Michael Maguire holds talks with Broncos bosses, emerges as top Kevin Walters replacement

The Broncos could unveil a new coach within a week, after club bosses identified their preferred candidate to replace Kevin Walters after his shock axing. HAVE YOUR SAY

NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire has emerged as the preferred candidate to replace Kevin Walters at the Broncos. Picture: Getty Images

Michael Maguire has held talks with Brisbane bosses as the NSW Origin coach rockets into the mix to replace Kevin Walters as Broncos coach.

This masthead can reveal Maguire is the preferred candidate to succeed Walters with Brisbane hierarchy kicking off preliminary negotiations to secure the man who steered the Blues to Origin glory this season.

The deal could be done within the week.

Maguire has informed Brisbane chiefs of his interest and is prepared to resign as NSW Origin coach to take up a Broncos job he has coveted for the past six years.

NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire has emerged as the preferred candidate to replace Kevin Walters at the Broncos. Picture: Getty Images

Maguire was short-listed for the Broncos job to replace Wayne Bennett in 2018 but missed out to Anthony Seibold, who was sacked two years later.

Matty Johns is pushing for Michael Maguire to replace Walters. He says he’ll win a comp within two years.

“I’ve had a long association with Madge,” he said. “I had no doubt he would win the origin series, like he’d pounded Australia 30-0. They will win the comp within two years if they appoint him.”

The Broncos are doing their due diligence with up to seven candidates in the mix, including Brad Arthur, Jason Demetriou, Josh Hannay and Trent Barrett, who was hired as Walters’ assistant for next season.

But Maguire is firmly on Brisbane’s hit list and has had dialogue with Broncos officialdom as the club ramps-up a Walters succession plan for the coach to break Brisbane’s 19-year premiership drought.

Maguire is contracted to coach the Blues for the 2025 Origin series but the New South Wales Rugby League won’t stand in his way if he is successful in clinching the Broncos gig.

Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy declined to comment on specific candidates, but said the club wanted Walters’ successor locked in before the start of Brisbane’s pre-season in early November.

“Firstly we need a coach and we appreciate that pre-season starts in a matter of five or six weeks,” he said.

“So there’s an onus on me and others in the organisation to really get the whip out and move quickly.

“We understand pre-season is a big, important part of the program and we won’t take too long to move on that.

“We do appreciate there’s a period of time and a finite amount of time where we’ve got to get ready.

“Now that it’s happened, people inside and outside will process it.

“We’ll go to work now to ensure that we identify the best person to come in to take us in the future.”

That person shapes as Maguire.

Michael Maguire broke the Rabbitohs 43-year premiership drought in 2014. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The 50-year-old is one of the best credentialed coaches in the code, having won premierships in both the English Super League and NRL and enjoyed success at all levels.

A former assistant to Craig Bellamy at Melbourne, Maguire has experience at big clubs with big expectations – he broke South Sydney’s 43-year premiership drought in 2014.

Maguire had four tumultuous seasons at Wests Tigers from 2019-22, but he bounced back with two of the greatest achievements of his career in the past 12 months.

Last year, he steered New Zealand to Pacific Championships glory with a 30-0 belting of Australia – the Kangaroos greatest ever loss – before bringing down Queensland this year to clinch the Origin shield for NSW.

The Broncos have previously employed just one non-Queenslander in Croatia-born Ivan Henjak, the former Raiders halfback who coached Brisbane in 2008-09 as Wayne Bennett’s successor.

Maguire had four tumultuous years at the Wests Tigers, but bounced back.

Born in Canberra, Maguire potentially faces a political minefield winning the support of the Broncos Old Boys, who are staunch supporters of club legend Walters.

Walters’ good mate Gorden Tallis slammed Maguire during this year’s Origin series, labelling him a nobody, while another Broncos legend Shane Webcke questioned whether ‘Madge’ was the right fit for the job.

“If you’re to make a decision like this (sacking Walters), you make it because you’re going for something better,” Webcke told radio SEN.

Broncos legend Shane Webcke has questioned whether Maguire is the right fit for the club. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Well, who’s better? Who’s available right now?

“Who’s going to be a better fit than Kevin Walters?

“I don’t know. That’s a trickier question.

“(Maguire) coaches New South Wales. Spare me that. I mean, I’ve got nothing against him, but we’d get rid of Kevin Walters for that?

“I don’t think so.”

Maguire is renowned for his no-nonsense approach and his disciplinarian style could extract the best of young guns such as Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam.

Walters had hired two new assistants, Ben Te’o and Trent Barrett, for the 2025 season and Donaghy expects the duo to be retained by Brisbane’s next coach.

Maguire’s disciplinarian style could help get the best out of Broncos young guns Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Both those guys have significant experience,” he said.

“Ben obviously is a club legend and Trent brings a wealth of experience from other clubs and his experience both as a head coach and a senior assistant.

“We look forward to welcoming both those gents into the club.”

Asked what kind of coach the Broncos needed, Donaghy said: “Out of respect, I won’t go too much into what’s next or what the next coach may or may not look like.

“My intent and what I want to do is really thank and honour Kev for the significant contribution he’s made to our club.

“It’s important that he continues to preserve and enhance his legacy at the Broncos, which is significant.”

Originally published as Michael Maguire holds talks with Broncos bosses, emerges as top Kevin Walters replacement