‘People think I’m mad’ – What Michael Maguire said after Broncos loss at Souths

Brisbane Broncos head coach Michael Maguire provided a sobering update on many fronts after the 48-6 mauling at the hands of South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Broncos continue to produce a horrific NRL Premiership defence, going down to their ninth loss in 14 games to start the 2026 campaign.

Perhaps the most alarming post-match update was not the words from Maguire, but how they were delivered. Laboured, shattered and reeling. Maguire was not defiant or strong; he looked like everything was getting too much.

Michael Maguire reflects on Brisbane’s latest NRL defeat

Maguire couldn’t exactly put his finger once again on why Brisbane are so off the pace with the remaining talent they have on the pitch, but he insists his side will be better when they have everyone back fit.

“We didn’t help ourselves. We are obviously putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. There are obviously areas of our game that we need to be better at; it’s pretty simple,” Maguire explained after the game.

“We had possession go against us. We just needed to be better. I thought we started okay. We came out of the blocks okay, but we made some errors, and Souths took their chances well. Things just rolled off the back of that, which is unfortunate.

“We are still well and truly aloft, and people probably think I’m mad. One thing I do know is that I’ve got a number of guys who are not on the field at this moment. We are not going to use that as an excuse, but they’ll all come back.

“There is a lot of quality that can come back into the team, although we are in a tough hole at the moment. We’ll get those boys back at some point, and we all know what the team is capable of.

“We need to get through this tough period at the moment. We don’t like going through it, but it could be the making of us.”

Brisbane also suffered more injuries in the contest, with Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam potentially set for stints on the sidelines.