The Brisbane Broncos are set to undergo a comprehensive coaching review of Michael Maguire after their dramatic fall from premiers to a team fighting to avoid the bottom four.
The Broncos broke a 19-year premiership drought under Maguire last season, but have endured a vastly different 2026 campaign, sitting 14th on the NRL ladder and just three wins clear of last place.
The review is expected to examine all aspects of the club's football operation, including Maguire's position, with the last coaching review of this scale ultimately resulting in Kevin Walters being sacked in 2024 after a similar decline.
However, Broncos chairman Karl Morris has moved to shut down speculation Maguire could suffer the same fate, declaring the club wants the premiership-winning coach to remain in charge long-term.
“Michael is contracted for next year, and I will say this – we want him to be our long-term coach... He will be coaching, 100 per cent,” Morris told Code Sports.
“Not only next year, but the year after and the year after that. We're backing Michael. He's done a wonderful job. He's brought a premiership to the Broncos. That's our view.
“I've not had one director (of the board); I've not had one person raise a single issue.
“There has not been one conversation, not even a skerrick of a conversation, that he won't be our long-term coach.”
Maguire remains contracted to the Broncos until the end of the 2027 season, but the club is now considering a left-field approach to his future that could see him move away from the traditional fixed-term coaching contract.
Morris revealed the Broncos are considering placing Maguire on a standard employment contract, potentially removing the need for a set expiry date altogether.
The arrangement could also feature performance and payout clauses that are assessed on a year-to-year basis, rather than leaving the coach constantly facing questions over whether his contract will be extended.
“In relation to people like Michael and other coaches, we just want to put them on a normal employment contract so we don't have to have the conversation that we're having now about … ‘Are we extending his contract? Are we not extending his contract?” Morris revealed.
“In the NRL, there's this complete fascination about long-term contracts and people being off-contract.
“I feel for Madge with the stuff he has copped. It's outrageous. I have a responsibility to Madge, his family and others, for their mental welfare.”
Despite the impending review, Maguire himself has welcomed the process and insisted he has no concerns about the club examining its performance.
“I have no issue with a review at all; they can bring in anyone,” Maguire said.
“To be honest, I do reviews all the time. I review our performance every week, so if there's something that comes out of the review that can help us moving forward, I'm fully supportive of it.”
The Broncos have at least entered the final stages of the regular season in better spirits after producing a thrilling 34-30 victory over the Canberra Raiders in the nation's capital on Friday night.
The win ended a four-game losing streak while providing Maguire and his players with a much-needed lift after a season which has fallen dramatically short of expectations.
With the Broncos still backing Maguire publicly, the upcoming review appears less about whether he will coach Brisbane next season and more about how the club can ensure last year's premiers return to contention in 2027.
