Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire has defended his club’s performance despite back-to-back defeats against arguably the two worst sides in this year’s competition.
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Conceding their fifth straight loss on Saturday night to the Gold Coast Titans, Maguire insisted that his squad is “bloody trying” and refused to question his side’s commitment.
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After producing an abysmal showing last week against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Maguire praised the club’s response, even though they weren’t able to get the win against their interstate rivals.
“They’re bloody trying. I’ve got a group that’s trying hard it just things aren’t clicking for us at time,” Maguire said post-match.
“We had two tries in the first half bounce away and I can’t fault the effort the players are putting in.
“Last week we were where we needed to be but this week they turned up training and they had a red-hot crack to make sure we were prepared and ready to go.
“You make your own joy in our game and we’ve got parts of our game that we just need to get better at.
“There’s players there who have played a few games like Preston Riki.
“He came in and he actually performed really well tonight, the way he went about things. But it’s about getting the results, we all know that.”
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Although Maguire defended his side’s performance, he did admit that their form is a concern at the moment, having failed to register a win in their past five matches and finding themselves falling down the NRL ladder.
Sitting in 12th place – and potentially 13th if the Bulldogs win on Monday against the Eels – they will now face the Rabbitohs, Roosters and Cronulla Sharks over the next month.
“Losing’s always a concern. We obviously want to turn up and win. That’s why we’re here. We’ve got a club that’s got an expectation around that,” Maguire continued.
“At the moment we’re just not being able to dig those out. I thought tonight with the way they went around their game, compared to where we were last week.
“Last week was disappointing. This week, we had a red-hot crack. It went right to the death and that’s what the NRL is, every team can win.
“I know you’re talking about teams that are down the bottom of the ladder but it’s about being able to turn up and make sure that you’ve got to be at your best. That’s what the game demands.”