Adam Reynolds cops crushing blow in surprise call on Brisbane Broncos captaincy for 2025

A poll conducted by Yahoo Sport Australia of more than 20,000 readers has revealed Patrick Carrigan is the more popular choice to captain the Brisbane Broncos over Adam Reynolds. New coach Michael Maguire has shut down suggestions that Reynolds could be replaced as captain in 2025, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill.

There were calls for change in the middle of the 2024 season after the Broncos suffered a humiliating loss at home to the Broncos. Club great Gorden Tallis suggested Carrigan would be the better choice, and the pressure on Reynolds hasn't died down after the Broncos slumped to a 12th-placed finish.

And although Maguire appears highly unlikely to make the switch, Yahoo Sport Australia can reveal Carrigan is the more popular choice amongst fans. A poll of over 20,000 readers has Carrigan as the most popular captaincy option with 42 per cent of the vote, just ahead of Reynolds on 39 per cent.

Payne Haas has eight per cent of votes, while just three per cent want Reece Walsh as skipper and eight per cent want 'someone else' entirely. The poll results show Maguire might be going against the majority of Broncos fans by keeping Reynolds as captain.

Gorden Tallis critical of Adam Reynolds' leadership

Speaking in July, Tallis said: “I think the team is lacking leadership. I watch them closely… on Saturday (against the Bulldogs) somebody needed to stand up and put a stake in the ground. (Reynolds) didn’t do it, and in the (2023) grand final he didn’t get them home either. If he’s the captain and he’s not doing it, there might be a chance to put Pat Carrigan there.

“In that game on the weekend, under the pump, if I’m playing with Allan Langer, he gets out from dummy-alf, he does three or four tackles in a row, he looks at us and challenges us. There’s none of that happening at the moment. So maybe there should be a change with who gets the C next to their name.”

Michael Maguire and Patrick Carrigan back Adam Reynolds

But Maguire recently stated: “I don’t have any reason (to replace Reynolds as captain). I’ve had a long relationship with Adam and we won a comp together (at Souths). He is a winner. He’s taken that team to some pretty good places already, so as long as he’s fit and healthy and he is right, he is a great leader.”

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Last month, Reynolds declared he's "100 per cent" still committed to skippering the team in 2025, in what will be the final year of his career. And Carrigan also backed Reynolds to continue as the leader, saying: "People that know him as a leader and the influence he has on the club, it's second to none and he should be skipper of our team."

Maguire has also spruiked the leadership qualities of Haas in an indication he could be in the running to become the next captain after Reynolds retires. “We all know what an incredible person he is, but I feel that he can lift the group – I saw him do it with the Origin team," the coach said. "He was a leader. He was in our leadership group within the Origin space. I’m going to call upon those sorts of things with Payne for sure here at the Broncos."