Senior Brisbane Broncos players have launched a fierce defence of coach Michael Maguire, slamming widespread reports of internal unrest as the club endures one of its worst form slumps in recent memory.
The Broncos have won just one of their past seven matches and are under siege after another limp second-half collapse in a 34-6 drubbing by Manly last weekend.
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Amid the fallout, media speculation intensified around the team’s apparent discontent with Maguire’s hard-nosed training regime.
But ahead of his milestone 300th NRL game, veteran halfback and captain Adam Reynolds, alongside centre Kotoni Staggs, fronted the media to set the record straight—and didn’t hold back.
“That’s a load of crap,” Staggs fired, directly rejecting rumours of dissatisfaction within the playing group. “You’ve got to train hard. It’s a tough sport. If you don’t train hard, you don’t go far in this competition. What we’re doing is no different to any other club. It’s all just outside noise.”
Reynolds, who previously won a premiership under Maguire at South Sydney in 2014, also took aim at the speculation, attributing the headlines to the team’s recent string of losses.
“It’s easy to write headlines when you’re not winning,” Reynolds said. “It’s all external and doesn’t mean anything to us. We know what’s being said inside these four walls—and that’s all that matters.”
The skipper doubled down in his support for Maguire, insisting the blame for recent poor performances lay squarely with the players.
“We’re being prepared extremely well. It’s on us as players. We have to take responsibility,” Reynolds said. “Mads is passionate, loyal, and knows how to win. We’ll work our way out of this—no doubt about it. When we do, I look forward to reading what the critics say then.”
Staggs also pushed back against any suggestion that the team “gave up” against Manly, following searing criticism from 1991 premiership winner Greg Alexander, who labelled the Broncos “wusses” for allegedly complaining about being over-trained.
“There’s no giving up here,” Staggs said defiantly. “Sure, we could’ve been better at times. But no one threw in the towel.”
As the Broncos prepare to face the Gold Coast Titans, the pressure is on to prove their words with action. But inside Red Hill, there’s no panic—just a firm belief that the team will rally around Maguire and emerge stronger.
“The only people who can fix this are us,” Reynolds said. “We’re sticking together. The turnaround is coming.”
