{"id":87575,"date":"2026-09-03T23:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T23:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/87575\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T23:52:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T23:52:06","slug":"nrl-2026-michael-maguire-reflects-on-brisbanes-season-from-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/87575\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2026: Michael Maguire reflects on Brisbane\u2019s season from hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Michael Maguire walked into the press conference room at Accor Stadium after last year\u2019s grand final, he was greeted by 30 journalists who all wanted to know how he helped end Brisbane\u2019s premiership drought. <\/p>\n

On Thursday night, following their 34-20 victory over the Bulldogs, there was only one reporter at the same venue to ask where that form had been in an otherwise disastrous campaign. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve obviously been through plenty throughout the year, but to watch the group have a smile on their faces after what they\u2019ve been through is nice to see,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve obviously learnt plenty. We\u2019ve pushed hard to try and find ways to get what we did tonight. One thing I do know is that the group moving into the next phase with us is well experienced and understands. <\/p>\n

\u201cA number of those guys have obviously been to the highs we had 12 months ago and have been through this period. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m with them, so I understand that we\u2019ll come back, regroup, reset, and get ourselves ready to go when the time is right. They\u2019ll go away and have a break now and look forward to getting back together and having another crack.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot has changed over the past 11 months, with superstar prop Payne Haas informing the Broncos earlier this year that he\u2019ll leave Red Hill for an opportunity with the Rabbitohs.<\/p>\n

Assistant coach Ben Te\u2019o only lasted a few weeks before he quit, while departing skipper Adam Reynolds\u2019 farewell didn\u2019t go to plan. <\/p>\n

Injuries didn\u2019t help them this year, but plenty of clubs went through something similar, with Maguire hoping Thursday\u2019s razzle-dazzle display and the pain of missing the finals can be the making of this team in 2027. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it can,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re human; we\u2019re all human. You go through the highs, and then you have to go back to it again to achieve. You go through a lot during those times in your career. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing senior players talk about what we\u2019re trying to achieve, and each week they\u2019ve tried to go out and do that. I can\u2019t fault them in that department. <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it just doesn\u2019t go your way, and we\u2019ve got to find ways now to get that performance and keep doing it over and over. I know it\u2019s inside them, and that\u2019s why I always talk about the belief I have in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans would have felt a sense of frustration seeing them attack so well in the final round of the season with nothing to play for, with representative lock forward Pat Carrigan confident things will turn again next year. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long off-season, but we know we fell short of where we wanted to be this year,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn this game, you earn what you get. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting; the off-season allows the boys to leave, refresh, get back to working hard, and set some goals coming into the new year. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very confident in the team we have and our capabilities, but it\u2019s about earning that each and every day and delivering on the weekend. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting a few new faces coming to the club, and we\u2019re losing some great figures as well, so it\u2019s definitely going to be a new look, but it\u2019s an exciting time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Internal and external reviews are crucial after a season like this where the Broncos won just eight games and finished in the bottom four.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get together as a team, playing group and staff and go through the things we want to plan for what\u2019s ahead,\u201d Maguire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019m really keen for them to have a break, to be honest. I want them to go away and enjoy a bit of downtime. The boys are all professionals in the way they look after themselves. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo to be able to go away, put what we\u2019ve been through aside, and enjoy a break (will help them). They\u2019re all excited to come back and get ourselves on the path we want to be on. When the time is right, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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