Crash Tackle: Michael Maguire’s relationship with enigmatic star Selwyn Cobbo is club’s most intriguing

It was fire and brimstone as Michael Maguire took control of his first pre-season at Red Hill. But, reveals ROBERT CRADDOCK, the disciplinarian offered a much more gentle tone when he talked about Selwyn Cobbo.

Michael Maguire hit Red Hill like a blazing blowtorch last week but away from the huffing and puffing, there was the strong whiff of a scented candle.

The aroma appeared when the new Broncos coach talked about the future of enigmatic back Selwyn Cobbo.

After one of the most brutal training sessions seen at Red Hill, Maguire offered a much more gentle tone when he talked about Cobbo, who is facing one of the most significant periods of his fledgling career.

Maguire’s relationship with Cobbo will be one of the most intriguing of his tenure in Brisbane.

The free spirit meets the disciplinarian. Will it be bang or bust?

If it works it could offer a vibrant new dimension to Cobbo’s career.

If it doesn’t …

Maguire sounded like a coach who had resolved to give Cobbo every possible chance to embrace the new world – to recommit, train hard and be fitter than he has ever been.

It’s now up to Cobbo to respond.

Selwyn Cobbo on the first day of pre-season. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Despite speculation the Broncos might have to shed either Cobbo or Kotoni Staggs, Maguire said he would ideally like to keep both, that he could help grow Cobbo as a “player and person’’, that there was still work to do.

Axed coach Kevin Walters, being the kind man that he is, was more than accommodating for the stresses which seemed to engulf Cobbo during the past few years.

If Cobbo wanted time away from the game, Walters gave it to him.

Big picture-wise, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

In 2023, Cobbo played 24 games and scored 20 tries as the Broncos stormed their way to within five minutes of a premiership before Penrith star Nathan Cleary broke their hearts.

But last season he was much more inconsistent, with his 16 games yielding just five tries.

Significantly, the Broncos did not move to recontract Cobbo beyond next season before the November 1 deadline which means he can now talk openly to other clubs.

Maybe there has been a frenzy of activity behind closed doors but if there is, it has been a well-kept secret.

At least one Sydney club is known to have done extensive research on Cobbo before deciding he is very much a Queensland boy best suited to playing in his home state.

That’s interesting because this much is clear – if Cobbo does stay at the Broncos it will be on their terms, not his. It also means if the Broncos lose Cobbo to another club, they would not be devastated.

Cobbo is in an interesting predicament.

The temptation is to say he should train like he has never trained in his life, fire up for the first half of the premiership and then chase a bigger deal.

But the harsh reality of the salary cap system means the longer you wait, the lesser the contract is likely to be because players who are a higher priority than you get to take a big bite out of it and you are left with the crumbs.

Already things are tight.

That chinking sound you will hear if you drive past the Broncos’ headquarters this week is that of piggy banks being upturned, with every spare coin under the salary cap used to lure Ben Hunt to Red Hill.

If the Broncos sign Hunt there might not be enough left in the salary cap for a coffee, never mind Cobbo, so he needs to fire up immediately.