Broncos veteran’s telling move about ‘intense’ coach Michael Maguire

A senior Bronco might have some explaining to do after he endorsed some scathing comments about coach Michael Maguire.

A Broncos veteran might soon find himself in the doghouse with Michael Maguire after liking a social media post criticising the Broncos coach’s style.

Former New Zealand Test forward Elijah Taylor played under Maguire during his NRL career and shared his thoughts on the coach’s training methods, and he didn’t hold back in a pointed post on Instagram.

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Taylor, who played 186 NRL games for the Warriors, Panthers and Wests Tigers, listed three areas around Maguire’s “intensity”, which the former prop believes go too far.

“A lot of people are asking me what’s wrong with ‘Madge’ (Maguire), what’s wrong with the Broncos,” Taylor said in a video post on the Footy Hacks Instagram account.

Watch the criticism of Michael Maguire in the video above

Code Sports first reported veteran Broncos prop Marty Taupau ‘liked’ the post in a move unlikely to go unnoticed by club officials.

Elijah Taylor, Martin Taupau and Broncos coach Michael Maguire.

“A lot of people are asking me what’s wrong with ‘Madge’ (Maguire), what’s wrong with the Broncos,” said Taylor, who played under Maguire at the Tigers.

“One, his intensity. I’ve never seen a coach ride the game so hard.

“After a win, the world is a better place. After a loss, you’re off to a funeral and someone will be getting cooked at the video session.

“Two, training methods. Ninety-five per cent of the time on the field it’s full contact.

“The hardest pre-season I have ever done is with Michael Maguire.

“You haven’t done an NRL pre-season until you have done a Michael Maguire pre-season.

“Three, time efficiency. Let’s have a meeting for a meeting for a meeting. I’d get home from training and the kids don’t know who I am anymore. Hardly home.”

Taylor said draining training sessions left him below his best as a player, but added that the Broncos had what it takes to turn their season around.

Maguire put the Broncos through their paces in a tough pre-seaosn regime that featured vomit buckets and a ban on being shirtless at training in a bid to give the Broncos a hard edge.

Code Sports noted Taupau, 35, came close to collapsing in 30 degree heat on the first day of pre-season last November.

“Nothing worse than running out for game-day warm up and you are sore,” Taylor said.

“I’m about to play an 80-minute game and my body feels like this.

“If Madge can clean that up, I’m sure he can turn the Broncos season around.”

“I warned you. Good luck.”

Broncos forward Martin Taupau. Picture: Liam Kidston

Taupau is one of 14 Broncos players out of contract at the end of this season, and fringe players in Brisbane’s top 30 squad are expected to be the victims of a salary cap squeeze with the club likely to re-sign Adam Reynolds and Selwyn Cobbo.

Broncos star Payne Haas shut down speculation of a rift between Maguire and his playing group.

“That’s a bit of bollocks,” Haas said on Thursday.

“We’ve got his back. Everyone’s got high belief in this group and what he does. We support him 100 per cent.”

Triple M’s Ben Dobbin told the Thursday Scrum the Broncos had “gone into meltdown” and were “absolutely filthy” over the social media situation.

“They are extremely disappointed, they hate to be put into this situation and they’re trying to change the culture,” Dobbin said.

“They will be meeting with the player in the coming days and there will be ramifications.

“They are absolutely furious about the fact he’s liked this. The senior playing group are unhappy.”

The criticism of Maguire comes as Brisbane’s forward pack have been urged to lift their game and support Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan in gaining more metres during games.

Fox League commentator Warren Smith told news.com.au Brisbane’s forward pack has not been firing on all cylinders, highlighting Kobe Hetherington, Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura as players that need to lift.

“Other than Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, I think they’re just missing running metres from the rest,” Smith said.

Jordan Riki, Brendan Piakura and Kobe Hetherington have been below their best.

“Players like Jordan Riki for mine has been you know much quieter than he has been in seasons past — there doesn’t seem to be a lot happening for him on that right-hand side of the field.

“It’s still sort of in between Brendan Piakura and Xavier Willison as far as the other side, on the left edge.

“And Kobe Hetherington isn’t known as a ‘metres man’ as Carrigan was in that 13 role, they seem to lack a bit of punch at times through the middle other than the big two (Haas and Carrigan).”

The Broncos take on the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they aim to improve on their 5-5 win-loss record heading into the State of Origin period.

Originally published as Broncos veteran’s telling move about ‘intense’ coach Michael Maguire