The Brisbane Broncos coach paid tribute to his late father ahead of his second game in charge.
Michael Maguire has paid tribute to his late father as he heads home and faces his former club in just his second game in charge of the Brisbane Broncos. Maguire’s appointment to the Broncos shocked fans at the end of 2024 having just led NSW to a 2-1 series win over Queensland in State of Origin.
A number of the Broncos old boys questioned Maguire’s move with suggestions it should have been a Queenslander. Brisbane legends Shane Webcke and Gorden Tallis both expressed their reservations over Maguire’s appointment, and many have said they would have preferred a Queenslander to take the role.
However, Maguire has already started to silence his critics. And he credited his late father for teaching him his core values, which saw seem him start his rugby league journey in Canberra and eventually lead him to Brisbane.
Maguire’s family lived in Canberra and his father was a cattle farmer growing up. Tragically, his father died from cancer in 2010. And the Brisbane coach admitted his father taught him the value of working hard, which he credits has helped him land where he is today.
“I think there’s a bit of dad in me,” he told The Courier Mail ahead of the clash against Canberra. “The old car eventually wore out. Dad passed away some time ago. It was actually when I was coaching at Wigan. I had to fly back to be here for his passing and I made it back, which was nice.
“My dad was well-known in rugby union circles around Canberra. He and his brothers were old farmers from Canberra. We are well-and-truly entrenched into the area. Dad would go into the mountains and chase the cattle.”
After his playing days at Canberra, friend and rugby league immortal Mal Meninga asked Maguire to come help coach. And Maguire has never looked back.
Maguire eventually joined Craig Bellamy at the Storm as an assistant coach, before making his way to the Super League where he won a title with Wigan. And in arguably his most impressive feat to date, Maguire led the South Sydney Rabbitohs to their first NRL premiership in 43 years in 2014.
After taking over the Wests Tigers, Maguire then took the reins to NSW as he broke Billy Slater and Queensland’s hold on the series with a 2-1 win. And then in a shock move, Maguire took over Kevin Walters at the Broncos. And while he will be returning home to coach against his old club, Maguire doesn’t have anything other on his mind than a Broncos victory.
Michael Maguire full of praise for Broncos squad
While plenty has been made of Michael Maguire’s brutal pre-season camp, the Broncos delivered in their first game of the season. Brisbane dominated the Roosters in a 50-14 hammering as Ben Hunt, Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas led the team to the win.
There were times there where we were really under the pump, and the energy of the effort was a highlight of the game,” said Maguire. He also had nothing but praised for Haas who put in a monster effort.
“He (Haas) is an incredible human being and I think the players really appreciate, what he can do,” Maguire said. “Tonight was the night where he got some rewards off the hard work.”
Maguire wasn’t just impressed with Haas. He will be looking for Hunt and Reynolds to build on their partnership against Canberra with the veteran pair already looking like a deadly combination.
“They haven’t had a lot of time together, just due to the circumstances in pre-season with Adam, but the more and more I have them on the field, the more you can see they are connecting,” Maguire said on SEN Radio ahead of the Raiders clash. “With their experience they’ve got, their calmness. To have two of those guys out there…both with a kicking option is pretty handy. We can strike on both sides of the field.”
