Latest news with #GordenTallis
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Buzz & Tallis CLASH over Mam selection
NRL: Gorden Tallis has defended Billy Slater as Buzz went nuclear on the QRL's decision to include him in the squad for game two.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Queensland legend Gorden Tallis calls out Blues enforcer Spencer Leniu
Maroons legend Gorden Tallis has called out Blues bench enforcer Spencer Leniu for coming on 'after all the tough stuff is done'. Tallis dared NSW to pick Leniu as injured prop Mitch Barnett's replacement in the starting side for Game 2 and play him for 80 minutes. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > It comes in the wake of Queensland controversially not kicking off to Leniu in the series opener to avoid having to tackle the fresh front-rower charging off the back fence. That was after the state's biggest newspaper, The Courier Mail, ran a back page photo of Leniu the day before the game with the headline 'Smash this Blues Grub'. 'I think Spencer Leniu should start and play 80 minutes,' Tallis said on NRL 360 on Wednesday night, which prompted chuckles from his fellow panellists. 'What, can't he play 80 minutes?' 'Will they kick off to him?' James Hooper fired back. Tallis replied: 'Yeah absolutely. If he comes on and starts with those guys in the middle, I'm sure you'd kick to him. '(Instead he) comes on after all the tough stuff is done, after 25 minutes. Start him and play him 80 minutes.' 'You're suggesting he ducks the hard stuff,' Dave Riccio said. 'I never said that. What's so hard? The game goes for 80 minutes,' Tallis responded. 'Why would he play 80 minutes?' Braith Anasta asked. 'Because that's how long the game goes for,' Tallis said. 'If you guys didn't duck the hard stuff you would have kicked the ball to him. What front-rower in the game plays 80 minutes?' Hooper said. 'Payne Haas does. Don't bag your own teammates,' Tallis said sarcastically. 'I'd pick him and play him 80 minutes but all of you three said he can't. They've got no faith in you, Spencer.' 'You're suggesting he's not tough enough,' Riccio said. 'It's only 80 minutes,' Tallis reiterated. 'But he's only playing 25 off the bench,' Riccio replied. 'Oh right, cool,' Tallis said again sarcastically. The Courier Mail headline came six weeks after Leniu's verbal spat with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston at Suncorp Stadium, the same venue that hosted Game 1. Leniu's hostility centred around Thurston's comments on the Roosters hard man's eight-game ban for calling Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam a 'monkey' in Round 1 last year. Mam was then suspended for nine games this season after being responsible for a drug-driving car crash that injured several people.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
'One of the GREATS'
NRL: Gorden Tallis has sung the praises of Josh Papalii as the former Maroons enforcer breaks the record as the Canberra Raiders most capped player.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Michael Maguire captured in eye-opening move in dressing rooms after Broncos loss
Michael Maguire was keen to keep his post-match chat with Broncos players behind closed doors on Saturday night, heading away from cameras in the dressing rooms in a rare move. The Broncos plummeted to 11th on the ladder with their sixth loss in seven games after being thrashed by Manly 34-6. Pressure is mounting on Maguire, with many questioning whether he's the saviour that he appeared to be early in the season. After 12 rounds in 2025, the Broncos are going worse than when Kevin Walters was the the helm. After their loss to the Sea Eagles on Saturday night, Maguire locked his players away behind closed doors to deliver his post-mortem. The coach and players usually sit in a room where cameras are present, and the vision is often shown on Fox League or Channel 9. But on Saturday night, Maguire took his players to a separate part of the locker room that doesn't have cameras, and closed off the area so no-one else could gain access. Maguire and a staff member were seen coming out of the separate area after he delivered his post-mortem, but what was said will remain a mystery. The coach was likely keen to avoid the cameras seeing him deliver an almighty spray, as he would have no doubt been fuming at his players' efforts. Broncos legend Gorden Tallis also pointed out on Sunday that Maguire was still on the walkie-talkie after full-time in the coach's box, in a move that Tallis suggested was Maguire trying to control the message his players delivered in on-field interviews. If that was the case, the coach has clearly gone to ground and tried to take everything behind closed doors and control as much as possible. It's a telling situation for a club in absolute turmoil. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maguire said: "There were patches of what we can do and there are patches we need to improve on. It's straightforward. We will look at it and make sure we have long periods of what we want to do in our game. We made plenty of errors and gave away a few penalties in the first half which accumulates pressure but you've got to handle that.' The coach was asked if he thought the Broncos' attack was being found out. 'There are probably times where we're pushing a pass here and there and that's what creates pressure back on ourselves," he responded. "So that's something that we're talking about and just need to be better at it. The boys are putting in plenty of effort, we just need to focus on the areas of our game that builds pressure on teams. That's the game." RELATED: Kalyn Ponga farce adds to calls for NRL comp to be suspended Sad details as Melbourne Storm sever ties with Queensland He added: "I've got to grow the team to be able to build pressure. We showed signs but we just have to do it longer, that's what the teams further up the ladder are doing. When the opportunities come you've got to make sure you're in position to take them. We need to be a bit smarter in that area and it's something we need to improve on. We need to execute plays in pressure situations… the ball was in play for long periods of time tonight and unfortunately we faulted.'
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘The players are dirty': Legend's stunning reveal over Kevvie call as Broncos ‘ready to implode'
It has been revealed that Broncos stars are 'dirty' on senior club management after the officials blamed the players for the sacking of Kevin Walters. Back in October, the club pushed the narrative that Walters was axed for premiership winner Michael Maguire following player review. But Brisbane legend Gorden Tallis called out the club for not owning the decision to fire the coach who led them to a grand final just 12 months earlier. 'That was reverse engineered. The club didn't want to make the decision and the players are dirty about that,' Tallis said on NRL 360. 'The players that I've spoken to are dirty that they got blamed for it. The club should have come out and owned that decision, they shouldn't have put that on the players. 'That was unfair to put that on the players. There was no meeting, they weren't sitting around, they weren't face to face. And that's the coach's job. 'Wayne Bennett gets asked who does the reviews and Wayne says 'I do it'. 'He goes and talks to the players and they have a chat and that's how you fix things. That's what men generally do, winners get in groups and talk about it. 'I don't know what losers do.' The comments came in the wake of another club great, Allan Langer, delivering a rare public criticism of his beloved Broncos who have lost five of their past six games. 'They are lacking team spirit at the moment,' Langer told The Courier Mail. 'The senior players have to get the group together and work out what is going wrong. 'Because it's hard for the coaching staff or anyone outside the playing group. 'They have to realise what's happening out there and what they can do for each other to improve.' NRL 360 host Braith Anasta described the comments as 'a dagger' from who he described as arguably the club's greatest player. 'Alf doesn't like confrontation, he doesn't like talking about the club, he's made a point because he loves it so much, so that's really strong from Alfie,' Tallis said. 'Alf was the one who really built that club and they are disjointed, it doesn't look like they're playing together, they're playing in patches. 'Why aren't they connected? Why aren't they digging in? Because they got this new coach and that's what they were going to do, but they don't seem to be doing it.' There is chatter Maguire is training the squad too hard and James Hooper praised the coach's credentials but believes the situation has the potential to 'implode' the club. 'I like Madge and you can't fluke winning premierships and you can't fluke winning Origin series or Pacific Nations championships,' Hooper said. 'But there is a lot of noise coming out of the Broncos at the moment and there is a lot of unrest among the playing group. 'The only way he's going to fix it is by winning games because otherwise I do think it has the potential to really implode. 'Watching the Broncos play in Brisbane on Sunday, there were stages of the game where they genuinely did look quite fatigued and that's been a criticism that has followed Madge plenty of places. 'But that's a premiership-winning roster.' Anasta took a different view and Tallis emphasised successful teams all have fun. 'I think they're more mentally fatigued than physically,' he said. 'They just looked like deer in the headlights (last Sunday). Whenever they needed a certain moment or to come up with a certain play, they just looked stone-faced. 'You haven't seen them smile (lately).' 'You are allowed to enjoy it and all the great sides have a smile on their face,' Tallis responded. 'The Dogs, they enjoy working really hard for each other. The Raiders really enjoy going to the contest. 'Brisbane, it's like it's a chore for them at the moment, it's like everything they do has a price on it.'
