Reports are intensifying that Brisbane’s players are becoming increasingly “unhappy” with Michael Maguire and his coaching methods but Broncos legend Gorden Tallis says the same thing happened with predecessor, Kevin Walters. Maguire is under pressure to turn things around at the Broncos after four losses in their last five games, amid reports members of the playing group have become disillusioned with the veteran mentor and his no-nonsense coaching style.
Maguire was brought in to replace Walters ahead of the season, with a directive to change the culture at the Broncos and give the side a harder edge in 2025. And things started off well for the former premiership-winning coach, who guided the Broncos to four wins from their opening five games. But Brisbane’s form has dropped dramatically over the last month and their second half fade-outs have been a huge concern.
In the last three weeks, including their stunning victory over the ladder-leading Bulldogs, the Broncos have conceded a staggering 52 points in their second halves, scoring just eight. The spotlight has inevitably turned on the coach for Brisbane’s worrying slide, but Tallis believes it’s the underperforming players that need to face the blowtorch.
The Broncos legend says the same issues were evident before Walters was sacked in 2024, following an end-of-season review that included feedback from the playing group. “The players didn’t like Kevvie and he was maybe a softer and more of an attacking coach and now there’s Madge who’s at the other end (of the scale) so who do they like?” Tallis asked on NRL 360 on Tuesday night. “Players whinged last year and they’re whingeing this year, well what do they want?”
Veteran league journalist Andrew Webster said he’d heard plenty of murmurings that Brisbane’s players were not on the same page as the coach, whose intense style is clearly not everyone’s cup of tea. But Webster says that should come as no surprise to the Broncos considering Maguire’s reputation for being a tough, old-school coach and the fact his previous NRL coaching stints at South Sydney and the Wests Tigers ended badly.
“There is plenty of noise out of Brisbane about players being unhappy there,” Webster said. “But I think that’s only natural. Is anyone surprised that Michael Maguire is a little bit too intense for Brisbane players? He’s got a reputation that precedes him.
“When Michael Maguire got the job, remember he said the NSW job and Kiwi job had mellowed him and that he’d changed as a coach… well, not necessarily. But the proof will be in the pudding, we’re 10 rounds in and they’re seventh on the ladder. Let’s just judge him when he gets to the end of the season.”
Michael Maguire facing scrutiny amid Brisbane form slump
Former NRL premiership winner Braith Anasta described Maguire and his Broncos predecessor Walters as ‘polar opposites’ in terms of their coaching styles and suggested Madge’s tough approach is what the Broncos needed to reach the potential that their star-studded squad is capable of. “They were always going to complain about Madge because he was going in there to do a job, train them hard and the way he approaches players, you can see the difference in the two personalities, they were always going to be a little bit shell-shocked.
“But Madge would have hoped by now they would have got used to it, bought in and understood why he’s doing what he’s doing but it doesn’t seem to be the case.” Veteran league reporter Paul Crawley said he thought Maguire’s appointment at the Broncos “would eventually end in tears but I wasn’t so sure there would be trouble 10 rounds into the season” and said that was the biggest concern for the club.
Crawley believes Maguire has to adapt his coaching style to suit the Broncos’ playing group but Tallis reckons that’s a cop-out and not why the Broncos chose to appoint him in the first place. “He had this problem at South Sydney, when he won the comp in 2014 I remember Richo saying he’s got a job for life and they sacked him in three years,” Crawley said. “Then he went to the Tigers and the same dramas unfolded.
“He has to read the room. If it is a problem, he has to realise it’s a problem and he has to make some changes because at the end of the day you can put it back on the players but it’s the coach’s responsibility to get the best out of the players.” Tallis was typically blunt in his reply, arguing: “But they signed him to be Michael Maguire, you can’t be two different things.”
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