Michael Maguire's NRL reality laid bare as Broncos' rushed Kevin Walters call could come back to bite

OPINION

The Broncos' swift axing of Kevin Walters suggested from the outset that the club had already identified his replacement. And just five days after parting ways with Walters, the Broncos got their man, with the NSW Blues agreeing to let Michael Maguire go from the final year of his State of Origin contract to take the head coaching role at Brisbane.

The decision to sack Walters came on the back of findings from an independent review commissioned by the club after a massive fall from grace in 2024, where Brisbane finished 12th and missed the finals on the back of making the grand final the year prior. And the Broncos board has now put its trust in Maguire to turn things around in 2025 as the former Rabbitohs and Tigers coach penned a three-year deal with the club on Tuesday. But the decision shows the club has not learnt from the costly error they made when they appointed Walters in 2020.

Maguire's coaching stocks are currently at an all-time high. The 50-year-led New Zealand to a historic 30-0 victory over the Kangaroos in the final of the Pacific Test Championship at the end of the 2023 season. And instead of building on his success, Maguire left the international role to join the Blues in a bid to change their fortunes in the Origin arena. He did just that this year leading the Blues to a monumental series victory.

However, representative football success doesn't necessarily equate to NRL coaching dominance and Maguire's recent success does little to change what transpired the last two times he has been in charge of an NRL club. On the surface the now-former Blues coach is a great choice given the fact he took Souths to a drought-breaking premiership in 2014 - the club's first in 43 years - and in more recent times hasn't put a foot wrong for New Zealand and NSW.

But his NRL coaching tenures are not ones that are remembered fondly by fans. His first three years at the Bunnies were seen as successful as he won a premiership but from there on it was all downhill. After back-to-back underwhelming years in charge of the Rabbitohs in 2015 and 2016, Maguire was sacked by Souths in 2017.

He then joined Tigers the following year and the next three and a half years can only be described as a disaster. After taking the Tigers job Maguire urged Tigers fans and players to 'get on the bus' and spoke about how he plans to take the club to premiership glory. But his illusions of grandeur were far from fulfilled going 29-51 in his three-and-a-half years in charge. While the documentary ‘Tales From Tiger Town’, which was meant to inspire fans, instead cast Maguire in a passionate but frustrated light as he was seen flustered and unable to get his message across to the players.

Since the Rabbitohs' 2014 grand final triumph, Maguire has failed to win a single finals game in his six NRL campaigns. And to make matters worse, by numbers, his last winning season in charge of an NRL club was in 2015. It could also be argued looking back on his time at Souths and the Tigers that Maguire left those clubs in a worse state than what they were when he took over.

And while his time at both clubs started on the front foot, by the time he was sacked all that was left was the remnants of his motivational speeches, hot takes and a squad lacking depth, confidence and without a clear direction on the football field. While Broncos fans will be hoping he can lead the club to their first premiership since 2006, history shows more likely than not after the initial new coach surge it will end in disaster and Brisbane will be looking for another coach before too long.

Broncos continue to hunt for first NRL premiership since 2006

Last week marked the end of the Broncos' Walters era and despite almost taking out the 2023 NRL premiership, looking back on his four years in charge it is hard to classify his time at the club as a success. Under Walters the Broncos missed the top eight in three out of the four seasons and likely regret overlooking the more qualified Paul Green to instead go with Walters, whose last head coaching role was leading Queensland in State of Origin.

And the Broncos have once again opted to go back to the State of Origin well by appointing Maguire to try and turn a promising young group of players into a premiership-winning side. But the reality is targeting representative coaches for NRL sides is rarely successful.

Coaching at a representative level is about harnessing the talent that is there already and getting players up for a handful of high-intensity and passionate games, something Maguire's motivational speeches and overall intense approach are perfectly suited to.

RELATED:

• Peter V'landys shut down over AFL dig after backlash to 'pathetic' scenes

• NRL makes calls on fining Cleary over comment following Panthers win

• Reece Walsh caught up in ugly claims around Kevin Walters' exit

His war of words with Slater ahead of State of Origin Game 3 showcased his ability to draw on emotion and inspire his troops. But those skills don't necessarily translate to leading an NRL side to the top.

And now Maguire isn't just taking on a job in charge of a regular NRL side, the Broncos head coach must carefully navigate the pressure of a whole town that demands success, a challenging old boys network, constant scrutiny and often inflated player egos. So while his intense passion for rugby league could send Brisbane charging out of the gates in 2025, it is unlikely to be enough to build sustained success over the course of a season.

To succeed in Brisbane, Maguire will need to harness the star power of Reece Walsh and build a team around the club's big-money stars such as Walsh, Ezra Mam, Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan. However, Maguire's record in club football doesn't suggest he has the tools to do just that.

Michael Maguire not wanted by Broncos' old boys

Maguire's Broncos appointment has also gone down like a lead balloon with several of the club's legends. Walters was highly regarded amongst the Brisbane old boys but after a horror 2024 campaign not even his reputation could save his job.

Following his sacking, many of the Brisbane greats have been vocal about their desire to not have the New South Welshman at the helm. Shane Webcke went on record to say he doesn't want the Blues coach leading the Broncos, while Gorden Tallis said not only should the club not want Maguire due to his NSW affiliation but should avoid him due to his coaching record at Souths and the Wests Tigers. "Do a review on him at Souths and Tigers, then you'd have your answer," Tallis said.

"This is one thing that I do know - coaching NSW against Queensland without Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui), (Tom) Flegler, (Tom) Gilbert and (Cameron) Munster - they are two different coaches. A rep coach is not a club coach … it's a massive difference. The best candidate has been sacked by his last two clubs."