Latest news with #GregAlexander
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Broncos stars Adam Reynolds and Kotoni Staggs rubbish reports of player unrest under Michael Maguire
Brisbane's senior players have rubbished claims of player unrest under new coach Michael Maguire, as the Broncos battle a form slump of epic proportions. Maguire has been criticised of training the team too hard in some quarters, but it has been vehemently denied by skipper Adam Reynolds and Kotoni Staggs. Reynolds, who plays his 300th game this weekend, and centre Staggs insist the players have welcomed the hard edge provided by Maguire and slammed suggestions the playing group was disgruntled. After the 34-6 loss to Manly on Saturday night, 1991 premiership-winner Greg Alexander said the Broncos had "turned it up" and labelled them "wusses" for complaining about being over-trained. The Broncos have won one of their last seven matches and fallen in a heap in second halves of games, but Staggs said players had not been griping behind the scenes about Maguire's methods. "That's a load of crap, I say," Staggs said. "You've got to train hard. It's a very tough sport. If you don't train hard, I don't think you're going to go far in this competition. "The training load here is pretty even. I think any other club is doing the same as what we're doing. I think it's just excuses from outside noise that we can't control." Reynolds also disputed reports of player dissatisfaction with Maguire and his regime. "It's easy to write headlines when you are not winning games. It's external and doesn't mean anything to us," he said. "The conversations we are having in these four walls are the important ones. "If you listen to people on the outside you end up on the outside, so for us we know what we are capable of and what type of football team we have. It's about sticking together, working hard and seeing it through. Reynolds is well qualified to speak about Maguire, having won the 2014 premiership under him at South Sydney. He conceded the poor displays were an indictment on the playing group, but backed Maguire to lead the Broncos to title glory during his tenure and out of the mess they are currently in. "I know how hard he works and what it means to him. He's passionate. He's loyal," Reynolds said. "He has seen success and knows what success takes. It hasn't been smooth sailing, but we are working hard to turn that around. I can assure you we will turn it around. "We get prepared extremely well and as players we have to take the blame and responsibility for it. The only people that are going to get us out of this are ourselves." As for giving up against Manly, Staggs wouldn't have a bar of it. "No, we didn't give up," he fired. "There were times through the game where we could have been much better, yes, but there's no giving up there." AAP
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘Can't believe it': NRL great's incredible rant over Broncos rumour
Greg Alexander has torn the Broncos to shreds as rumours continue to swirl over player unrest under taskmaster coach Michael Maguire. A miserable loss to Manly on Saturday has left the club's 2025 campaign on the brink of disaster — and rumblings continue to suggest there are serious problems within the team's dressing room. The loss to the Sea Eagles was compounded by the news Payne Haas' management is shopping the superstar prop around to all NRL clubs, with the possibility the 25-year-old could leave when his contract runs out at the end of 2026. 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. While pressure is building on Maguire, the blowtorch is now being turned on the playing group with a number of commentators calling out the lack of effort senior players have produced recently. Former Dally M medal winner Greg Alexander has now given the most stinging criticism yet, calling players 'wusses' over rumours they didn't like Maguire's demanding leadership style. You can watch Alexander's rant in the video player above. 'Brisbane were that bad. And they have been,' Alexander said on his SEN Sydney breakfast radio show with co-host Andrew Voss. 'They've won one game in their last seven A number of those have been at Suncorp Stadium too. It's far from a fortress.' Alexander said it was clear from the loss to the Sea Eagles the club has problems. 'When you look at the first five minutes of that game at Brookvale Oval, in the first set – the first set – Lehi Hopoate bursts through Payne Haas and Kobe Hetherington through the middle,' he said. 'Manly go within a whisker of scoring in the first set. In hindsight now you go back and you go, 'Well that's how the game continued'. Brisbane have got some problems.' He said players unhappy about Maguire's taxing methods do not deserve to be playing football at NRL level. 'Please don't let me think that the Brisbane players are whingeing because Michael Maguire is too hard on them,' he said. Using a mock crying motion with his hands rubbing against his eyes, Alexander said: 'Cry me a river. You little wusses. 'If that is true, none of them deserve to be playing NRL. Really. Tell me that's not true. I can't believe that's true because I can't believe senior NRL players would be bitching and whingeing because Michael Maguire keeps them there (at training) too long.' The Broncos are still without Ben Hunt and Reece Walsh due to injuries, but the team is running our of excuses. With six losses from their last seven games, the Broncos sit 11th on the ladder and risk letting the season get away from them if they don't get wins on the board soon. Melbourne Storm premiership winner Ryan Hoffman, who played under Maguire at Wigan, said Brisbane's players had to take responsibility for their poor run of results. 'The Broncos weren't too much of an opposition, to be quite honest,' Hoffman said on ABC's Offsiders. 'They've been extremely disappointing. They showed a lot of promise at the start of the year with their new coach in Michael Maguire taking a harder-nosed stance than his predecessor Kevin Walters. 'He was criticised a bit for not being tough enough to the players. Now Michael Maguire's been accused of being too tough. 'I don't think it's a coaching issue at Brisbane, to be quite honest. I think play to understand that it's a hard game and they need to harden themselves up because that was a really lacklustre performance from the Broncos last night. 'The rest of the NRL expects the Broncos to be up the top. 'I've been coached by Michael Maguire before. I know that he is a successful coach. But you need to buy into what he's about. 'He's going to breed a tough football team, but you've got to train tough to be tough. 'Look, I'm going to back Michael Maguire in. I think he's a very good coach. I think he's what Brisbane Broncos need. 'I think the players themselves need to understand that 'this is what we need right now, we need to buy into what he's about'.' Maguire's coaching style has come into question this season and after Saturday's loss, he was prickly when asked about Brisbane's struggles in attack. 'Do you feel like the spark has gone out of the Broncos attack a bit in recent months?' a journalist asked in the post-game press conference. 'What do you mean by that?' Maguire shot back, before adding his side needs to be 'smarter' with the ball. 'There are probably times where we're pushing a pass here and there and that's what creates pressure back on ourselves,' Maguire said. '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. '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.'
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
'That will go down as the WORST'
NRL: Fox League commentator Greg Alexander was fuming at the decision to sin bin Brian To'o in State of Origin Game 1.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Why an NRL legend is blowing up at officials over an 'outrageous' moment, razzle-dazzle Lomax is the real deal - and how the Blues re-wrote history: SEVEN big moments from State of Origin I
New South Wales got off to a flying start in their State of Origin defence on Wednesday evening. Payne Haas starred as the Blues took a 1-0 victory north of the Border, outclassing their opponents to clinch an 18-6 victory at the Suncorp Stadium. However, there was one moment during the match that left rugby league legend Greg Alexander fuming and he did not hold back when blasting referees during Wednesday's State of Origin Series Opener. During the 40th minute of the first half, New South Wales winger Brian To'o leapt up to collect a high ball. The footy star appeared to hold opponent Xavier Coates in the air having realised he'd missed out on taking the catch to his opponent. Coates subsequently dropped the ball after To'o made contact. On review, the Bunker believed To'o was going for the man instead of contesting the catch. The Blues got their shield defence off to a great start with an 18-6 victory against Queensland While the Maroons pleaded for a penalty try, the 26-year-old Penrith star was sent to the sin bin by referee Ashley Klein - a decision that did not go down with Alexander on Channel 9's commentary. 'That will go down as the worst (decision I've seen),' Alexander said. 'We really need to do something about this rule. That is outrageous. That is ridiculous. It is the worst thing I have ever seen. 'He gets monstered by a taller player. What else can he do? He has eyes only on the ball. 'Once again slow motion ruins everything. Slow motion makes it look like he actually thought about what he was doing. 'He was going for the ball but got beaten by a bigger man over the top. He stood his ground. That's all he did. 'This rule has reared its head during the NRL. It is a disgrace. They need to look at it. We didn't bring that rule in for that reason.' Bulldogs legend Phil Gould was equally fuming. 'I think it's a ridiculous exaggeration of the mid-air tackle rule there in the in-goal,' Gould said on Channel 9. 'They're fighting for the ball in the possession. 'I think that's a ridiculous interpretation of the rule. And it's not a sin bin in an Origin match.' Munster makes brutal admission Queensland superstar Cameron Munster didn't have his best performance after an underwhelming first half. However, the Storm five-eighth, grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second term - pushing his team on to mount a comeback in the second term. But a dejected Munster apologised to Maroons fans after the match, for losing on home soil. 'We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half. Our attack looked a bit scrappy at times,' he said to Channel 9. 'It's pretty frustrating. Unfortunately when you don't execute or complete sets, it puts a lot of pressure on you.' Razzle-dazzle footy sees Lomax score. It didn't take long for Lomax to get involved after a half break from Mitchell Moses opened Queensland up. NSW's quick play-the-ball had his other half Nathan Cleary involved before Stephen Crichton used the space and speed to find winger Lomax for the opening four-pointer after 25 minutes. Latrell Mitchell or Harlem Globetrotters? Latrell Mitchell reminded 52,483 fans at Suncorp Stadium why he's one of the best players in the world with a mid-air pass at rapid pace to Brian To'o for the Blues' second try. The speed of the pass combined with perfect placement to his winger left Xaxier Coates and Queensland fans stunned. Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Queensland were punished by a more astute and disciplined NSW side on Wednesday night. It was exemplified when the Maroons were pinged twice by referee Ashley Klein consecutively then Cleary shored up the right edge and found Dylan Edwards behind a block runner and Lomax bagged his second try. Nanai's thumping hit gets Queensland on the board. The Maroons looked distraught after six players bundled Valentine Holmes into touch early in the second half. Enter Jeremiah Nanai. The second-rower rushed out of the line and cracked Mitchell, forcing an error, and a quick shift to the right via a beautiful offload from Robert Toia put the Maroons over for their only try to Coates. After being held scoreless for much of the second half, Lomax reminded Queenslanders why they'll be having nightmares for a while High-flying Lomax ensures NSW see off Queensland. After being held scoreless for much of the second half, Lomax reminded Queenslanders why they'll be having nightmares for a while. A chip kick by Cleary was easily snatched from the sky by the Blues winger before a sensational offload led the way for Edwards to ice the contest. Lomax finished the game with two tries, four tackle busts, two line breaks and 177 run metres. Blues re-write history north of the border. With their game-one win the Blues have now won two straight at Suncorp Stadium for the first time since 1998.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NSW Blues camp fuming after leaked footage from training ahead of Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium
NSW Blues officials are seething after leaked footage emerged from a private training session in Brisbane ahead of the Origin series opener on Wednesday. Vision of star centre Stephen Crichton troubled by what appeared to be a corked thigh quickly appeared online - and now the search is on to find the person responsible. Laurie Daley's men were training at Ballymore - home of Super Rugby side Queensland Reds - on Monday. The investigation will be thorough - it is understood Blues staff will watch back their aerial drone vision in the hope they can pinpoint the brazen offender. Adding to the intrigue is the fact the vision - which appears to be from a mobile phone - could have been recorded from near Queensland Rugby Union's headquarters. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any QRU staff member is responsible. 'We allow people in and then this happens, a source told News Corp. 'We will look at the drone vision to see if we can find out who took the vision. 'Maybe next time we just won't allow anyone into our training sessions.' Meanwhile, rugby league legend Greg Alexander has sensationally revealed Crichton won't play against Queensland, with his quad injury said to be worse than initially thought. 'He's out,' former NSW Blues advisor Alexander told SEN listeners on Tuesday. 'He's gone, he's done. The cork that he picked up from the training session was bad enough to rule him out.' A scan on Tuesday will determine if Crichton plays. Regardless, Matt Burton was rushed into NSW camp as 18th man - with Rabbitohs star Campbell Graham poised to replace Crichton in the starting side. Graham previously played for the Kangaroos, but since representing his country in 2022 has endured a succession of injuries including a sternum issue which sidelined him for the whole of last season. 'It's great to be here and I'm stoked,' he said after his call up.
