Broncos coach Michael Maguire has broken his silence, confirming Martin Taupau is set to leave the club with both parties agreeing to go their separate ways with immediate effect.
Maguire didn’t want to offer too many details when fronting the media on Saturday but said the club was “working through” finalising Taupau’s early release.
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“I want everyone that is at the club or moves from the club at some stage to prosper on the back of what they do,” he said.
“That will be sorted out as we move forward, but the club is still working through a few things. I will let that play out.”
When pressed on the issue and asked if he was disappointed in Taupau’s actions, Maguire again resisted the opportunity to say too much.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” he said.
“It’s probably more up to the front office, but I guess things will progress quickly.
“It’s known where it’s at, but it’s a matter for how the club deals with it now.
“It’s an organisational decision around how we have gone about it.”
According to Code Sports, the veteran prop’s exit from the Red Hill club is set to be formalised next week after he fronted a group of senior Broncos players.
Taupau also reportedly sat down with Maguire after he liked a social media post from retired NRL star Elijah Taylor which criticised the former Tigers mentor’s coaching style.
Adam Reynolds, Pat Carrigan, Payne Haas, Ben Hunt and Kotoni Staggs were reportedly the players Taupau fronted over the past 24 hours.
Those players were reportedly left disappointed by Taupau’s actions, with Maguire desperate for the Broncos squad to buy in to his cultural revamp.
Taupau now is reportedly hopeful of securing a new contract and returning to Sydney, having played 256 NRL games across stints at the Tigers, Sea Eagles, Bulldogs and Broncos.
Reynolds admitted on Friday that Taupau’s actions were far from ideal.
“It’s not a good look, but we are united as a group. We are moving in a good direction,” Reynolds said on Triple M’s Rush Hour.
“I’ve had experiences with him (Michael Maguire) in the past and he is a carer, he cares about his players, he’s passionate, he wants to win and we are all on the same page and we’re all moving forward together as a club.
“It is disappointing…whether he really meant it or not I’m not too sure but that’s a conversation Marty will have with the club and they’ll handle that internally.”
Taylor’s post that was liked by Taupau included three reasons why the Broncos weren’t delivering despite having a host of multimillion dollar stars, whilst also touching on Maguire’s “intensity”.
Bronx shut down reports of Madge issues | 00:42
“A lot of people are asking me what’s wrong with ‘Madge’ (Maguire), what’s wrong with the Broncos,” Taylor said on the Footy Hacks Instagram account.
“One, his intensity. I’ve never seen a coach ride the game so hard.
“After a win, the world is a better place. After a loss, you’re off to a funeral and someone will be getting cooked at the video session.
“Two, training methods. Ninety-five per cent of the time on the field it’s full contact. The hardest pre-season I have ever done is with Michael Maguire.
“You haven’t done an NRL pre-season until you have done a Michael Maguire pre-season.
“Three, time efficiency. Let’s have a meeting for a meeting for a meeting. I’d get home from training and the kids don’t know who I am anymore. Hardly home.”
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