WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n The biggest issue: two of Maguire\u2019s most important players, Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt, are coming to the end of their careers.<\/p>\n Reynolds has already indicated he will hang up the boots at the end of 2026, having prolonged his retirement with a one-year extension.<\/p>\n Hunt, meanwhile, had considered retiring from the NRL before securing a move to the Broncos, with his current deal also coming to an end after next season.<\/p>\n It remains to be seen if he will play on \u2014 but with two key spine players potentially departing, two gaping holes will be left.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fascinating scenario: a win-now pair of veteran halves alongside Ezra Mam, under a notoriously win-now coach who has previously been known to wear out his players.<\/p>\n So is the next 13 months all or nothing for the Broncos?<\/p>\n It certainly looks that way, when you assess the club\u2019s overall halves position.<\/p>\n Should both Reynolds and Hunt move on after next year, Maguire has a host of options but no sure things in his succession plan. <\/p>\n Sharks boosted by Trindall return | 02:16<\/p>\n Mam will wear the No.6, while the player widely considered to be Reynolds\u2019 heir is young gun Coby Black, who has long been touted as an NRL halfback in the making.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old has played 21 Queensland Cup games to date, and a big opportunity arose for the rising star to slot into the halves after Reynolds and Mam\u2019s injuries in Round 23. It didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n But for former coach Kevin Walters, it was the right call to hold back the teenager, who is also signed until the end of next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched a fair bit of him this year. I really liked his improvement again this year,\u201d Walters said to foxsports.com.au at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still young but he has made some big improvements this year to his game, particularly defensively. He\u2019s obviously matured a bit as a person and I think he\u2019s got all the skills for mine.<\/p>\n \u201cCoby certainly has a long-term future in the NRL… It\u2019s probably not the right time \u2026 I feel like Coby\u2019s turn in the NRL will happen.<\/p>\n \u201cShort-term is probably the most important, but long-term is very important.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger picture of certain players is equally important. And certainly in this case for Coby, I feel it\u2019s the right decision to make (to not pick him).\u201d<\/p>\n Jock Madden is departing for the Tigers after this season, which has seen the Broncos hit the open market and sign Cowboys gun Tom Duffy for 2026.<\/p>\n That gives the 22-year-old one year to prove himself at Red Hill, having been unable to lock down a starting spot under Todd Payten.<\/p>\n Similarly to Black, Duffy was considered the next big thing in North Queensland, but having won the No.7 jersey to start this season he was dumped after two games.<\/p>\n Raiders re-sign Papalii | 01:10<\/p>\n While the Cowboys were keen on retaining him, Duffy made an astute move and now gets a chance to complete an apprenticeship under Hunt and Reynolds.<\/p>\n There\u2019s not many players going around with more experience than that duo, and it was a \u201cclear attraction\u201d to being mentored by them that sparked a move.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a chat to \u2018Madge\u2019 (Broncos coach Michael Maguire) and he said you will be learning off two halfbacks who have played over 300 games,\u201d Duffy told CODE Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI have done that under Chad Townsend (former Cowboys halfback) up here the last two years.<\/p>\n \u201cI learnt a lot from him and I\u2019m keen to get a fresh look at the game from Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt, tap into what makes them great and see if I can add that to my game.\u201d<\/p>\n By making the switch, Duffy is taking a punt on himself \u2014 and it\u2019s one that could work for the Broncos, who will need a No.7.<\/p>\n Outside of that pairing, the versatile Billy Walters is signed until the end of 2026, when Josh Rogers\u2019 contract also expires.<\/p>\n Therefore, Broncos powerbrokers have a big decision on their hands regarding who their long-term halfback is, and the position is well and truly up for grabs.<\/p>\n Should Maguire not have a surefire No.7 who can steer a star-studded squad around the park, Brisbane\u2019s premiership credentials will take a major hit in 2027.<\/p>\n Coach Michael Maguire will have some big decisions to make.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n So for the time being, Maguire\u2019s focus, should they not win the title this year, should be keeping both Hunt and Reynolds fit and firing.<\/p>\n Some critics have suggested that Maguire\u2019s tough methods influence Brisbane\u2019s heavy injury tolls, yet the Broncos coach revealed that the playing group asked for a torturous regime.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I arrived here, I felt they wanted more,\u201d Maguire said to CODE Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say I\u2019ve pushed them too hard but the players were the ones coming to me saying, \u2018Madge, go harder on us\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of where we are because the players have driven this culture. They drive the tough standards. Not me. Ultimately, as a coach, you can\u2019t do it without the buy-in from your players.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t comment on past coaches and past regimes, I don\u2019t know what happened then, but every coach has a different mentality and style.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first arrived, while it was a change, they embraced it and they moved towards it very quickly. The work ethic of this squad is not being driven by me … the feedback was they wanted it.\u201d<\/p>\n With Reynolds, Mam and Selwyn Cobbo all sidelined with soft tissue injuries, the big injury toll already hurting the Broncos in 2025 will become a full-blown crisis next year if it continues. That looms as the last roll of the dice, for the time being.<\/p>\n Sharks snap hoodoo to knock out Chooks | 02:59<\/p>\n Reece Walsh has also spent time on the sidelines with a knee injury this year.<\/p>\n Payne Haas battled with a back problem, while Xavier Willison and Jack Gosiewski both suffered fractures to their arms and Ben Hunt also tore his hamstring.<\/p>\n Throw in the mix a quad strain for Kotoni Staggs, and a syndesmosis injury to Brendan Piakura and it\u2019s been tough for Brisbane on the casualty front.<\/p>\n Yet with a late surge into the top-four, Brisbane now have a double chance at reaching the grand final and earning an opportunity to break a 19-year title drought.<\/p>\n The signing of Hunt has proven to be a masterstroke, with the veteran plugging a gaping halves hole after both Maguire\u2019s first-string playmakers went down.<\/p>\n And with the Broncos now arguably playing their best football, does he deserve to keep his position? <\/p>\n Reynolds is due back in the second week of finals, while Mam\u2019s fitness remains unclear \u2014 but a league legend was certain the club\u2019s veteran No.7 needs to return.<\/p>\n \u201c(Reynolds goes) straight back in. I think he\u2019s the Jamal Fogarty of Brisbane, he makes really good decisions,\u201d Cooper Cronk said on the Matty and Cronk podcast, having explained that the minor premier Raiders would live or die by the form of their halfback.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, the Broncos have played well since he\u2019s gone down and Ben Hunt is an experienced campaigner. <\/p>\n \u201cBut Reece Walsh has gone through the roof in terms of his performance and I feel like in big games, he\u2019s gonna sit on the red line and he could tip over either way.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he gets it right, he could be damaging, but I think Reynolds needs to come back in (to control him).\u201d<\/p>\n That still leaves the No.6 jersey up for grabs, with Hunt, Mam and Billy Walters all contending for the five-eighth spot to close out the season.<\/p>\n Both Hunt and Walters have previously shared duties at hooker, with Mam\u2019s talents almost impossible to ignore, especially considering his hat-trick in the 2023 grand final. Yet there\u2019s no guarantee he will be fit to play in the finals.<\/p>\n Ben Hunt will have a huge role to play in this year\u2019s finals.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n SHARKS STUNNER! Roosters crash out of finals race as Cronulla\u2019s hoodoo vanishes<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018HAPPENS TOO OFTEN\u2019: Gutted Warriors coach\u2019s honest \u2018missing piece\u2019 admission<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n