Maguire could be forced to drop Broncos and Origin ace after concerning scenes

Yahoo

6 hours ago

Broncos great Corey Parker has suggested Michael Maguire could look at giving Patrick Carrigan a rest leading up to the NRL finals after claims his form has dipped. Maguire took over the Broncos at the start of the season and made the bold call to move Carrigan to prop with Kobe Hetherington switching to starting lock.
Although the switch did not work with Carrigan and Payne Haas shouldering too much of the grunt work in the forward pack. The Broncos lost five in a row towards the middle of the season and Maguire opted to switch Carrigan back to lock in round 14.
The move initially helped the Broncos and Carrigan was selected at lock for Queensland in State of Origin Game 1. But Billy Slater opted to make a change for Game 2 and dropped Carrigan to the bench in a shock move.
The selection worked with Carrigan introduced when fatigue started to kick-in. Carrigan only played 33 minutes in Game 2 for Queensland, which saw Melbourne Storm star Trent Loriero play the majority of the game.
And Slater may have been on to something at the time. The rigours of NRL footy could be taking its toll on Carrigan who was not at his industrial best against the Dolphins in his side's vital 38-28 win on the weekend. While Reece Walsh stole the show, Carrigan played 61 minutes and made 35 tackles.
But he also only contributed 98 metres, which was significantly down from his season's average. He also conceded a penalty and a ruck infringement. While Carrigan's ball playing is valued at lock, the 27-year-old hasn't scored in 2025.
A NRL fan called SEN Radio and claimed Carrigan was not playing his best footy in recent weeks. Parker defended Carrigan, but claimed the Queensland forward might need a rest to freshen up those legs if he is going to rediscover his best form.
"To be fair, and in Pat Carrigan's defence, he has been up for a long period of time. Maybe he needs a rest. Origin and the like...it's not your typical, what we have seen from Pat over recent years," Parker said on SEN Radio. "His standard is very high. But I think if we can get a little bit of rest into Pat and move him onto the semi-final, it should work in our favour."
While Carrigan's dip could be down to fatigue, Slater's decision to revert the Broncos forward to the bench in a unfamiliar role might raise some eyebrows heading into the finals. And Maguire would be aware of his team's intensity heading into the final three games of the season.
Pat Carrigan's regression this season should probably be talked about more
— Rhys 🇦🇺❗️ (@SulloReport) August 16, 2025
Michael Maguire's issue with resting Patrick Carrigan
Unfortunately for Maguire, resting Carrigan might not be easy with three games left. The Broncos are sixth on 30 points, but are only four points off the Dolphins in ninth. Two losses and the Broncos are facing a battle to remain in the top eight. The Broncos play a crucial clash against the Storm in round 27.
Instead, Maguire might be forced to manage Carrigan's minutes going forward if his team build a lead. The Broncos already carry a brutal injury toll with Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo all going down injured against the Storm two weeks ago.
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Although Carrigan claimed a rest after the Origin period did help him feel refreshed. Speaking after Queensland won the series, Carrigan said a few days off helped him reset for NRL footy.
"Having won this series, you're always a little bit fresher," he said at the time. "I've just learned over the past couple of years that it's an opportunity to let yourself refresh. I was a bit guilty (in 2024) of just trying to double down and dive back into things.
"Madge (Maguire) gave us five or six days off, and that was really good to bring me back level-headed and back to my focus here. I feel really good." And maybe Maguire will look to hand Carrigan less game time to manage the body and feel fresh again.