before turning his attention to the rest of the comp. 

'Tough, gritty and I thought our defence was probably the best it's been since I've been here - that's the stuff you can really build a team around,' coach Walters said.

'I'm not sure who was questioning it (Billy's selection) ... I knew that performance was in him, but knowing and doing that is two different things.

The win was made all the more impressive given the absence of star recruit Adam Reynolds (L) and Walters (R) said he can't wait to include the half back next week

'It's nice sitting here after a victory knowing Adam Reynolds is going to drop back into the side next week.'

The visitors, who lost the grand final in their last trip to Brisbane, were poor as they began life without the departed Reynolds, Dane Gagai, coach Wayne Bennett and suspended Latrell Mitchell.

Enduring a frustrating coaching debut, Jason Demetriou dismissed questions about Reynolds' absence as 'irrelevant'.

Rabbitohs boss Jason Demetriou said his side needed to show more patience on Friday night

'He's not there so there's no point me worrying about it,' he said.

'We needed to be a bit more patient but, I thought Broncos' last ditch defence was pretty good as well.

'He's (Elias) learning and will keep learning, but he defended really well.

'It's a work in progress; he's played his third NRL game and we have to hold the ball as well, not give away silly errors.'