It’s the morning after the night before. Songs have been sung, backs have been slapped, beers have been downed. A group of men have done something special, unforgettable that can never be taken from them.
Stories of what they achieved that night won’t need embellishment as they are told and retold over the years.
They celebrate together, basking in each other’s reflected glory, too wired to sleep. A bond has been formed that will never be broken.
Like all things, it must come to an end. The first rays of sunlight signal the party is over, that it’s time for everyone to go home.
The carnival is over. The caravan moves on.
And standing there alone, in the cold light of day, the man who made it all possible doesn’t know what to do with himself.
“It wrapped itself up,” Michael Maguire says. “All of a sudden you want to say goodbye to the players and your staff, who you’d had this incredible time with, and you turn around and everyone’s gone.
“They all go back to club land. That was definitely a strange feeling because I’m so used to having the team.”
Maguire had just overseen NSW’s victory in the 2024 State of Origin decider. This triumph, secured at the cauldron that is Suncorp Stadium after losing the first game of the series, is as significant as anything he has ever achieved: the Super League title, breaking South Sydney’s 43-year premiership drought, or whitewashing the Kangaroos 30-0 in a Pacific Championships final while in charge of the Kiwis.
Maguire had poured all of his famed passion and drive into that Blues campaign. Now there was nowhere for it to go.
That is, until the call that changed everything. The chance to take over at the Broncos, a job he had long coveted – Maguire had previously been pipped for the post by Anthony Seibold – was irresistible.
“And then now all of a sudden I fast forward and I’m back into club land, which I’m really enjoying,” he says.
“I do enjoy building a team, and no better than a big club like the Broncos. It’s simple, you’ve just got to do the work each day. We’ve talked about it, and we’ll keep it to ourselves about what we believe needs to happen within the place.
“I think it’s a good club. We’ve just gotta keep driving each day to make sure that we’re looking after what’s right for the club.”
The big question is this: can the Broncos players match the commitment, care and work ethic of their coach?
Every rugby league season throws up its share of intrigue; stories ready to be written. Some of the most fascinating will emanate from Red Hill. There’s Reece Walsh and whether his will be a talent fulfilled; Ezra Mam’s road to redemption; whether Ben Hunt will be able to erase the pain of that grand final blunder in his Broncos return; how the club’s old boys will accept a coach from the wrong side of the Tweed; and whether a pampered playing group will pay the price required to succeed.
At the heart of all these narratives is Maguire.
“We’ve all got to play a part to write a story,” he says.
“There’s many a story that our game gives people, but it’s up to everyone to commit to be able to allow that story to come to life.
“You can fantasise about it, but you’ve actually got to be prepared as a teammate and a team to put yourselves into that situation.
“Everyone loves a romantic story, but it’s the people that are within who do the work, they’re the ones that understand why it becomes such a story.”
Maguire had barely got his feet under the desk and already there was a crisis. The promising career of Mam almost ended prematurely after he was caught drug driving while unlicensed, causing a car crash that left a four-year-old girl with a broken hip.
Football clubs rarely tear up the contracts of star players, and this again proved the case with Mam, but many felt he had got off lightly. A Brisbane magistrate ordered he pay an $850 fine, issued an infringement notice and handed him a nine-month driving disqualification. The NRL and the Broncos imposed $120,000 worth of fines and a nine-game ban.
Maguire has seen it all during a lifetime in rugby league, but the Mam case rocked him.
“It’s helped shape me,” Maguire says. “It’s real, we’re dealing with real life.
“He’s spent a lot of time reflecting and growing. He’s had to work his way through things, and he still is, but it can also be the making of someone.
“To be able to go through a challenging time and then deal with it and own it – which I believe he’s definitely doing – that can be the making of you.
“There’s been many players over time where it’s helped shape a lot of men that have gone through a tricky period of their life, but it’s also shaped them into becoming great role models.”
Then there’s Walsh. In a league full of stars, he shines brightest. The fullback’s best football is better than anyone else’s, but it was witnessed too infrequently last season. Rightly or wrongly, some pundits feel he has enjoyed the trappings of fame too much.
“People have their opinions, and it’s up to us and Reecey to put the work in to allow his story to be told in the way that he wants,” Maguire says.
“I’ve really enjoyed coaching Reece. I haven’t had a lot to do with him prior, but his footy knowledge and his love for the game is something that’s really stood out.
“He does a lot of work, he’s diligent about how he wants to be as a player. He does his extras, he works hard, and he’s still learning.
“He’ll always improve because he’s willing to put himself into that space, to want to learn how to be a better player.
“That’s something that’s definitely stood out for me; the Reece Walsh that we have seen is definitely going to get better and improve, because he’s willing to put the work and the time in.
“It’s exciting as a coach to see a player of his stature or his ability, but he’s got a lot that he wants to achieve in the game himself, which is good to see.”
In years gone by, the Broncos have been keen to show off the results of their summer toil. It’s been commonplace to see the Brisbane players strut around Red Hill shirtless, adding ammunition to critics who have branded them as show-offs and rock stars.
The practice has ceased under “Madge”.
“As a group, we’ve got to make sure you respect the people that are allowing us to do what we’re doing,” Maguire says, pointing to the sponsors on his club polo shirt.
“That to me is the cultural stuff. You’ve got Kia, you’ve got all your sponsors, they’re putting themselves on the jersey. To be able to see them on the jersey or on the training tops is very important.”
The players, at least for now, appear to be buying in. So too have most of the club’s old boys, the powerful bloc of former Brisbane players whose voices are amplified through the local media outlets.
If things go awry they will jostle for a quote from Gorden Tallis, still smarting that a Blue is in charge of his beloved Broncos. It’s been five months since Maguire’s appointment, but the pair are yet to break bread.
“No, we’ve had some good banter, but it is what it is,” Maguire says.
“I’ve got no problem with Gordie. It’s part of the game. The one thing I felt from everyone up there, they just want the Broncos to play well and be a great team.”
For that to happen, they must fully buy in. No one demands more from his players than Maguire and if they’re not on board, they will be found out.
“It’s just doing the work each day,” Maguire says.
“The commitment of the group together is the key, that’s what you see in the successful teams. You hunt around the world looking at what makes success and, to be honest, what we’re doing is part of the norm of what great teams do.
“It’s not foreign to me. People might say certain things, but I actually like the tag [that he’s obsessive in his approach]. I like the tag that you’re willing to go above and beyond to be able to try and create something.
“I take that tag every day of the week.”
Sydney Morning Herald
