Adam Reynolds appeals to keep Brisbane Broncos captaincy in 2025 under new coach Michael Maguire

Michael Maguire is offering no guarantees when it comes to selecting his Broncos captain for 2025, but current skipper Adam Reynolds has expressed his desire to keep the armband despite Brisbane’s tumultuous 2024.

Adam Reynolds has appealed to keep the Broncos captaincy but says there will be no bad blood towards new coach Michael Maguire if he is axed as Brisbane skipper next season.

Maguire will take charge of Brisbane’s 2025 pre-season in early November and one of the coach’s first major decisions will be formalising his captain to lead the Broncos into a new era next year.

Reynolds’ leadership came under fire last season with Broncos legend Gorden Tallis calling for the halfback champion to be dumped as captain following Brisbane’s stunning collapse to finish 12th.

Tallis wants Reynolds’ deputy Pat Carrigan anointed as Brisbane’s new captain at a time when Maguire will preside over a reboot of the Broncos in the wake of coach Kevin Walters’ demise.

While Reynolds hopes to retain the captaincy for Brisbane’s revenge mission in 2025, the premiership playmaker says he will offer Maguire his total support if the coach opts for a fresh leadership reign.

“I’d love to do the job next year, 100 per cent,” said Reynolds, who will report for his fourth season at Red Hill next month.

Adam Reynolds still wants to be captain at Brisbane. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

“I love the battle of the captaincy and the mental side of things as well.

“When the team’s not going well, everything’s going to fall on the halfback and the captain.

“If the club or the coach wants me to be the captain, I’m more than happy to continue that job next season.

“But if someone steps in and whether I have the ‘C’ next to my name or not, not much changes to be honest.

“I’d still be just as vocal, and I’d still have a large input into the game plan and all those sorts of things (if he’s not the skipper).

“But I do enjoy the job, absolutely.”

Injuries plagued Adam Reynolds’ 2024 campaign. Picture: Scott Davis/NRL Imagery

Maguire is offering no guarantees and wants to get his feet under the desk at Broncos headquarters before making critical calls on the composition of his 2025 full-time roster.

Compounding Brisbane’s leadership concerns, the jury is out on Reynolds’ long-term health.

The 34-year-old played just 13 games this year – the lowest single-season output of his decorated career – due to a slew of injuries, including a bicep tear which sidelined him for three months.

Reynolds is off-contract next year and while the 2014 premiership winner under Maguire at Souths is expected to retire at the end of 2025, he says he won’t be rushed into making a definitive call.

Adam Reynolds and Michael Maguire are set for a reunion in 2025. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Asked if 2025 will be his swan song season in the NRL, Reynolds said: “I don’t know. I’ll see how the season starts, how the body’s feeling, and make a choice.

“I’ll be at the midway point next year. If things are going well and I’m playing good enough footy, we’ll reassess, but it’s still a long way away.”

The pint-sized No.7 is 13 matches shy of the special 300-game NRL milestone and says he will spend the pre-season exploring ways to have a more durable body next season.

“I will work with the physios and the strength-and-conditioning coaches and see what they think is best,” he said.

“I might try and change my body type a little bit, get a plan and go from there.

“I’m happy to be guided by the medical staff and make sure I’m working hard in pre-season because it was a frustrating year for me with injuries.”

Reynolds, who steered Brisbane to the 2023 grand final, is determined to prove his critics wrong, insisting the desire to snap the club’s 19-year title drought has not waned.

“I’m as hungry as ever,” he said.

“I think it’s more mentally you’ve got to get yourself right rather than the body.

“If you’re mentally strong enough the body will follow and that’s one thing that ‘Madge’ (Maguire) is very big on.

“Anytime your coach gets sacked or let go you want to bounce back.

“It’s never a good feeling when that happens … as players you feel like that’s part of your responsibility because you didn’t get the job done.

“Of course there’s a bounce-back factor there and I’m hungry as ever to succeed.”