300 games, 2438 points, three grand finals. Now Reynolds faces his greatest test

There is little Adam Reynolds has not seen, achieved and endured during his storied NRL career.

Premiership triumph, grand final defeats, State of Origin caps, and injury turmoils have all been part of his tenure.

Yet, what lies ahead of him before his 300th first-grade appearance this week looms as his greatest challenge.

As captain, Reynolds will be tasked with inspiring the Brisbane Broncos, whose heavyweight status has slumped on the back of six defeats from their past seven encounters.

Kotoni Staggs has slammed reports that the Broncos are not united behind coach Michael Maguire.Credit: NRL Photos

Murmurs of player unrest due to coach Michael Maguire’s gruelling training regimen have also circulated in media reports, but centre Kotoni Staggs has slammed them as “a load of crap”.

“You’ve got to train hard. It’s a very tough sport, and if you don’t train hard, I don’t think you’re going to go far in this competition,” Staggs said.

“It’s just excuses from outside noise that we can’t control. If we let that take control of us, we won’t be able to get ourselves out of where we are.

“We love Madge here, he’s done a great job, he’s come into this team and changed the club, and changed the way we want to be on and off the field.”

But with one of the game’s most talented rosters – State of Origin stars Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Selwyn Cobbo and Reece Walsh (who Reynolds all but confirmed would return from a knee injury this week), as well as Staggs, Ezra Mam and Reynolds himself – expectations were high that Maguire’s edge would trigger considerable improvement on last year’s 12th-place finish.

But they currently sit at 11th, ranking 13th for completion rates (77 per cent), 16th for support runs (534), 11th for post-contact metres (6266), and second for penalties conceded (75).

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Gold Coast Titans, Reynolds blasted talk that the Broncos were not united behind Maguire’s vision, declaring that the South Sydney premiership-winning mentor’s passion and loyalty to the players would guide them back to title contention.

“It’s easy to write headlines when you are not winning games. It’s external and doesn’t mean anything to us, the conversations we are having in these four walls are the important ones,” he said.

“If you listen to people on the outside, you end up on the outside, so for us, we know what we are capable of and what type of football team we have. We will get a result and see what you write then.

“I love trying to fight out of any situation, whether it’s good or bad. I think there’s some beauty in it all. Rugby league is a roller coaster, and you have to make the most of each and every day.

“We are staying united, and no doubt we will change the momentum. I can assure you we will turn it around.”

Much of any success the Broncos have from this point will hinge on Reynolds’ direction.

While his game management has been both praised and scrutinised this year, the halfback’s reputation as one of the NRL’s elite kickers remains intact – a skill set he says came from waking up and going to sleep with a football in hand, and carrying it wherever he went in between.

That early dedication led him to second on the all-time point scorers list (2438) and fuelled his desire to play on in 2026, with reports emerging that the Broncos have tabled a one-year contract extension.

“I still love the game. I still enjoy turning up to training and working hard with my teammates, and going over video with my coaches,” Reynolds said.

“The passion I had as a 21-year-old I’ve got today as a 34-year-old. Nothing has changed, I still have the burning desire to go out and compete and win.

“[But] I’m not even thinking about that right now. We’ve been in a hole the last couple of weeks and my focus is on getting us out of it.”

“That’s the legacy that they started and they’ve handed down to us, and they’ve been people that we’ve looked up to.”

Kotoni Staggs on Broncos legends

Past Broncos greats such as Allan Langer have called out the current squad for playing with a lack of spirit, a sentiment Staggs is eager to refute.

And Staggs was emphatic that the club should persevere with Maguire’s methods.

“This jersey that we put on, it means a lot, and for what I do in this jersey myself, it’s about who I’ll pass it down to next,” he said.

“We’re only a couple of wins away from being back in the top eight, and I think that with Reyno’s 300 ... it’s going to mean a lot more for us players to go out, do it for him, and have his back.”

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