The New South Wales Rugby League have reportedly released Michael Maguire from his contract to take up head coaching duties at the Brisbane Broncos.
Maguire was contracted into next year with the Blues, but informed the board on Monday that he was planning on accepting the head coaching role that has been offered by the Brisbane Broncos.
The Broncos sensationally swung the axe on Kevin Walters last week after he wasn't able to guide the team into the finals this season, completing a dramatic 12-month capitulation for the club who played in the 2023 NRL Grand Final where they came up short against the Penrith Panthers.
Instead of being given more time in charge though, a scathing internal review which was fiercly critical of Walters saw him ultimately end his tenure in charge of the club that he will remain an ambassador of.
The Broncos sold his departure as Walters stepping down from the role.
Maguire, who last coached the Wests Tigers in the NRL, but is a former premiership-winner with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, was immediately linked to the Red Hill post, and with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting the news that he will step down as Blues coach, it's the surest sign he will be in place at the Broncos before the team return from pre-season training.
It's a major blow for the Blues, with Maguire coaching the Blues to a series win this year, his team becoming the first from south of the border to win a decider in Brisbane for 20 years.
The coach was seemingly locked into the New South Wales operation for 2025, but the NSWRL will now be left scrambling for the second time in as many years, with early reports suggesting the state body will eye off a current NRL coach in Ivan Cleary and Craig Bellamy for the role.
