{"id":222750,"date":"2025-10-18T12:52:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T12:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/222750\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T12:52:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T12:52:15","slug":"we-went-on-the-piss-inside-michael-maguires-shock-move-that-saved-the-broncos-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/222750\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We went on the piss’: Inside Michael Maguire\u2019s shock move that saved the Broncos\u2019 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Maguire act singled out as turning point behind Broncos<\/a>‘ NRL premiership revealed<\/p>\n

A chastening moment for the Broncos proved the catalyst behind a stunning resurgence.<\/p>\n

Broncos assistant Ben Te\u2019o has hailed Michael Maguire\u2019s response to a thumping defeat against Manly in May, describing it as the turning point in their season.<\/p>\n

The 34-6 loss at 4 Pines Park was a low point for Brisbane, but it sparked the attitude shift that ultimately ended a 19-year premiership drought.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Walsh vs Edwards – Walters reveals fullback revelation before Ashes showdown<\/a><\/p>\n

The loss that changed everything<\/p>\n

Despite a strong start to 2025, Brisbane stumbled through a mid-season slump, losing four straight games between rounds nine and 13.<\/p>\n

Reports of player unrest over Maguire\u2019s intense coaching style had surfaced earlier in the year, but Te\u2019o revealed that the coach\u2019s reaction to the Manly defeat showed a different side.<\/p>\n

Instead of delivering one of his trademark sprays, Maguire chose a more relaxed approach – and it paid off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went on the piss, that\u2019s what happened,\u201d Te\u2019o admitted on the Inside Ball Podcast. \u201cRugby league\u2019s always about mateship and pressure, and how you deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the players regrouped at Manly\u2019s famous Steyne Hotel, where the team bonded and released the tension that had been building for weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took the pressure off, gave us a breather, and from then on we only lost two more games,\u201d Te\u2019o said.<\/p>\n

Maguire\u2019s crucial pivot<\/p>\n

While the decision might have raised eyebrows, Te\u2019o said it showed Maguire\u2019s ability to adapt and trust his playing group.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a drink together after a loss – I know a lot of people would say, \u2018why would you do that?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s the best time. Go out, have a beer, forget about footy, and enjoy each other\u2019s company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maguire had pushed the squad hard in pre-season and early rounds, demanding an elite standard of discipline and fitness. But as the pressure mounted, the coach\u2019s willingness to pivot his methods proved decisive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went hard early, and when there was a bit of pushback, he pivoted with them,\u201d Te\u2019o explained. \u201cThat Manly game was a big moment. Leaving that stadium, we thought, \u2018oh man, we\u2019re in trouble.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

From crisis to championship<\/p>\n

What followed was one of the great turnarounds. The Broncos dropped only three games for the rest of the season and peaked in September to claim their long-awaited premiership.<\/p>\n

The triumph capped off an incredible run for Maguire, who also guided New Zealand to Pacific Championships glory in 2023 and led the NSW Blues to a State of Origin victory in 2024.<\/p>\n

His success with Brisbane only further cements his reputation as one of rugby league\u2019s most adaptable and demanding modern coaches – one who knows when to push, and when to pull back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michael Maguire act singled out as turning point behind Broncos‘ NRL premiership revealed A chastening moment for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222751,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-222750","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-national-rugby-league","11":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","12":"tag-nrl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}