Brisbane Broncos' thrilling 18-14 win over the Melbourne Storm has been soured with reports surfacing of a heated verbal altercation that took place between Michael Maguire and defensive coach Ben Te'o.
It occurred in the days leading up to the clash at AAMI Park, where the pair disagreed on tactical decisions for the match, which escalated into a heated argument.
It is being reported by the Daily Telegraph that a crisis meeting was held on Monday night to resolve the escalation, despite the side's strong win over their rivals.
Broncos general manager Troy Thomson held the meeting and made chief executive Dave Donaghy and crisis manager Grant Williams aware of the situation, fearing Te'o could walk away from his coaching role if it is not resolved.
Maguire and Te'o have a strong history, as Te'o played under 'Madge' as his barnstorming second rower in their 2014 premiership-winning Rabbitohs side, snapping a 42-year drought.
The verbal spat occurred during a dinner days out of the match last week, where there were said to be arguments over defensive tactics moving into the match.
Te'o is regarded as an important piece to the Broncos' premiership win last year, with his strong defensive tactics breaking their 19-year drought.
He was signed by Kevin Walters in 2024, just a matter of days before he was eventually let go from the head role at the Broncos.
Due to Maguire's strong relationship with Te'o, he honoured his contract and resumed the position as a defensive coach.
It adds further noise at Red Hill, with these reports surfacing days after the club decided to remove club legend Gorden Tallis from the name of a conference room in their headquarters following ongoing criticisms of Maguire and skipper Adam Reynolds.
It comes at a costly time for the Broncos, who are working on getting their season back on track and will have to push the noise to the side when they face a red-hot Dolphins outfit at Suncorp Stadium this weekend.
