Why Michael Maguire can end Brisbane Broncos’ 19-year NRL premiership hoodoo
It’s been almost two decades since Brisbane tasted grand final glory. Why will Michael Maguire succeed where everyone, except Wayne Bennett, has failed? He reveals all to PETER BADEL.
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Broncos coach Michael Maguire says he can repeat title history with Adam Reynolds and has hailed a bulked-up Reece Walsh as the “Ferrari” who can propel Brisbane to a drought-breaking premiership.
As the Broncos prepare for their first pre-season trial against Burleigh next Saturday, Maguire hit out at suggestions Reynolds is a spent force, outlining why he resisted calls for the champion halfback to be sacked as Brisbane captain.
The new Broncos mentor also provided a fascinating insight into his dealings with legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, pearls of wisdom he has brought to Red Hill in his quest to break the club’s 19-year premiership hoodoo.
“I tell you this – I am not here to fail,” Maguire said in a candid interview with The Sunday Mail.
THE MISSION
Pressure is building at Red Hill. Broncos fans are getting restless. The NRL’s richest team hasn’t won a premiership since 2006, a grim record for a Queensland flagship operation that possesses resources that are the envy of almost every other club in the league.
Wayne Bennett is the only coach to have delivered trophies to Brisbane – all six of them in fact. Brisbane’s other mentors Ivan Henjak, Anthony Griffin, Anthony Seibold and Kevin Walters all tried and failed. Club legend ‘Kevvie’ was terminated last season following Brisbane’s 12th-placed implosion, just 12 months after Walters had steered the club to an NRL grand final loss against Penrith.
Now Broncos bosses are pinning a golden renaissance on Maguire, who arrives at Red Hill with the hot hand after winning titles with New Zealand and the NSW Origin representative teams in consecutive years.
“I’m not here not to win the premiership,” he said.
“I’m here to build success for the organisation and I believe we have the staff and players to do it. The opportunity to coach at the Broncos, I’m very grateful.
“That (a premiership) is definitely what we are chasing.
“I won’t make outlandish statements because we haven’t done anything yet, but that (winning a title) is why we all do it – that’s the outcome we want.
“You have to be prepared to do the hard work to create what we’re talking about and that’s giving yourself the chance to win the competition.”
THE SKIPPER
Broncos legend Gorden Tallis dropped a bombshell last year when he called for Reynolds to be axed as Brisbane skipper in favour of Pat Carrigan.
Maguire spent the first three months in the Red Hill hot seat assessing his captaincy options. Carrigan, Payne Haas and Ben Hunt were contenders. Last week, he reappointed Reynolds, who was Maguire’s halfback when the pair broke South Sydney’s 43-year premiership drought in 2014.
Fast forward a decade and Maguire and Reynolds have been reunited at the Broncos. Reynolds turns 35 in July and there are fears he is breaking down after a fresh bout of neck surgery in December.
The off-contract playmaker is expected to retire at season’s end and Maguire believes Reynolds can conjure one ‘Last Dance’ to lead the Broncos to the holy grail.
“I chose Adam (as captain in 2025) because of what he has done in his time here,” Maguire said.
“He has had a big influence on the organisation. He helped the club to a grand final.
“Reyno has heard the same story for the last four or five years. People have questioned him for a while, but I can see the hunger in him and all the players respect him.
“We had some great memories at Souths and there’s no reason Reyno can’t get through this season in good shape if he does the work, which he is doing.
“He is such a tough warrior. He loves the game and, as I learned at Souths, when Reyno is up and about, he gets the team buzzing.
“If we get his body right, he can have a big year for us. I know he can withstand the weekly grind. I see a real steel about him at the moment.
“Adam is in the headspace to drive the standards I want.”
REECE LIGHTNING
The jury is out on Reece Walsh. After a sizzling 2023, Walsh endured an injury-ravaged 2024 campaign and looked a frustrated figure as he tried to find the magical groove that saw him light up in the code in Brisbane’s grand-final charge.
But Walsh looks primed to fire in 2025. At Broncos training on Friday, the Maroons maestro led the field in shuttle runs. His skin folds have dropped while putting on extra muscle, evidence for Maguire that Walsh is ready to deliver on his new $5 million Broncos contract.
“Reece is our Ferrari,” he said. “I’m loving working with Reece. He is a special talent, but what I like is that he has the work ethic to get better.
“He is a huge footy head. I reckon he watches more footy than anyone else here, so I like the fact I can have lengthy discussions with him and I’d like to think he is learning a lot at the moment too.
“I think he can take his footy to another level. It’s exciting from my point of view where I feel we can take his game. I actually tried to get him to play for the Kiwis, but I think he wanted to go through the Origin pathway and potentially play for Australia.
“Reece had a tough year last year but I am confident he will bounce back. I love that Reece is in the Origin system because the best players learn even more at that level. There’s no doubt Reece is very talented and wants to be one of the greats of the game. To do that, you have to turn up consistently over periods of time, year after year, whether it’s Reece or whoever.
“I’ve found that Reece genuinely loves the game. He could talk football all day. He wants to get better.”
FERGIE FACTOR
During his time coaching Wigan in 2010-11, Maguire, then aged 36, received a golden nugget – a trip to Old Trafford to meet Manchester United’s famous football boss. Ferguson’s advice and actions have never left him. They form the bedrock of his approach to coaching.
“I was fortunate to walk into Manchester United to meet Sir Alex and you could feel it straight away … that air of expectation,” Maguire recalls.
“Funny, I wasn’t intimidated by him at all. Sir Alex was just one of us. He was an inspirational individual and a manager who just wanted to win.
“What I learnt most was he enjoyed bringing groups of men together and he had high expectations of them. When he started at Manchester United, he was in a tough position, but he persisted, and then he found the right group of players that took that organisation to all their highs.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to at the Broncos. Learning about the players, the fabric of what the Broncos are about, having the right players, and getting the best out of the organisation.”
THE BOOT CAMP
The Broncos returned a fortnight ago from a three-day camp. Maguire chuckles at descriptions of him imposing a “police-style, military camp”. Renowned as a ruthless taskmaster, he says the exercise was less about breaking players’ spirits and more about discovering the psyche of his roster.
“They were challenged, of course,” he said. “There was a physical part of it, but it wasn’t just about the physicality, it was more focused on the person and all of us getting an understanding of each other.
“People said it was old school but it was a really good camp. I was pleased with the guys, they really went at it and were very professional about how they went about it. The players learnt a lot too. It was a two-way benefit.
“I can’t even tell you exactly where it was but we were outside and we didn’t need much. It was a quality camp, it was more aimed around connecting, leadership and development of the individual.”
MAM-MOTH TASK
The evolution, and reformation, of Ezra Mam in 2025 could prove a seminal narrative in Brisbane’s title ambitions.
Just two years ago, Mam was minutes away from winning the Clive Churchill Medal after his stunning hat-trick in Brisbane’s heartbreaking grand-final loss to Penrith. Then came rock bottom: his car-crash scandal last October that triggered calls for his sacking. While Mam wasn’t terminated, he was stung by heavy fines and suspensions from the NRL and the Broncos and Maguire will be a pivotal figure in guiding him back from his nine-match ban.
Asked about Mam’s mental health today, Maguire said: “He is still working through everything. Look, Ezra has made mistakes and he has been away and looked at himself. He is aware of the circumstances, he has had to go to work on a building site and he got on the tools for a period. He got a lot out of the experience which is important.
“Ezra is continually working on himself now. He has had to take a lot of lessons from what he has been through and one thing for ‘Ez’, he is looking to influence, not only himself but the people around him. He has been working extremely hard at training. He understands what he has been through. He is making sure he is giving to the players as much as he can because of what happened and that’s all I can ask of him.
“Right now, he will just train with us, that’s all he has to focus on.”
GOODWILL HUNTING
The Mam saga opened the door for Brisbane to seek a contingency signing, luring Ben Hunt home from the Dragons.
Hunt, Brisbane’s halfback in their 2015 grand-final loss to the Cowboys, is set to start in the halves alongside Reynolds and Maguire says the veteran duo have struck an instant alliance.
“Reyno jumped into training with Hunt the other day for the first time and the connection was pretty quick,” he said.
“That’s experience.
“They will find the best way for us to play together and we’ll explore that over the next few weeks.
“Hunty has been excellent. He is exactly what I expected. His experience, his calmness and maturity, he is a great fella and just fits so well into the team. The one thing that resonates with Hunty is his hunger and willingness to be in the place.
“I do believe he and Adam can work together well, absolutely.”
RED HILL REVIVAL
Collisions at Broncos training in pre-season have been noticeably more intense. There is less skylarking. There is a serious edge. Players are trying to impress. Maguire means business and he believes Broncos fans will see a more resolute football team.
“We’re going to be playing a style that I believe will be a strong foundation for what we are trying to do,” he said.
“There’s a lot of good men here but we have to back it up and work hard every day. When things are wrong, we need to pull people up.
“It’s the day-to-day stuff that matters most. I need the players to be thinking like that and if they do, that’s where the opportunities for success might come.
“It would be unreal, absolutely unreal (to win this year’s premiership). They are memories you will have for the rest of your life and that’s what sport does for you. I can see the passion the Broncos Old Boys had during the golden age and we want to bring that back here.
“For these guys to do it … it will give them a bond for life.”
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