The pressure that the premiers the Broncos are under is quite unprecedented, but the blowtorch on Michael Maguire will not go away because of his reputation that follows him.
The Broncos were blown away 26-0 by the Panthers in Round 1 and were down 30-6 in the World Club Challenge in a poor start to their premiership defence.
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Braith Anasta noted the knives are already out for Maguire and the Broncos after their horror show in Round 1 and the fact that they won the competition last year hasn’t saved them from intense scrutiny.
“The Broncos are under immediate pressure, their own media, the Sunday Mail giving it to them, worst ever, hunger games you name it, they’re ruthless up there,” Anasta said on NRL 360.
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie labelled the Broncos’ performance against Penrith their worst under Maguire since he took over in 2025.
“I think worst ever is just about right under the Maguire regime, I don’t think they’ve played a worse game during Madge’s reign up there,” Ritchie said.
“They didn’t make one linebreak, Reece Walsh had a stinker, let’s cut through the BS, he was poor.”
However, Maguire made sure his critics had egg on their face last season and history could repeat according to Ritchie.
“We’ve been on this path before, I just think we’ve got to tread a little bit careful with Michael Maguire,” Ritchie said.
“After Round 13 last year they only won five games and there was a pile on and perhaps that was justified, but Madge came back to jam it you know where.
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“So I’m just warning people now, yes jump on, yes give it to Madge, but just be careful.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read agreed the Broncos were terrible against the Panthers, but believes Maguire has earnt the right to be judged at the end of this season.
“They were really poor and they were poor in the World Club Challenge in the first 40 minutes,” Read said.
“I’m not overly concerned at the moment because last year they had periods in that first half of the year where they were really poor and they found their way out of it.”
However, the fact the Broncos have lost their best player in Payne Haas has compounded the pressure, according to Read.
“The issue is this is on top of Payne Haas deciding to leave, it’s not just losing footy games,” Read explained.
“It’s losing the best front-rower in Rugby League, maybe he’ll be remembered as the best front-rower of all time.
“So it’s all on top of that, it’s not just the way they play, it’s the fact that Payne’s going to leave at the end of the year that’s compounded things, but I think let’s judge Madge at the end of the year not now.”
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Anasta questioned if the criticism of Maguire and intense scrutiny was unfair given his team won the competition last October.
“I think it’s too early to fire bullets,” Anasta said.
“They’re coming off winning a Premiership, but it’s not the ideal start to the year.
“Madge was under pressure the second he walked in the door in 2025, he was under the pump after they won five from 13, but he went on to win the competition.
“Is it unfair the pressure that they are under and he’s under, given what he’s achieved there and what they have achieved over the last 12 months?”
However, former Broncos skipper Gorden Tallis explained that pressure never goes away at the big clubs like Brisbane dating back to his time as a player.
“That’s a big club, they probably have got the best roster,” Tallis said.
“It’s the biggest club and that’s where everybody goes. If the Roosters lose again on the weekend, you watch, everybody will go, the Roosters sign DCE and what’s happening? That’s what happens when you play at the big clubs.
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“When I played there over 20 years ago, if you didn’t win a grand final, I remember going in there, Willie Carne, Alan Cann, Michael Hancock, Kerrod Walters they all got shown the door. Australian players, got shown the door. That’s what always happened.”
Read believes Maguire is a victim of his own intense reputation, so when things go bad at a club, the blowtorch will always be on him and his coaching style.
“I know Madge won a comp, but unfortunately for Madge, to an extent, wherever he goes, there’s scrutiny because of his reputation, his history. He won a comp at Souths, things fell apart. He went to the Wests Tigers things fell apart.
“Now he is at Brisbane, they win a comp, and it feels like there’s a chance stuff may fall apart again, so I think that’s why there’s so much attention on him.
“Madge dealt with it pretty well last year, but it’s not going to go away because it’s Brisbane and they are a massive club in a massive market.”
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The rumours for Payne Haas’ reasons for leaving the Broncos for the Rabbitohs won’t go away, but at the core of them is a desire to play under Wayne Bennett over Michael Maguire.
Read believes that is a fact that the Broncos can’t ignore.
“I don’t think it’s one thing that’s driven Haas to come to Sydney, it’s a group of things,” Read said.
“And some of it’s the coach. He wants to play under Wayne. And he obviously prefers Wayne to Madge.”
However, Read believes the noise around Maguire will go away if he can get his team to go on a winning run like he did in 2025.
“You just have got to win, it’s pretty simple,” Read said.
“You have just got to win and it will all go away.”
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