Wally Lewis weighs in Michael Maguire’s appointment as new Broncos coach

NRL legend Wally Lewis has weighed in on the surprising appointment of former NSW coach Michael Maguire as the new head of the Broncos.

• Sackings, sensations: Broncos’ wild history

NRL legend and Queensland icon Wally Lewis has weighed in on the appointment of Michael Maguire as the Brisbane Broncos’ new head coach, offering his support despite some tongue-in-cheek reservations about Maguire’s New South Wales roots.

Speaking to KIIS 97.3’s Kip Wightman on Wednesday, Lewis playfully suggested Brisbane might need to hold a meeting to “accept a cockroach” – a nod to the Queensland-NSW rivalry.

“I’m sure we’ll all get together and have a little bit of a meeting about accepting a cockroach into our fair land, and getting him to promise that that he’s going to be helping Queenslanders out, not worrying about the New South Welshman,” Lewis, 64, said jokingly.

Wally Lewis is backing Maguire despite being a ‘coackroach’

However, Lewis believes Maguire’s track record, combined with his fiery temperament, will help the Broncos rebound from their disappointing 2024 campaign, where they finished 12th on the ladder.

Maguire, 50, has won 114 of his 233 games as a NRL head coach – including the 2014 grand final with the Rabbitohs.

“He’s got a pretty good record as a coach, he’s a very determined bloke. He’s got quite a temper, which inspires the players at the at the right time, and certainly that’s going to be good news,” said Lewis, who played 46 games for the Broncos from 1988 to 1990.

“We’ve seen him in the coaches box on different occasions, absolutely cracking, snapping, and on other occasions, celebrating throughout the course of the match.”

Brisbane Broncos new coach Michael Maguire, at Flucher Rd Red Hill. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Maguire, who led the South Sydney Rabbitohs to their 2014 premiership and most recently coached the NSW Blues, was announced as Kevin Walters’ successor on Tuesday.

Walters was sacked after a season of underperformance, despite leading Brisbane to the 2023 NRL Grand Final.

Maguire’s three-year deal comes with immense pressure to end the Broncos’ 19-year premiership drought, but Lewis believes Maguire has the experience to handle the challenge.

“He’s going to be under enormous pressure, but I think having handled it before at the highest level, he’ll adjust to it. So I think we can feel quite comfortable about it, but I suggest that he may be feeling nerves in his first couple of games for Brisbane,” Lewis said.

As for Walters, Lewis expressed sympathy for his former teammate, acknowledging the brutal nature of the coaching game.

“I’m sure this hurt him bad,” Lewis said.

“But he’s a realist, and he knows that you’ve got to produce your best on every occasion, and if it’s not judged to be good enough for the club, they simply move you on.”

Kevin Walters made a teary exit from the Broncos. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Looking ahead, Lewis hinted that Kevin Walters might still have a role to play in rugby league, potentially in the State of Origin arena.

However, in typical Lewis fashion, he couldn’t resist a jab: “If he’s the blues coach, I’m going to tell him, get out of this state, Kevvie you’re not welcome … get out of the joint,” he said.

Corey Oates at Brisbane Broncos training at Red Hill, Monday afternoon. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Broncos winger Corey Oates also chimed in on Maguire’s appointment, expressing excitement about what the former Rabbitohs coach can bring to the team.

“He’s tough, and that’s probably what they need again with the year that we’ve had, the age average that we have, it’s a pretty young team,” he said.

While some Broncos fans remain upset over Walters’ departure, Lewis believes it won’t take long for them to warm to Maguire.

“Although there’s still plenty of people a little bit upset about Kevvie [Walters]’s departure, and I think that it’ll only take a number of wins for him to get on board with the Queensland fans,” Lewis said.

Maguire will begin his tenure as Broncos coach in three weeks when pre-season training kicks off.