Kobe Hetherington being groomed to play on an edge for Broncos in 2025
Michael Maguire loves a player who enjoys the hard yards and Kobe Hetherington loves nothing more than toiling in the middle of the field - but in 2025 Hetherington may find new opportunities out wide.
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Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has ruled out a release for Kobe Hetherington and revealed the Broncos hit man could play a new role next season to give him more game time.
Closing the door on a potential move to Sydney for Hetherington, Maguire says the hard-hitting forward is a key part of his title blueprint and is set to put pressure on starting back-rowers Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura in 2025.
There were fears Hetherington could quit the club when the Broncos gave his management permission to negotiate with rival clubs before the start of the NRL’s new contracting cycle on November 1.
Hetherington attracted interest from five clubs, including the Dragons and Wests Tigers, and was open to a move to Sydney in a bid to secure a regular starting berth.
That prompted urgent talks a fortnight ago between his management and Maguire, who emphatically scuppered any transfer talk, making it clear Hetherington perfectly fits the mould of the player he wants.
Breaking his silence on Hetherington’s future at the Broncos, Maguire urged the tough-tackling utility forward to keep faith in his vision to break Brisbane’s 19-year premiership drought.
“He won’t be released in my mind,” Maguire said.
“People who know me know what style of player I like and Kobe Hetherington is my type of player.
“I like that Kobe fights and scraps for everything and every club needs players like that.
“I do enjoy coaching that type of player _ he’s definitely a player I want.”
Hetherington is off-contract at the end of next season and the role he plays at Red Hill in 2025 could determine whether he remains at the Broncos for the long haul.
The 25-year-old’s preference is to play lock, but Hetherington accepts that’s a difficult proposition given that Brisbane’s first-choice No.13, Origin and Test star Pat Carrigan, is being groomed for the Broncos captaincy.
The Rockhampton product played 23 games last season, starting just three times, but Maguire says the son of Queensland legend Jason Hetherington can play a number of roles.
Aside from being a contingency for Carrigan at lock, Maguire believes Hetherington can also shift to the back row, turning up the heat on Riki and Piakura in the battle for starting spots.
“I think Kobe is more of a 13, but he has the ability to play in the back row,” Maguire said.
“I have spoken to Kobe about playing in both positions.
“I never wanted to lose him.
“He has to come in for pre-season and rip in and perform like everyone, because it’s a fresh beginning.
“Kobe just loves playing footy and being on the field, so where we can give him those opportunities, off the back of what he does in pre-season, I will definitely provide that for him.”
Hetherington’s agent Chris Haddad said his client is open to a move, but hopes to cement his future at the Broncos.
“We will see how this year pans out,” Haddad said.
“The talks went great. ‘Madge’ (Maguire) said they didn’t have a suitable replacement, so they won’t be releasing him and we will talk down the track.
“I said fair enough. Kobe loves the Broncos. He is happy to stay or happy to go, but after talking to Madge, we’ll give it another go.
“Kobe has no issue with the Broncos, but he is keen to be a starting player, so he will give it his best shot next season.
“We had interest from a number of clubs, so I will see how Kobe feels down the track.
“For now, he is concentrating on having a good pre-season ... good footballers like Kobe can play anywhere.”
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Originally published as Kobe Hetherington being groomed to play on an edge for Broncos in 2025
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