NRL 2025: Brisbane Broncos win 22-0 over Burleigh Bears in pre-season trial
Brisbane’s Michael Maguire era has started with a bang, with a rising star impressing as the Broncos proved too strong for the Burleigh Bears in their first pre-season trial.
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The Michael Maguire era of the Broncos has started with a win after Brisbane proved too strong for the Burleigh Bears in their first pre-season trial.
A Latrell Siegwalt special was the highlight as the ‘Brick Wall Broncos’ produced a defensive masterclass in a 22-0 win at Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast.
Maguire has promised to bring a hard edge to the Broncos and the early signs were positive after Brisbane held the Hostplus Cup heavyweights scoreless.
The Bears threw plenty at the Broncos but Brisbane held strong and had some impressive performers in the process.
“The boys worked hard for each other,” Maguire said.
“There were times we were skittled on the edges but they scrambled. That’s something we’ve been talking about all pre-season.
“There are areas of our game we need to have a look at, but that’s why you have trials.
“We worked really hard defensively which is a positive.”
COMBINATIONS
Maguire gave Jock Madden an extended run at halfback and he failed to impress.
With Ben Hunt joining the club, Madden has fallen further back in the playmaking pecking order and is on the outer at Red Hill.
Wearing the No. 7 and captaining the team, Madden had to have a big game to keep himself in the selection headlights.
Instead he made a number of errors in a 60-minute stint and was outplayed by unheralded five-eighth Josh Rogers.
Young gun Coby Black was given a shot in the halves in the final quarter, coming off the bench with Braithen Scott.
Maguire also gave plenty of game time to giant prop Ben Te Kura as he pushes for a round 1 spot following an injury-riddled 2024.
RECRUIT WATCH
The Broncos handed a pre-season trial to Fiji flyer Ronald Philitoga and he has made the most of it.
Philitoga was busy on the left wing in the first half and proved hard to handle for the Bears. He shifted wings later on and was a menace for Burleigh.
Hulking prop Matt Koellner was impressive in his first appearance in Broncos colours.
A standout for Burleigh in the Hostplus Cup last year, Koellner has spent the pre-season with Brisbane and punched out a solid 30 minutes to start the game.
He was heavily involved and made an impact with his carries to edge closer towards an NRL contract.
ROOKIE WATCH
He was the Hostplus Cup’s rookie of the year in 2024 with Redcliffe and Seigwalt showed his class with a slick try in the 13th minute.
Auditioning to be Reece Walsh’s fullback understudy, Siegwalt got a hold of the ball about 10m from Burleigh’s line and beat three defenders with some sharp footwork.
A standout rookie for the Broncos was rising backrower Jett Bryce.
Bryce made a 50m bust with his first touch and showed plenty of urgency in defence.
Emerging hooker Cameron Bukowski showed some nice signs in a couple of stints at dummy-half.
The Broncos have a glut of hookers but rate Bukowski highly and he will be one to watch in the lower grades this year as he pushes towards the NRL.
Young prop Vaa Semu was quiet but it was hard to miss Beni Allen with his flying mullet.
Looking a lot like Maroons prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Allen made an impact when he came on the field.
HOT TAKE
Maguire is going to have a stack of talent at his disposal in the years to come.
The Broncos are loaded with NRL superstars like Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Selwyn Cobbo, Kotoni Staggs, Adam Reynolds, Hunt and Walsh.
But it’s the next generation which could set the club up for sustained success.
Bryce, Allen, Bukowski, Philitoga and Siegwalt all showed promising signs and will be pushing for NRL time in years to come.
FINAL SAY
These sorts of trials are hard to read into given the big squads and different talent, but there were some good signs from the Broncos.
Brisbane’s defensive systems looked solid and they were rarely troubled by the Bears, who are a decent reserve grade team.
Maguire would have liked what he saw from his team and some of Brisbane’s younger players stood out.
He will get a better gauge of how his team is travelling when the Broncos face the Titans in Toowoomba next Sunday.
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