Michael Maguire cops backlash over brutal act towards Reece Walsh and Broncos in pre-season..

Broncos coach Michael Maguire’s pre-season approach has been questioned by NRL pundits, with Reece Walsh and his teammates pushing through rigorous training to raise the club’s standards. Payne Haas and Kobe Hetherington have praised Maguire’s influence as coach having joined the Broncos after Kevin Walters’ departure at the end of the 2024 NRL season.

The Broncos went from grand finalists to missing the top eight and Maguire was brought in knowing his old school methods were a hallmark of his coaching style. And there has been no illusion in Brisbane so far with the players seen battling in sweltering heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.

Players have also been told to keep their shirts on for training after a stir was caused when Walsh reportedly warmed-up without his top on under Walters in 2024. Most recently, AAP reporter Joel Gould – who has been a regular at Broncos training – compared Maguire’s methods to a military operation. Maguire has also taken the players off to a police-style boot camp west of Brisbane this week – famous for ‘breaking’ Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne.

“It looks like a military operation. Shirts are on. It looks like they are doing exactly what he wants and they are trying to impress him. I would include Walsh in that,” Gould said when asked about how Walsh was performing in pre-season. “It certainly has an energised feel about it. We haven’t had a ball kicked…but it looks good under Maguire.”

Debate erupts over Michael Maguire’s methods
However, not everyone in the NRL community has bought into Maguire’s methods. Veteran reporter Phil Rothfield took exception to Maguire’s standards and believes the gruelling NRL season is already tough enough on the players’ bodies without them having to endure ‘boot camps’ as well.

Pre-season training has changed in recent years with sports science helping coaches look after players and their condition so they can avoid injury and perform for the full NRL schedule. The general look of players vomiting is also deemed an outdated image for many in the community, especially in light of the tragic death of Manly player Keith Titmuss from being overworked at training.