In the wake of finishing 12th and weeks of rumours, the Brisbane Broncos swiftly followed up the news of coach Kevin Walters' departure with the appointment of Michael Maguire to lead the 2023 grand finalists next season.
One of the biggest critics of his appointment is Broncos legend, Gorden Tallis. He defended Walters, highlighting that he fell short of a title by just three minutes.
“I don’t think he (Maguire) is better than Kevin,” Tallis said on Fox League's NRL360. When The Australian’s Brent Read suggested that Maguire should reach out to Tallis for help with the coaching, the former player said, “Lose my number, brother.”
“I’m a Titan,” Tallis added. “That’s actually not against Madge because Kevvie has asked me on about five occasions to go back and help and I knocked him back and he’s my good mate.So I’m never going back to the Broncos. That’s it. That’s full stop.”
Tallis mentioned the importance of patience in building a championship-winning roster in a club. “The people who are running the club - Wayne Bennett wasn’t good enough but he was good enough for Souths and to build a new club and Peter V’landys wanted him to build a club,” he said.
“[Manly coach Anthony] Seibold who has done a great job at Manly, he wasn’t good enough. Kevvie wasn’t good enough. They keep on moving on coaches. The club’s not going to move forward. Jack Gibson said winning starts in the front office,” Tallis added.
Michael Maguire expresses excitement about coaching the Broncos
Despite the outside noise, Michael Maguire is excited to take on his new role. He won a Pacific Championship with New Zealand and an Origin series with NSW last season but is looking forward to a return to Clubland.
"I am a career coach. I love the daily stuff and my last campaign in the Origin - it was an incredible experience - but I've missed having players around me daily and that's what I've got a lot out of, living as a coach," Maguire said.
"I'm extremely hungry to win another competition,” he added. "I just see the opportunities and the ability of what a club like the Broncos can be - (and) you can get pretty close to it."
The road ahead for Maguire is tough as he is tasked with bringing better results, as soon as possible. Otherwise, he also risks a similar situation as his predecessors.
