After just a couple of days to reflect on what the Broncos had achieved, the former Kiwis and Blues coach was already plotting a title defence.
“We got a reward on the back of where we finished, but there are so many things we can [improve], the staff and the players are still growing,” Maguire said.
Michael Maguire celebrates victory with South Sydney in the 2014 grand final.Credit: Getty Images
“There’s parts of our games that we looked at that needed to improve, and they were able to find that in the back end of the season with those games.
“I think there’s so much more in this group.”
Over the course of many chats with Maguire over the years, when he talks about organisations that enjoy success, he says the common denominator is “alignment”. It was evident when Souths won the 2014 premiership, but evaporated when key players and support staff dispersed soon after the Foundation Bell was rung on that October evening.
There is no sense of a repeat of that in Brisbane. The core of the playing group, board, and management team that bought into Maguire’s vision remains and shares the belief that the journey hasn’t reached its destination.
All were challenged at various times during Maguire’s first season at the helm, most notably during a horror seven-game stretch that garnered just one win. With the critics, along with several disgruntled Old Boys who will never get over the sacking of Kevin Walters, putting the boot in, it would have been easy to waver.
“Credit to the organisation, they stuck to the course, everyone was tested,” Maguire said.
“That was pleasing, the times that we were challenged, everyone just stayed the course and stayed aligned.”
Loading
Aligned. There’s that word again.
One word you won’t hear spoken about the Broncos is predictable. Bennett once told me that his Souths comment was the greatest compliment he could give; that there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing something is coming at you, and realising you are powerless to stop it.
There are many ways to describe this Broncos side, but predictable is not one of them. Is Reece Walsh predictable? Could anyone have predicted those three consecutive finals comebacks?
With his kids in school and the season over, Maguire will take the next few weeks to meet with Brisbane business and sporting leaders to learn what makes them tick. Then there’s another overseas study tour planned, where Maguire will try to find the extra one per cent required to keep the Broncos on top of the heap.
It’s impossible to predict how any NRL season will play out. Will the Broncos players, after a summer of plaudits and back slaps, be prepared to again put in the hard work required to win a premiership? Will a cohort often accused of carrying on like rock stars be prepared to again pay the price of success? Time will tell.
One thing that you can count on is that Maguire isn’t satisfied and will do everything in his power to ensure the latest triumph isn’t a one-off.
