'There's the door': Broncos legend calls out players after ugly Michael Maguire claim

Yahoo

06-02-2025

Broncos great Corey Parker has slammed the reports players are 'unhappy' with Michael Maguire's training methods suggesting the players need to buy into the new coach's methods after last year. Maguire was introduced as the new Broncos coach when it appeared standards had slipped at the club in 2024 after missing out on the top eight.
The likes of Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and their teammates have been put through their strides in a tough 'military' style camp ahead of the 2025 season. Doubts were raised about Walsh's conditioning upon pre-season return, but the fullback quickly quelled any doubt as he appears in tremendous shape to start the season.
However, not everyone has bought into Maguire's methods. Recently, Maguire hit back at his critics after reporter Rothfield took aim at his tough pre-season camp. And Rothfield has now claimed players 'aren't that happy' with the methods as he suggested the Broncos could suffer from burn out towards the end of the season.
"I'm worried about the Broncos," Rothfield said on his Footy Talk podcast. "I think they needed a hard edge but Madge is so hard, so demanding, so. tough. We saw this happen at the Wests Tigers. We saw this happen at Souths. I can see them (the Broncos players) burning out and I'm hearing that the players aren't that happy."
And Rothfield's huge claim has not sat well with Broncos great Parker. Speaking on SEN Radio, Parker - who spent 16 years at the club - ripped into the notion Broncos are being pushed too hard and was all for Maguire's tough love.
"To win a competition you need a lot of things to go right," Parker said on Friday. "You can't win a competition in January, but you can lose a competition in January. Over the summer, you have one opportunity to get your playing group battle-hardened for the season that is going to come. They are highly-paid athletes...you are paid to train.
"With the Brisbane Broncos they needed a circuit-breaker and it was in the way of Michael Maguire. People know what type of coach Maguire is, but he is also fair. He cares about the individual. And sometimes change does get the eyebrow raised."
Parker went further and claimed if players aren't happy with the pre-season then they don't need to represent the Broncos. "I would assume it would be along the lines of 'if you aren't happy that's ok, there is the door'. Because if you want what you got last year...continue to do the same thing," Parker said. "Now they have got a different result, in the way of a circuit-breaker with Maguire. Trust in the process.
"Yes there are going to be some disgruntled players talking to their managers...if Madge hears this he'd go, 'That's OK, if anyone doesn't like what's going on here, that is fine. There's the door'. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. It's got to be difficult."
Speaking last month after some criticism over his methods, Maguire was quick to praise the players and how they have rallied together during a tough pre-season. "It was a really good camp. We did various challenging things but it was also about connecting together and they (the players) were really good," he said on SEN Radio.
"They learned a lot about each other and there was a focus on leadership. The senior players connected with the younger players and vice versa. So it was a very beneficial camp. Sometimes it was just sitting around having dinner together."
At the end of 2024, there were reports suggesting Walsh had not returned to Broncos pre-season in top shape. This prompted Haas to defend the fullback and claimed everyone was buying into Maguire's high-standards.
And this report was quickly put to be when, reporter Joel Gould dismissed concerns around Walsh and claimed the fullback was looking ready to go ahead of the 2025 season. "I was actually at a press conference when someone asked about that...I have watched Reece Walsh train at the Broncos - week-in and week-out - and I don't see any difference. He may have come back not as quick and not as good as some of the other players," Gould said.
"I don't see anything other than Walsh putting everything into it...it looks good and Walsh doesn't look off the pace. If he was, he has fixed it."