Michael Maguire's brutal move that could spell bad news for Adam Reynolds' Broncos captaincy

Adam Reynolds and Michael Maguire have a more than decade-long NRL relationship, however, the Broncos coach is still weighing up whether he is the right man to captain Brisbane next season. Reynolds has hit the ground running since returning to pre-season training ahead of what may be his final NRL campaign next year.

This season the 34-year-old battled several injuries which limited him to just 13 games. And following Brisbane's fall from grand finalists to 12th, many have called for the captain's armband to be taken off the halfback and given to either Pat Carrigan or Payne Haas.

Speaking about who will be the Broncos skipper next year, Maguire refused to rule out a leadership change, stating it is a call he will make in the new year. And Reynolds is sure to be nervous about being stripped of the captaincy as Maguire has a history of disregarding sentiment and loyalty to freshen things up and put his own stamp on a team.

This is perfectly illustrated by his decision to drop James Tedesco from the NSW Blues Origin side for the 2024 series. The Roosters fullback had played 22 consecutive matches in Sky Blue since his debut in the third game of the 2016 series and he is the equal-seventh most capped player for his state.

The 31-year-old had also captained the side since midway through the 2020 series and is a record three-time recipient (2018, 2019, 2022) of the Brad Fittler medal for best NSW player, introduced in 2005. But upon taking over the Blues, Maguire axed him, instead going with the more youthful Dylan Edwards. If Maguire has a similar approach at Red Hill he may decide to go with the younger Carrigan over Reynolds as captain in 2025.

And with Ben Hunt arriving at the Broncos, the captain's armband may not be the only thing Reynolds could lose, with his spot also under threat. Maguire has already hinted at Hunt's leadership qualities as a key reason why they brought him home, which will most likely see him play alongside Reynolds in the halves to start the season.

Ezra Mam is expected to be stood down for several games to start the new season, providing an obvious spot for Hunt to step in. However, when the exciting five-eighth does return, Reynolds could find himself on the outer. While Hunt could also slot in at hooker or as a utility, Maguire could make the tough call to drop him out of Brisbane's best 17 entirely.

It is a move that wouldn't totally shock Reynolds either, with the halfback noting the competition for spots will heat up with Hunt coming. "If you've got competition in the squad, it's going to make you a better player and Ben will add to that," Hunt said last month. "He's a competitor, brings a lot of experience and no doubt will be a great addition to the squad."

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Michael Maguire hints at potential leadership change

Calls for a Broncos captaincy change have only continued to grow since the middle of the 2024 season after the Broncos suffered a humiliating loss at home to the Bulldogs. Club great Gorden Tallis suggested Carrigan would be the better choice, and the pressure on Reynolds hasn't died down since.

“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," Tallis said. "(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."

And Maguire has hinted that there may be a change of leadership structure at Red Hill in 2025. “If we get his body right, he can have a big year for us. I know he can withstand the weekly grind. I see a real steel about him at the moment," Maguire told The Courier-Mail. “As a captain, he has had to go through a bit and he’s copped some stick, but he will be out there showing exactly who he is when he’s playing.

"We will discuss (the captaincy). Reyno is a leader. I’ve had a lot of great experiences with Reyno but we want some more. How that leadership and captaincy of the team looks, we will discuss that throughout January. There are some things I will be doing with the team but he is a very good leader."

Last month, Reynolds declared he's "100 per cent" committed to leading the team in 2025, in what will likely be the final year of his career. Carrigan also recently threw his support behind Reynolds to continue as skipper, 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."

Majority of NRL fans want Adam Reynolds as captain

Maguire initially said when he took over at Red Hill that he saw no need to appoint a new captain. However, his tone has slowly shifted since players have returned for pre-season training, suggesting there may be at least a co-captaincy arrangement next season.

But Yahoo Sport Australia can reveal as far as the fans are concerned that Reynolds is the man supporters want to lead the club. Carrigan was initially the top choice ahead of Reynolds when the poll was first published, but fans have since rallied in favour of Reynolds.

As it currently stands, Reynolds has 42 per cent of the votes compared to 40 per cent for Carrigan. Payne Haas has seven per cent of votes, while just three per cent want Reece Walsh as skipper and eight per cent want 'someone else' entirely. The poll of more than 39,000 fans shows Maguire that the fans want to see Reynolds lead the team out in 2025.