NRL 2024: Broncos coach Michael Maguire to honour contracts of assistant coaches Trent Barrett, Ben Te’o after Kevin Walters departure
The shock departure of Broncos coach Kevin Walters has led to uncertainty over his new assistants Trent Barrett and Ben Te’o ... now Michael Maguire has made a call on their future.
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Broncos coach Michael Maguire will honour the contracts of new Brisbane assistants Trent Barrett and Ben Te’o after making his first move to shake-up Kevin Walters’ football department.
Barrett and Te’o will join ex-Maroons hooker Matt Ballin as Maguire’s right-hand men heading into the 2025 NRL premiership.
Former Broncos head coach Walters appointed Barrett and Te’o to replace Super League-bound John Cartwright and Lee Briers.
But Walters never got the chance to work with the ex-Origin duo after he was giving his marching orders a fortnight ago following Brisbane’s crash from grand finalists to 12th this year.
With a new coach in Maguire heading to Red Hill, the futures of Barrett and Te’o came under the spotlight given they were recruited by Walters.
However Maguire will honour the appointments which will see him link up with Te’o, a member of the 2014 South Sydney team that snapped a 43-year premiership drought under Maguire.
Te’o said he was excited to work with Maguire a decade later, this time as coaching colleagues.
“I’m excited to get into the pre-season and get going,” he said.
“I’ve spent three years away from the Broncos and this is my opportunity to come back.
“I’ve got a strong relationship with ‘Madge’. I’ll do my job and work in with the other assistants.
“I didn’t think back then (2014) that I’d even coach. I didn’t think it was something for me.
“It’s the 10-year anniversary of our premiership this season and we’ve got a few functions towards the end of the year for it.
“We’ve got a strong relationship because we achieved something together. That was as a coach and player.
“Now we’re coming in as work colleagues. I am excited to work with him.”
Former Queensland Origin star Darius Boyd has departed Brisbane’s coaching unit while Broncos legend Allan Langer may not be involved with the football team.
Maguire has also made his first support staff appointment in high performance expert Troy Thomson, who worked with the Rabbitohs from 2011-16 and has also held roles with the Maroons and Kangaroos.
Maguire has been in Sydney organising his move to Brisbane and will return to the River City next week to prepare for the start of pre-season training in early November.
Te’o will return to the Broncos club he played 96 games for following three years at Redcliffe, where he coached the Dolphins’ Hostplus Cup team and was an assistant to Wayne Bennett.
Te’o said he wasn’t concerned about Maguire reneging on his Broncos return following the departure of Walters.
“I don’t get nervous about stuff like that. I just think it will work itself out,” Te’o said.
“In the last three years I’ve done my apprenticeship coaching Queensland Cup and being an NRL assistant to Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins.
“I think I’ve done my time so if I’m good enough they’ll keep me around. I think I’ve got something to offer.”
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Broncos coach Michael Maguire to honour contracts of assistant coaches Trent Barrett, Ben Te’o after Kevin Walters departure
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