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.
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