“Blah, blah, blah”: Maguire claps back at critics after Brisbane premiership

One minute you're being slammed for your training methods, and the next you're holding the NRL premiership.

It has been quite the ride for Michael Maguire throughout a turbulent 2025 season, but the Brisbane head coach was in no mood to give his doubters the time of day after becoming one of a select group to coach premierships at two different clubs.

Following his triumph with the South Sydney Rabbitohs 11 years ago, Maguire, who spent years at the Wests Tigers before being ousted, has proven the Brisbane board right for putting their trust in him by delivering the trophy back to the River City for the first time in almost two decades.

It hasn't been without its issues though.

At one point, Brisbane sat in 12th spot on the table, before winning a number of games through the second half of the season - including four on the bounce without Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam - to qualify for the finals in the top four.

They then went on to stage three comeback victories in a row against the Canberra Raiders, Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm, with their fitness a clear factor.

Asked about his training on Channel Nine after the grand final, Maguire started by simply saying "blah, blah, blah" before admitting he found the criticism "embarrassing."

“No. Honestly, it's quite embarrassing that people talk about it,” Maguire said on air.

“Well, it takes time. I mean, you can't just turn up and think that they are going to be grand finalists. You've got to put them through all sorts of things to be able to teach them and to believe.

“I had belief with this group when I first walked in. You could hear and feel what they wanted … The hunger was in the belly.”

The win - the first for Brisbane since 2006 - cements the status of a number of highly paid talents at the club including Reece Walsh, who took out the Clive Churchill Medal, and Payne Haas, who threatened to leave the club a number of seasons ago believing he'd be a better chance of winning a premiership elsewhere.

The Brisbane board, who surprisingly dumped Kevin Walters at the end of 2024 as head coach, have also been vindicated, with Maguire's training methods referenced a number of times in post-match presentations and interviews.