By Nick Wright
Michael Maguire has declared all players under his tutelage will be held to the same standard, after the Brisbane Broncos’ new coach was pressed on how to unlock the best of star fullback Reece Walsh.
Maguire laughed when asked if he expected any scorned feelings from the Queensland No.1 after he was sidelined for several weeks with concussion symptoms following a nasty tackle from Joseph Suaalii in the State of Origin series opener.
Maguire, who was coaching New South Wales before inking a three-year deal with the Broncos, did not believe the incident would cause any friction between him and the club’s attacking linchpin.
Reece Walsh endured a very different 2024 season to last year’s, when he became the NRL’s most marketable player.Credit: Getty Images
He was adamant the pair would need to strike up an understanding to ensure Walsh’s strengths came to the fore while adhering to the game style Maguire hoped to implement, but his priority would be getting to know Walsh, the man, before the footballer.
“Like all players across the competition, they’re all talented, so it’s getting to understand how he reads the game, and educating him in the way I’d like him to play,” Maguire said.
“It’s not just about one player, and there’s going to be certain expectations and standards that we all live to. I’ve studied every single player who plays for the Broncos for a long time, so I know the capabilities.
“I’ve seen young players through the connections I’ve had with them as people, that’s the first thing I care about, then if they go out and train extremely hard, they excel.
“I think character has played the biggest part in any success I’ve had across the walks of various organisations.”
For Walsh, season 2024 was a far cry from the feats he was able to produce last year, when he became the NRL’s most marketable player.
But even without featuring in the finals, he has landed in the headlines.
A facial fracture suffered in round three was followed by his State of Origin concussion and a hand fracture, which limited him to just 14 Broncos appearances.
Now, Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy has implored Walsh and Ezra Mam to avoid holidaying in Bali, after the pair were the subject of an NRL investigation.
Donaghy was of the understanding the matter would not be advancing any further, after an Australian man lodged a complaint alleging damage to a mobile phone.
Mam has since paid for a replacement phone, however a photo also circulated of the Broncos’ pair in hospital – Walsh receiving treatment for a graze on his back while Mam held drinks.
Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam holiday in Bali.Credit: Reece Walsh's Instagram
“I’ve spoken to both. From what I understand, I don’t believe there’s a lot in any of it, but I did strongly encourage them [that] the next time they have a holiday, they choose a different destination, and possibly turn their phone off,” Donaghy said.
“I think those matters, from our perspective, are closed off, but certainly, it will be a matter we’ll readdress back in the new year when they come back from their break.”
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