“Hey Madge, don’t forget where you come from. You started at the Melbourne Storm. You are Storm”.
A vocal fan at NRL Fan Fest reminded Broncos coach Michael Maguire of one of the best storylines in Sunday’s grand final against the Storm at Accor Stadium.
Maguire, who did his coaching apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy in Melbourne before heading to England, will be plotting to get one over his mentor.
However, Bellamy provided a twist to the rivalry by revealing that he had actually recruited Maguire from schoolboy rugby union and coached him at the Canberra Raiders.
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds and Storm counterpart Harry Grant at NRL Fan Fest.
©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos
“I have always admired Madge,” Bellamy said. “There is a probably a little story there that no one sort of really knows, but I was coaching the Under 21s in Canberra, going back a long, long time ago and Madge was a union player at school.
“We got him into the Under 21s, so I basically coached him there for a couple of years. He has always been a good down-to-earth guy, who always knew he had to work hard for whatever he wanted.
“If you don’t work hard you don’t get what you want. I think that is most probably the foundation for his coaching, which I really admire.”
Critics have tried to claim that Maguire can be too hard on his players, but his success speaks for itself. Maguire is a drought breaker, with his coaching achievements including:
Overseeing Wigan’s first grand final win for 12 years in 2010;
Taking the Rabbitohs to their first premiership in 43-years in 2014;
Guiding the Kiwis to a record 30-0 defeat of Australia in the 2023 Pacific Cup final, and;
Steering NSW to Origin victory in 2024.
He is one of only two coaches, along with Chris Anderson, to win premierships in the NRL and Super League.
Now Maguire is just one win away from joining another elite group of coaches to have won premierships at more than one NRL club.
The others are Anderson (Bulldogs/Storm), Jack Gibson (Roosters/Eels), Wayne Bennett (Broncos/Dragons), Tim Sheens (Raiders/Wests Tigers) and Phil Gould (Bulldogs/Panthers).
Storm stars at NRL Fan Fest on Sydney Harbour ahead of Sunday’s grand final.
©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos
“I am very grateful for my time with Craig and the organisation down there in Melbourne,” Maguire said. “It obviously sent me on a journey around the world and back again with my coaching.”
If Maguire is able to oversee victory on Sunday, he will end a 19-year premiership drought by the game’s biggest club and become the only coach besides Bennett, who took Brisbane to six premierships, to win a grand final with the Broncos.
In between his 2014 and 2025 grand finals, Maguire has been sacked by Wests Tigers and the Rabbitohs, whose side included current Broncos halfback and captain Adam Reynolds.
However, Maguire proved himself to be one of the game’s best mentors in the representative arena with the Kiwis and Blues, and has now returned to the grind of NRL coaching wiser for the experience.
“I think I realised that I probably really need to appreciate every day with the players,” Maguire said.
“My first time with Reyno, it was new to me and also understanding the enormity of (Souths), which is the enormity of the Broncos. I am just enjoying the time with the players now.”
Yet if Bellamy hadn’t recruited him to the Raiders as a teenager, Maguire may not preparing the Broncos for a grand final in his first season in charge of the club.
Broncos superstar Reece Walsh was a favourite with the crowd at NRL Fan Fest
©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos
“I always followed the Raiders as a young kid so league was always a passion in the background but obviously my path was through rugby union into rugby league,” he said.
“I was pretty fortunate to land with a pretty hot team at the Raiders in the ear1y 1990s and Craig was a part of that, along with all the greats that played there, like Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart and Garry Belcher.
“I did learn a lot with that group, albeit I was only 18 and I didn’t realise I had walked into such a great group of players. Craig was a part of that.”