Broncos captain Adam Reynolds says he was shocked by Ben Te’o’s resignation as assistant coach as speculation mounts Te’o could reunite with Wayne Bennett at the Rabbitohs.
Te’o has quit the Broncos following a verbal bust-up with head coach Michael Maguire ahead of Brisbane’s game against the Melbourne Storm last week.
Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
The 39-year-old had helped the Broncos win a droughtbreaking premiership last season as the club’s defensive coach, but he has walked out just a month into the new season.
It remains unclear exactly what was behind Te’o’s decision to quit, with reports a clash of style with Maguire and the Broncos blocking a bid to be an Maroons assistant under Billy Slater were contributing factors.
Reynolds has responded to the shock departure, telling Triple M on Wednesday: “Still a bit in shock, don’t know exactly what went on, but he’s a wonderful coach.
“A lot of the success we had last season is due to Ben Te’o. We don’t know exactly what goes on or what went on.
“No doubt discussions can become heated at times, but I don’t see that as anything out of the ordinary.
“Obviously it’s a huge loss. He’s a big part of our squad. He’s a big part of our team. A big reason why our defence is the way it is and we are still a bit in shock.
“He’s a great coach and no doubt will be a great coach in the future.”
Te’o has been linked with an assistant role at the Gold Coast Titans under Josh Hannay, but NRL 360’s Braith Anasta floated the possibility Te’o could reunited with Bennett at Souths, the club he won a premiership for as a player in 2014.
“What about the rumours of South Sydney?” Anasta said. “His relationship with Wayne, Payne Haas going there, is that a possible landing spot?”
The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read said: “I wouldn’t rule it out, he almost went there a few years ago and I think Ben would be happy to move back to Sydney.
“They’ve got a great relationship. He talks to Wayne, so I wouldn’t put a line through that. I don’t think that will happen this year, because their staff’s pretty settled.
“But if there’s changes next year… you wouldn’t be surprised.”
Read added: “Madge wanted him to hang around, he couldn’t be doing too bad a job.
“Ben made this decision and he made it purely because I don’t think he felt like that environment was conducive to him and his coaching future. He didn’t want to be there anymore.
“This has got nothing to do with pursuing a head coaching role. It’s got everything to do with a slow build-up that’s hung over from last season, it carried through the off-season and it got to a point where he didn’t feel like he could be at that footy club anymore.
“It isn’t because of a philosophical difference about defence or the way they should play.
“My understanding is about how he was treated, how he was spoken to, how he was respected within the organisation.
“It’s not about Origin and not being able to coach Origin. That’s been talked about ad nauseam. It’s got nothing to do with that. And if it’s got anything to do with it, it’s a very small part of it. It’s about that he didn’t feel like that environment was the right environment for him to be in, to grow as a coach.
“And it got to a point, this tells you how untenable it was, that he walked away. That tells you how bad the situation was.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis described the situation at the Broncos as an “implosion” by a premiership winning team.
“The rhetoric out of Brisbane for the past six months or so has been that Ben Te’o was the buffer between Madge and the players a little bit in terms of softening the message that was delivered,” Carayannis said.
“It’s an unprecedented implosion from a premiership winning team. The only thing I can compare it to is when Des Hasler walked out on Manly all those years ago to join Canterbury after winning the premiership.
“But that was just one guy. Since they’ve won the comp, Payne Haas gone, Ben Te’o is gone, all the rumblings in and around the club. There’s been a lot that’s happened and we’re up to round 4. It’s unprecedented.”
Gorden Tallis said: “Within those four walls, they’ve got to address it, and then they move on as one.”
Triple M’s Charlie White told the Triple M NRL Journos podcast: “Michael Maguire, if you’re an assistant for him, you’ve got to be prepared to shovel crap and say thank you for the opportunity.
“He wants yes men, he is the man in charge. He’s on a power trip of sorts. The leadership style can be a bit toxic at times because you don’t feel valued as an assistant.”
The Broncos take on the Dolphins on Friday night but will be without Payne Haas, who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
