Broncos and coach Michael Maguire cop blowtorch after South Sydney loss

Kevin Walters and Johnathan Thurston have torched the Brisbane Broncos and their coach Michael Maguire questioning the club’s commitment and lack of hard edge in 2025.

NRL legend Johnathan Thurston has turned the blowtorch on Brisbane players as former coach Kevin Walters declared “something is not right” with Michael Maguire’s Broncos.

Thurston, the Cowboys champion who broke Brisbane’s hearts in the 2015 grand final, has questioned the Broncos’ commitment in the wake of Friday night’s 22-14 collapse against Souths.

Ahead 14-0 at half-time, the Broncos sensationally imploded, conceding 22 unanswered points against an injury-ravaged Souths side inspired by Latrell Mitchell.

While Mitchell’s booming 49-metre field goal in the 70th minute stole the headlines, alarm bells are ringing for a Brisbane side that was outmuscled and outenthused by the undermanned Rabbitohs.

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Walters was dramatically sacked by the Broncos last September and replaced by Maguire. There was a view Brisbane bosses wanted a harder edge at Red Hill to snap a 19-year title drought. The hard-nosed Maguire was the chosen one.

Kevin Walters (L) and Johnathan Thurston (R) have called out Michael Maguire (centre) and his Broncos.

THERE IS SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGHT

But after 10 rounds, the Broncos are teetering with a 5-5 record. Maguire is under pressure to get the Broncos rolling as they prepare for next Sunday’s clash against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium.

Walters, who took the Broncos to the grand final two years ago, believes leading Brisbane are lacking confidence and self-belief after four losses from their past five games.

“There is something not quite right at the minute,” said Fox Sports analyst Walters following the Souths capitulation.

“It’s only early days, but I can’t put my finger on it.

“Maybe in the back of their head they thought we have this (game), we just have to keep playing, but it just didn’t happen.

“All of a sudden the question marks start coming into the Broncos’ minds. Are we doing enough here? What’s going wrong?

“You could see the panic ... well, not panic, but they were getting away from their game plan.

“Reece Walsh is not there (due to injury) and Ezra Mam will come back in, but they can’t solve everything.

“Brisbane’s problems run a bit deeper than bringing two players back.

“They would be extremely disappointed with that second half.

“Where do they go to from here?

THERE IS NO HARD EDGE TO THEM AT ALL

Thurston was scathing in his assessment of the Broncos.

The future NRL Immortal questioned if Brisbane have gone backwards as a side over the past year and spotlighted the body language of Broncos players after Mitchell crashed over as the full-time siren sounded.

“When he scored that try at the end, I turned around to look at the Broncos and they were scattered, they were absolutely scattered,” Thurston said on Channel 9.

“They were so distant from each other, so far inside their own heads.

“It’s like they are playing on egg shells.

“Are they a better football side than they were 12 months ago?

“We all thought Michael Maguire was coming in to put a hard edge into the Broncos.

“Well their last five games and their second-half fadeouts, there is no hard edge to them at all.

“As a Broncos fan, I would be frustrated to see the way that they are playing.”

Former Broncos and NSW hooker Michael Ennis said Brisbane are running out of excuses given their star-studded squad.

“There’s concerns for Brisbane. There is,” he said on Fox League.

“They have a roster that can win the competition, but they got ambushed by Canberra (in round 2) and then got towelled up by a young Roosters side.

“To go to Sydney with all the stars not in the South Sydney side, to lead 14-0 (and lose), is it complacency?

“Michael Maguire said last week at Magic Round, ‘I’m going to own that closing part of the first half and learn a few things’.

“Why aren’t they putting that 80 minute performance together?

“The challenge for Michael Maguire is to get that 80 minutes out of them.”

Broncos five-eighth Ben Hunt, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Souths loss, slammed the performance, saying Brisbane’s title reputation is on the line.

“That second half honestly was pretty embarrassing,” he said.

“I wasn’t out there for all of it, but we need to sort out a fair few things if we want to do anything in this competition.”

MADGE SLAMS PLAYERS AFTER SOFT LOSS

A fuming Broncos coach Michael Maguire has lashed his “bumbling” players, slamming Brisbane’s shock 22-14 collapse against Souths on Friday night as “not good enough”.

Maguire was left to rue another inconsistent display from a star-studded Broncos side that goes into Sunday week’s clash against the Dragons with a shaky 5-5 record after their Bunnies implosion.

The Broncos led 14-0 halftime at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, only to blow a handy advantage in driving rain with a woeful second stanza bereft of energy and intent.

A dejected Adam Reynolds at full-time.

Maguire has staunchly defended his side over the first nine weeks, but after watching Brisbane slump to their fourth loss in five weeks, the Broncos coach has had enough.

Asked if Brisbane’s players have an attitude problem, Maguire said: “I will find out this week.

“We have to look in the mirror and say what do you need to do to get it done.

“As a group we have to learn how to do that or we will keep bumbling along the same way we have been.

“It’s not good enough - simple as that.”

Adding salt to Brisbane’s wounds, marquee recruit Ben Hunt hobbled off in the 67th minute with a hamstring injury, opening the door for Ezra Mam to return against the Dragons.

Maguire was tight-lipped about the prospect of Mam answering an SOS, but if scans rule Hunt out of action, the controversial pivot appears certain to earn a recall.

His nine-game suspension over for a drug-driving ordeal, Mam will return to action for feeder club Souths Logan on Sunday.

“I will go through the game first before I decide which way we go,” Maguire said of Mam’s selection prospects.

The injury-ravaged Rabbitohs were the latest team to stick it to Brisbane in midfield, leaving Maguire searching for answers.

Ben Hunt left the ground in the 67th minute and is in question for next week. Picture: Getty Images)

“As a group, we have to make sure they take ownership,” he said.

“It was there for us, it was disappointing. It wasn’t good enough, simple as that.

“It’s irrelevant if you can’t do it for 80 minutes.”

Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds wouldn’t speculate on reuniting with his 2023 grand-final halves partner Mam.

“Like ‘Madge’ (Maguire) said, we’ll review this game,” he said.

“Ezra has been training well, but he has a game to get through.”

Originally published as Broncos and coach Michael Maguire cop blowtorch after South Sydney loss