Reynolds, 34, and his wife Tallara have four children – Nakylah, 15, Aaliyah, 14, Kobe, 10, and Zariyaa, 7, so there are a few of these reviews to get through.

And while some might be surprised that Reynolds cleared his pre-season decks to sit down and talk timetables with teachers, those who know the man everyone calls “Reyno” would not be surprised at all.

Family is at the heart of everything the celebrated halfback does – both of them.

It’s fair to say that Reynolds has two families – the one he shares with Tallara and the kids at their sprawling north Brisbane property, and the one based at the Broncos’ famed Red Hill headquarters.

Speaking to Qweekend after he’s wrapped up a round of parent-teacher meetings, it seems pertinent to kick off our interview by asking which is harder – shepherding a field of Broncos, or a gaggle of growing kids?

Reynolds laughs, “Bit of both – I mean there’s some big kids in the Broncos as well.”

Now very much an integral part of the maroon and gold tribe, Reynolds came to Brisbane from captaining South Sydney to join the Broncos for their 2022 season, his departure ruffling the Rabbitohs’ cardinal red and myrtle green ranks.

It was a big move for Reynolds, whose ties to the Redfern-based club run deep, but one he says had much to do with Tallara, the children, and the sort of childhood he wanted for
his brood.

“We wanted a lifestyle change, we wanted a big house with a big yard for the kids and the dogs, somewhere they could run around,” he says.

“To be honest, it was tough at first to leave all we had known, all our Sydney friends and family, and the kids were a bit nervous about leaving old friends at school, not knowing anyone. But from the moment we announced we were coming up, everyone just took us in.

“It’s been a great move, we have felt very welcomed here, the people we’ve met and the relationships we’ve made, and the kids absolutely love it here.

“They don’t want to go back to Sydney. They call Brisbane home now and so do we. We feel very happy with the call we made.”

They could have made another one, an easier one in some ways. Around the time Brisbane came courting, the Cronulla Sharks were also circling. So why didn’t Reynolds take up their offer?

The family could have stayed in their same home, the kids could have stayed at their same school – which is exactly why, Reynolds says, they didn’t.

“For me it was the challenge of doing something different, of getting us all out of our comfort zones,” he says.

“We could have stayed at home, hung around the same people – or we could grow as a family and have the opportunity to join this powerhouse club with this great history, these great names.”

And if Reynolds was after a challenge moving to Brisbane, he’s certainly got one in the club’s recent history.

Players and punters would agree the 2024 season was a turbulent one for the Broncos, plagued by injury, a form slide from grand finalists in 2023 to a 12th place finish, culminating in the shock departure of coach Kevin Walters, and the arrival of new coach Michael “Madge” Maguire.

The appointment of Maguire, who coached NSW to victory against Queensland in last year’s State of Origin series, heralds a new era at the Red Hill club, with its captain clearly highly respectful of both coaches.

Of Walters, he simply offers, “I have a lot of love for him and a lot of respect for him.”

He says the same of new broom Maguire, who, in the sort of footy lore that laces its way through the game, gave Reynolds his first jersey for South Sydney in 2012. Reynolds was also part of the Rabbitohs’ history-making 2014 premiership win, breaking a 43-year drought.

Reynolds knows Maguire, but the famously passionate Broncos fans don’t – so how would he describe the man tasked to crack the club’s own bewildering 19-year premiership drought?

“I would describe him as a very genuine guy. He is someone who lives and breathes rugby league, he absolutely loves it,” he says.

“As a young kid from Canberra he got the opportunity to play, and that was cut short – so for him to get the opportunity to be a part of it in another way through coaching, well he just has committed to it.”

A former Canberra Raiders fullback, centre and winger in the early nineties, Maguire broke a bone in his neck in a match against the Warriors and sustained another neck injury after his return to the game, forcing his early retirement. Since then Maguire has channelled his passion for league into coaching, and is known for his gruelling training sessions and exacting standards.

“He is a very hardworking man, I admire his work ethic and he leaves no stone unturned in how he approaches the job. There is a mutual respect there, we have done a lot together. I have nothing but love and respect for him.”

And, as turbulent as the times at Broncos HQ have undoubtedly been, it’s clear Reynolds is looking forwards, not back, well aware that all eyes are on his relatively young squad.

“I think it’s so important to draw on experience. You learn a lot during the tougher times, you reflect on your own performance, what you did well, what you could do better. If you look for the negative, it’s important to also look for the positives – what you got right, as well as what you got wrong.

“We still have a young squad, and when you go through those tough times, it does make you more resilient and it does make you appreciate the hard work of the pre-season.”

At 34 – very young in real life, an elder statesman in the football world – Reynolds does indeed have some young charges to lead; the likes of an 18-year-old Coby Black, or 22-year-old Reece Walsh. And he takes their wellbeing as seriously off the field, as on it. “You’ve just got to be there for them,” he says.

“You have to be approachable, allow them to talk to you, try to give them advice – but it’s not just me, we have a great support network at the Broncos.

“There are a lot of mentors at the club, we try to make sure everyone is okay.

“For me, it’s about being present. You never know what someone is going through until you really listen to them, just take the time to listen.”

And if he is going through a tough time – footy mates and mentors aside – who listens to him?

Reynolds immediately cites his wife and childhood sweetheart (the couple met in Year 9) as his greatest support.

“She is fantastic, it is not easy having a husband full time in rugby league. We have good days and bad days, but we’ve had lots of years of practice now,” he laughs.

“We lean on each other, if I’ve had a bad day of footy, or if she has had a bad day with the kids, we do talk to each other about it. She is a great listener, and very much the backbone of our family.”

Reynolds says he also feels supported by the passionate Broncos fan base. Consistently at the top of the home-attendance ladder, hearing an average of 33,792 fans lifting the roof off Suncorp Stadium when Paddy Carrigan charges up the middle, or Deine Mariner crosses out wide, is something even Reynolds describes as next level.

“I think the passion up here is different,” he says.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s the lifestyle, Sydney is so busy and so hectic maybe there’s just not as much time to think about the footy the way they do here.

“But our fans are incredible, they are there for us no matter what’s happening, they are there for us in good times and bad,” Reynolds chuckles.

“Everyone just seems happier here. Everyone is just generally in a happier mood … maybe it’s all that sunshine?”

And while all those punters are hoping that the Queensland sun shines on the Broncos this season, and they win that elusive premiership, Reynolds says he’s not approaching it any differently.

“That’s the goal for us every year, it would not be different for us than any other year.”

He pauses, then concedes.

“But it would be good to get the job done.”

Brisbane Broncos play the Sydney Roosters at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on March 6