Broncos head coach Michael Maguire hit back at suggestions that he is incapable of taking advice from his assistants as he copped an eight-minute grilling on Thursday morning in the wake of Ben Te'o's sensational exit.
But Maguire refused to shed light on the verbal stoush he had with Te'o, who quit as assistant coach on Tuesday morning.
"I take advice from many people. I actually really enjoy taking advice from people," Maguire said when asked by one reporter if he struggles to take advice from his assistants.
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"I probably do less coaching now than I ever have, to be honest. As a young coach you're fairly full-on, and people have probably spoken about that over my journey as a coach, but … where I'm at at the moment, I enjoy bringing staff on and people on."
Maguire faced an onslaught of questions about the breakdown in his relationship with Te'o, who was Brisbane's defence coach and blue shirt trainer.
They won a premiership together as player and head coach at South Sydney in 2014 — the year the Rabbitohs broke a 43-year title drought — and in 2025 masterminded Brisbane's own drought-breaking grand final win.
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Asked how he was dealing with the eventful week, Maguire admitted rugby league dishes up surprises.
"Things [have happened] that, I guess you, you don't expect to happen, I guess," Maguire said, addressing media at the Broncos' Red Hill headquarters.
"You've gotta deal through those and you've gotta remember you're dealing with people. That's the important part here. And obviously we've gotta move forward because we've got a big game [on Friday night]."
Maguire was asked directly about the Te'o saga around half a dozen times, and indirectly several times more.
"I'm not gonna go into too much conversation," he said in response to the first direct question.
"Look, he submitted his resignation and we've taken that, and that's all I'm going to talk about."
Asked how significant a loss Te'o was, he said: "I'm gonna keep going back to this conversation because we're still working through things … We're working through a situation now, and we've got to make sure that everything's about what we need to do and perform tomorrow [against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium]."
Asked how he was coping after falling out with Te'o, Maguire said: "There are relationships, and we'll definitely talk over time around these things."
How are the Broncos handling no longer having their defence coach?
"We've got processes and things in place already," Maguire said.
"And you've gotta remember I've got a pretty smart playing group. I've got some experience there across the group itself.
"And you've gotta remember the year that we have just been through. We're 12 months on [from Maguire taking the head coach role], so that 12 months on gives the experience of how we are as a team, and you saw that last Friday [in Melbourne against the Storm].
"We've got to replicate that … Coaching in the systems that we're in now that we're 12 months on does become a lot easier. It's just about applying yourself."
How quickly does he need to find a replacement for Te'o?
"I'm not in a rush to do anything other than focus on tomorrow night," he replied.
"I know I'm gonna keep going back to it, but that's the most important thing where we are at this present [moment].
"And those things [replacing Te'o] will happen in time. I've got some really good people internally, I've got a great academy … with some great staff, so everyone will take a load here and there where it's needed."
One reporter went particularly hard, noting the Payne Haas bombshell and the Te'o exit and asking: "What is going on in the club? Is something wrong?"
Maguire was resolute.
"Well, the performance that I saw last Friday [against Melbourne] pretty well determines how I believe you look at a football team," the 52-year-old said.
"They dug in for each other, they supported each other, Haas came out after half-time [despite carrying a shoulder injury] when I guess he probably didn't need to, but he was incredible.
"It says a lot about where they're at at the moment.
"And look, things go on in any organisation, but what we've got to recognise is that [if] we go tomorrow night and we play the way we can, we'll give ourselves a great night, and that's what we need to focus on."
Was Maguire's relationship with Te'o irrepairable?
"We've got a game tomorrow," he shot back.
Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy confirmed on Wednesday that the club had blocked Te'o from taking up a position as a Queensland State of Origin assistant coach under Billy Slater.
What's Maguire's take on that situation?
"Oh, look, I'm gonna stick to my line here," Maguire said.
"I do apologise if you want more, but I've got a playing group in there and I've got a staff in there and we've got a really important game tomorrow night."
Several of the Broncos players, including captain Adam Reynolds, have pledged their support of Te'o publicly in the wake of his exit, speaking glowingly of the job he'd done as an assistant.
In light of that, is Maguire worried about a rift splitting the camp?
"[It's about] supporting your people," he said.
"I'm very thankful. Benny and I have been through a lot.
"But as I said, we're focused on tomorrow."
Does Maguire feel under pressure?
"We've got a game tomorrow night. The game keeps moving. There's an expectation from everyone, [including] the people that support this club," he said.
"I got to feel what it felt like to have success around the place [last season]. I'm respecting that we've got to make sure that we're in that headspace tomorrow night."
Asked if he was confident in his team remaining on task in the face of adversity, he replied with a grin.
"As a lot of the players here remind me, welcome to the Broncos," he chuckled.
"It's the Broncos, and they've been able to do what they did last year, so I've got no concerns around that whatsoever."
One journalist, to the frustration of Brisbane's heads of media and football, fired one last pointed question at the coach as the press conference was rumbling to its conclusion.
"I appreciate you want to worry about tomorrow night, but this is a significant loss," the journalist said. "Can you acknowledge it?"
The two-time premiership coach stuck to his carefully rehearsed lines.
"I appreciate, obviously, your conversations," he said, "and as I said, I'm gonna keep talking around what we are doing tomorrow night. So thank you very much."
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