Axed Broncos forward Marty Taupau has broken his silence on his infamous liked Instagram Post aimed at coach Michael Maguire that led to his sacking from the club.
Taupau was released by the Broncos in May, after he had liked a social media post criticising the infamous tough coaching techniques employed by head coach Maguire.
Speaking on the Chad Townsend Show podcast, Taupau revealed he wasn’t fully aware of his actions and the repercussions at the time of the incident.
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“I’ve come across a post (from) Footy Hacks, Elijah Taylor…sharing his thoughts and feelings on how tough the pre-season training is under [Michael] Maguire and at the end of it, it was if he changes certain things they’ll be really successful,” Taupau said on The Chad Townsend Show.
“For me, to my unknowing, I just liked it and just kept going. Totally forgot about it, dropped my coffee, jumped on the scooter and went down to work. Then the boys go, ‘Uce you just liked this post’…and they’re all covering their mouths, so I just unliked it.
“It turned. I got told you’ve got to have a meeting and it’s tonight to explain your actions. It didn’t really click. I had the meeting (to) explain what had happened and I was really remorseful.
“I was aware but not fully aware of the repercussions so it just happened and I just liked an Instagram post and that was it.”
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Martin Taupau was released by the Broncos over a liked social media post.Source: News Corp Australia
The 35-year-old scored 21 tries in 256 games for the Bulldogs, Tigers, Sea Eagles and Broncos after debuting in 2010, including 33 Tests for Samoa and New Zealand.
However, he was let go after just one game in the 2025 season after the social media incident and was denied the chance to win a premiership with the Broncos later that year.
Taupau admits it is still difficult to process how an innocent mistake led to his Broncos sacking after three seasons at the club.
“I always feel dumbfounded when I think about it,” Taupau said.
“I had a meeting with the CEO and the footy manager just to explain my actions, and I was really remorseful and apologetic for what had happened.
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“There was no intention to cause any harm to anyone. It was an innocent like as it was, so a later meeting was called with the CEO, and I thought, let’s go for a walk. Let’s have a walking meeting.
“We talked it through and he said it’s probably best that we mutually part ways, and thinking back to it now, I didn’t give it much thought, but when you know in your heart and your body’s telling you it’s time to go. It’s like okay, I’m happy with it.
“I wasn’t angry with it at the time. I understand it. It was hard, it was a kick in the guts, it was every emotion under the sun.
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“But looking back it now I feel like it was God just stepping in and saying, ‘Okay Marty, it’s time for you to put your boots down.”
Taupau admits he wanted to play on for another two seasons, be it in the NRL or in the Super League, but has since decided to retire from professional rugby league.
“I said to my wife even before all of this happened, that I’ve got another two years in me because we have invested so much time and money into keeping my body in one piece and especially my brain,” Taupau said.
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“We put out a few feelers and the feeder club that I was playing for at the time, Souths Logan Magpies with Karmichael Hunt.
“I reached out to him and said, ‘I’m keen, I’m still in Brisbane and I’m keen to play but we’ll suss out the paperwork with the contractual stuff and then we’ll go from there’.
“Sadly, but fortunately for me nothing came about. There were a few clubs that came in from England that tabled a few offers but I had a conversation with my wife about what’s the best thing for our family.”