Triumphant NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire believes modern NRL stars live a life where their daily existence is “magnified by social media”, and is thankful that networks such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram did not exist in his playing days.
The man affectionately known as ‘Madge’ also couldn’t tell Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers apart when asked who he thinks will end up champions next month at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
“For the lads playing today… life is magnified through social media,” Maguire told Daily Mail Australia in an interview on Friday.
‘It certainly provides a platform with fans… but in my time it was very different.
«People seem to forget (sometimes) that there are a lot of good characters in the game.»
Before coaching the Blues to victory at Origin level this year, Maguire was a utility defender with teams including Canberra and the defunct Adelaide Rams in the Super League when he was in the boots.
The 50-year-old then moved into the coaching box as an assistant to Mal Meninga and Matthew Elliott at the Raiders before moving to Melbourne to work with Craig Bellamy.
Then Wigan Warriors came knocking ahead of the 2010 UK Super League season, and Maguire delivered, winning the minor premiership and grand final in his first season in charge.
NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire (right) believes today’s NRL stars live a life where their daily existence is “magnified by social media”.
This comes after Maguire, affectionately known as ‘Madge’, orchestrated a stunning Origin series win for New South Wales over Queensland this year.
Connor Watson was a bold choice in the eyes of some Blues fans, but Maguire had no doubt the hooker would cope on rugby league’s toughest stage (pictured after winning the series in Brisbane)
Maguire’s appointment of Jake Trbojevic (left) as NSW Blues captain proved to be a masterstroke
The achievement did not go unnoticed by NRL clubs and in 2012 Maguire took over as head coach of South Sydney.
Two years later, he cemented himself in Rabbitohs folklore after winning the NRL championship in a commanding performance in the grand final against the Bulldogs.
“It was a great group of players, but I wouldn’t say it was a team packed with talent,” he said, recalling the decisive match nearly a decade ago.
‘Sure, we had guys like Sam (Burgess) and Greg (Inglis), but what I enjoyed was developing guys like Dylan (Walker), (Luke) Keary and Api Koroisau.
“We’ve all seen what those guys have accomplished in the game.”
After leaving Redfern in 2017, the next step was a challenging stint at Wests Tigers.
Success was hard to come by at the joint venture club, but Maguire stressed he was lucky to “meet some amazing people that he connected with”.
“It was a tough time, but that’s life,” he said, reflecting on his time in Concord.
In 2014, Maguire cemented himself into Rabbitohs folklore after winning the NRL championship (pictured)
Then came tough times when Maguire was head coach of the struggling Wests Tigers.
Maguire was keen to juggle both roles in charge of the Kiwis and the NSW Blues, but an ultimatum handed down by the New Zealand rugby league board saw him focus solely on the Origin Arena.
Maguire believes the NRL title is a two-horse race between Melbourne and Penrith but is excited to watch Nicho Hynes and the Sharks during the finals series.
After coaching the Kiwis to a 30-0 win over the Kangaroos in last year’s Pacific Championship final, Maguire’s coaching stock was once again on the rise.
He then replaced Brad Fittler as NSW Blues head coach in December, and while Maguire was keen to juggle both representative roles, an ultimatum handed down by the New Zealand rugby league board saw him focus solely on the Origin Arena.
Joseph Sua’ali’s dismissal inside the first 10 minutes at Accor Stadium following a high tackle on Reece Walsh gave Queensland victory in the series opener, but Maguire was unconcerned.
He had faith in his team and admitted that subsequent comments about “glass houses” directed at Billy Slater were not deliberate but simply grew as the mind games intensified ahead of the second game at the MCG.
“For me the key to our success was the involvement of the players… their passion was obvious, they wanted to create history,” he said.
‘You always hear about Queensland DNA… well, we decided it was time to project the Blues DNA… from captain Jake Trbojevic to the support staff, everyone was on the same page.’
In terms of his future, Maguire is happy to continue coaching NSW but admitted returning to the NRL as a head coach remains a goal.
He also couldn’t break away from Penrith or Melbourne when it comes to the 2024 NRL openers.
“I look at three things… the health of the teams at this time of year, their backbone and their defense,” he said.
‘You’d think Penrith would be there as the Storm look to be building up.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what Nicho (Hynes) can do with the Sharks, he’s a very good player.”
