‘Means absolutely nothing’: Bold Broncos call sparks heated debate

Michael Maguire has gone about rejuvenating the Broncos after a lacklustre campaign, but opinion is split about their chances this season.

Michael Maguire has gone about rejuvenating the Broncos with a brutal pre-season and one big question has been on everyone’s lips — will the Red Hill powerhouse return to the finals?

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Veteran rugby league reporter Phil Rothfield isn’t so sure.

Brisbane slumped to 12th in 2024 after featuring in the 2023 grand final, with Kevin Walters eventually walking away from his position as the club’s head coach.

Maguire has since been hired, signed Ben Hunt, dealt with Ezra Mam’s off-field incident and put the Broncos through a tough pre-season that included a three-day boot camp.

After Brisbane won the pre-season challenge with some scintillating form in the trials, many pundits have predicted the Broncos to be one of 2025’s biggest premiership threats.

“I was always expecting the Broncos to fly the lids as they say in greyhound racing and start really powerfully, because Madge has worked their butts off in the off-season,” Rothfield said on NRL360 on Monday.

Watch the debate about the Broncos in the video above

Buzz Rothfield doesn’t reckon the Broncos will make finals this year.

“I’ve been a bit critical of it, you know, their army camps and players vomiting at training.

“But what’s the roster change to that side outside of Ben Hunt joining that side? Signing there without Ezra Mam for a long period.

“I will tell you what I care about, I care that you’re getting carried away about trial match form. The fact they were good means absolutely nothing.

“So it’s a top four roster that ran about 15th (last year)... I don’t think they will make the top eight, and that’s just my opinion.”

However, Rothfield’s opinion was met with heavy resistance from Broncos legend Gorden Tallis, who labelled criticism of the 2024 squad “unwarranted”.

The Broncos battled a host of injuries last season, with key players Adam Reynolds, Reece Walsh and Payne Haas spending extended periods sidelined.

Broncos Head coach Michael Maguire in Toowoomba. at the Fan Day at the Clive Berghofer Stadium. 15th February 2025; pic David Martinelli

What’s more is Jock Madden, Reynolds’ stand-in halfback also was injured, forcing Walters to dig deep into his squad to fill the crucial No.7 jersey.

“If Kevvie Walters was still coaching, they’d be close to favourites this year... they had five of their best players play five games,” Tallis explained.

“Broncos, I think they’re going to hit the ground running. Ben Hunt, a bit more experience in the halves, their young players a year older and Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan.

“Look at their roster... I thought last year they were criticised and it was a bit unwarranted, I thought the injuries coming off a grand final, they didn’t handle all that.

“How many players do with such a massive disappointment? But if you look at their roster and you go ‘can that side win a competition?’. I go, ‘yes’.

“I think the Broncos are going to have a great year.”

However, Rothfield’s opinion simply came down to the potential for the Broncos players to be burnt out by the brutal pre-season they endured.

He pointed to Maguire’s success with the New Zealand and NSW representative sides, winning the Pacific Championships and Origin series after shorter camps.

“No disrespect to Madge, and I really mean that... but you go back to to the Wests Tigers and you go back to South Sydney, and he did lose the dressing room at those two organisations,” he said.

“What I want to say is I think Madge, what he did with the Kiwi side and NSW over eight week programs with elite players where you don’t make them vomit.

“You don’t take them to army camps and you don’t knock them into next week.”

NRL360 host Braith Anasta added “they will be thanking him in a few months”, with their first game coming against the Roosters on Thursday night.

“Of those two teams, the Roosters are more likely to miss the eight... if you stuck those two squads up against each other, the Roosters and the Broncos,” News Corp’s Brent Read said.

“The Broncos should finish light years ahead of the Roosters.”

Originally published as ‘Means absolutely nothing’: Bold Broncos call sparks heated debate