It has been less than 24 hours since the Brisbane Broncos head coaching role became vacant and a potential candidate has already emerged as the frontrunner to lead the team in 2025.
Josh Hannay, Trent Barrett, Jason Demetriou, Brad Arthur, Brad Thorn and the Walker brothers - Ben and Shane - are all potential options that could be chosen to coach the Broncos next season. However, another individual has stood out above the rest.
According to 4BC Brisbane, the Brisbane Broncos have already approached Michael Maguire about taking over the coaching reins, and he is now the leading frontrunner for the position.
If Maguire ends up taking the job, it means that the NSW Blues will be on the lookout for their third new coach in three years.
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A former premiership-winning NRL coach with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, he will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the coaching position and has a great relationship with halfback Adam Reynolds.
Maguire amassed 303 first-grade games of coaching experience for the Wigan Warriors (2010-2011), South Sydney Rabbitohs (2012-17), and Wests Tigers (2019-22), where he won the 2010 Super League title, the 2011 Challenge Cup, and the 2014 NRL premiership with the Rabbitohs.
Linked with the Parramatta Eels coaching job before dropping out of the race, he also coached the New Zealand Kiwis to defeat Australia in the 2023 Pacific Championships and the NSW Blues in the State of Origin series where he boasts a record of 2-1.
With Maguire linked to the position at the Broncos, club legend Shane Webcke was baffled as to why the club would choose him and questioned their decision to axe Kevin Walters.
"Mate, he coaches New South Wales. Spare me that," he said on SENQ's Breakfast with Pat and Heals.
"I've got nothing against him, but did we get rid of Kevvie Walters for that? I don't think so."
Webcke added, "I promise you that, and nonetheless, there was something serious happening, right?"
"We understand that, but what I'm saying is, Kevvie's known that (the job would take a toll on his family) the whole time he's been a coach, so that's not something that's come up yesterday and it does smell like now they're trying to sort of put nice, pretty wallpaper over it and call it something that it's not.
"I see that as a terrible weakness as well. If you're going to make a tough call, call it what it is. Don't try and turn it into something that's not.
"And that, I think, is a mistake as well, if that is in fact the case. If they're going to come out today and say, 'This was a mutual thing, we're all happy', well, you're going to have a fairly difficult time convincing people of that."