Less than a year after winning a premiership, Michael Maguire is fighting for his Broncos future – and there are 25 moments that have led to this point.
In the midst of a seven-game losing streak that has placed Brisbane’s top-eight hopes in disarray, questions are now being asked of the coach.
Michael Maguire could be on borrowed time at Brisbane. NRL Imagery
Maguire is a hard-nosed leader who demands success and he has found it in most other jobs he’s held, notably with St. Helens, South Sydney, New Zealand and NSW.
But since lifting the NRL trophy for a second time in his career last October, things have spiralled out of control for Maguire, who is now increasingly unlikely to stay at Red Hill beyond his current contract – which expires in 2027. Many are starting to believe he could be sacked at the end of this season.
The first sign of discontent at the Broncos came when their best player, Payne Haas, decided to sign with the Rabbitohs in February.
The bombshell move came out of nowhere, with Brisbane publicly confident they would retain Haas long-term after the R360 competition fell over.
But somehow, the magic of Wayne Bennett and the powerhouse Sydney club snuck in under their noses and landed the biggest signing in recent memory.
Haas’ exit immediately prompted questions about his relationship with Maguire and whether the front-rower had grown tired of his approach.
Both men denied there was any animosity or issue, but the speculation and talk around the game can’t have helped team harmony in Brisbane.
While losing a player of Haas’ calibre was a major blow, the Broncos still came into this season as a title contender with a star-studded roster.
So, when they travelled across to England to face Super League winners Hull KR and lost, alarm bells started to ring for fans and experts alike.
Broncos great Alex Glenn soon liked a seemingly anti-Maguire post on social media, but quickly clarified he only did so to show support for the coach.
Once the NRL season got underway, the on-field collapse began when Ezra Mam was dropped to the bench for the 26-0 flogging against Penrith in round one.
The following week, Brisbane lost to the Eels in a game where Adam Reynolds was forced off with a rib injury, kick-starting a bizarre feud with Gorden Tallis.
Reynolds travelled to Sydney and appeared on Fox League the day after suffering the injury, drawing the ire of Tallis and leading to a slew of headlines.
Adam Reynolds walks off with a rib injury earlier this year. NRL Imagery
It lasted for what felt like an eternity and reached fever-pitch when Tallis had his name wiped off a meeting room at the Broncos’ headquarters.
Brisbane got their season off the ground with a come-from-behind win against the Storm in round three, but that positive energy was quickly derailed when Ben Te’o quit his job as assistant coach due to a run-in with Maguire.
Te’o had massive respect from many within the playing group and is a highly-touted coach, but walked out early in the season.
Wins started to come – even if they were patchy and unconvincing – but the dramas didn’t really stop for the Broncos.
Josiah Karapani was involved in an off-field incident and was dropped; Reynolds, Mam and Reece Walsh all got injured in the same game against Gold Coast; a costly Bunker decision saw Brisbane lose to the Cowboys; Patrick Carrigan got suspended, Reynolds got injured again and Payne Haas soon joined him.
Tallis was back in the headlines when it was revealed he refused to shake hands with crisis manager Grant Williams when they bumped into each other.
Kotoni Staggs was suspended for a brain snap against the Roosters in the same game in which winger Deine Mariner suffered a serious leg injury.
After getting pummelled on the road against the Sea Eagles, the pressure was well and truly on at Magic Round – but that only ended in more pain, losing to the Warriors in an action-packed game that saw Walsh erupt over HIA dramas.
Reece Walsh reacts after being taken off at Magic Round. Nine
Jordan Riki joined a never-ending casualty ward and the Broncos might have hit rock bottom when not only did they lose to the Dragons, but faced immense scrutiny for inviting accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith into the sheds.
Maguire understandably started searching for answers and came to the decision to once again drop five-eighth Mam to the bench against the Titans.
It didn’t work, with Mam coming onto the field late in the piece and costing them the game on a night when Walsh was fuming again, this time directing his anger towards teammate Jack Gosiewski in a moment that was captured on camera.
A humiliating loss against the Rabbitohs was worsened by another injury for veteran halfback Reynolds, who limped off at Accor Stadium.
Another former player, Corey Parker, then started getting vocal and took aim at the club’s decision to re-sign Ben Hunt for 2027.
Now, the latest in a growing list of Broncos dramas saw Karapani dropped for a second off-field incident, this time for drink driving while on his P plates.
Josiah Karapani has been stood down. NRL Images
Maguire can’t be to blame for the majority of the things that have happened over the past nine months since helping them end a premiership drought.
But the noise and criticism around the coach has been present ever since he took the job from club icon Kevin Walters after the 2024 season.
The narrative now from certain sectors in the game is that Maguire’s coaching style is perfect for a quick fix, but his methods don’t resonate with players for a long period of time, leading to a downturn in results.
It happened at South Sydney after their drought-ending 2014 win and if things don’t turn around quickly, the walls are only going to close in further.