'That's pretty cool': Michael Maguire's humble response to joining coaching legends with rare feat
Michael Maguire gave a typically humble reply when asked in Brisbane's triumphant grand final sheds how it felt to now be sitting in an exclusive club alongside coaching legends like Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett.
Maguire on Sunday night became only the sixth coach in the league's history to win premierships with multiple clubs, joining Gibson, Bennett, Tim Sheens, Phil Gould and Chris Anderson.
Eleven years after tasting ultimate glory with South Sydney, the hard-nosed operator returned to the summit as his Broncos downed the Storm 26-22 at Sydney's Accor Stadium.
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"They're bloody hard to get — I've been chasing this since 2014," Maguire said.
He was chatting with a huddle of journalists in sheds engulfed in smoke billowing from celebratory cigars.
"I probably don't think like that," he said of joining Gibson, Bennett and company.
Watch a full replay of the 2025 NRL grand final on 9Now.
Michael Maguire cops the customary Gatorade shower after full-time on Sunday night. Getty
"But there's pretty cool names there. That's pretty cool when you sort of put it like that.
"I just enjoy doing this. Winning comps is something I love doing. It's been a long time."
Four years before overseeing South Sydney's first premiership in 43 years, Maguire won a Super League title with Wigan.
In 2023, he won a Pacific Championships title with New Zealand, capped with a 30-0 victory over Australia in the final, and in 2024 he coached NSW to a State of Origin series victory.
His grand final triumph with Brisbane is vindication three years after he was sacked by Wests Tigers, and eight years after South Sydney got rid of him.
"One thing I know with Madge is he knows how to win big games," Trent Barrett, an assistant of Maguire's at Brisbane, told Wide World of Sports.
Michael Maguire after winning the 2014 NRL grand final with South Sydney. Getty
"And he knows what buttons to press at the right time leading into this sort of stuff.
"So that's probably the biggest thing that I've learned from Madge over the last month, and he's done a terrific job.
"I'm really happy for him. He works hard, he wears his heart on his sleeve and, as I said, his ability to know what to do through these moments — and it probably goes back to the time he did spend at Melbourne [as an assistant to Craig Bellamy from 2005-2009], and the competitions that he's won at Wigan and Souths, too."
Brisbane trailed Melbourne 22-12 at the break in Sunday night's decider.
But Maguire didn't need to dig deep into his repertoire of half-time speeches.
"I felt this morning, when I woke up yesterday, at training, it was just something about them that I thought the journey that they've had to come [on] in this game, we've come from behind, we've done it in many different ways," Maguire said.
"I didn't have to say too much at half-time. I said to the boys, 'Your best half is about to come', because they've done it over the last month. I said if you go and do that, then you win the game.
"That's what belief gives you, [and] your players are going to believe, as well."
He didn't want to compare winning at the Broncos with winning at the Rabbitohs, but he did say he was eagerly awaiting the return to Brisbane.
"Winning comps is bloody special. This is really special, Souths was really special ... I don't really want to sort of judge any of them," Maguire said.
"But this will be an incredible experience to go back to Brisbane.
"They love their rugby league up there. I've got a whole different meaning about what rugby league is to people when you go into Brisbane. So it's going to be a ride going back to Brissie."
