'I can't believe it's true': Greats tee off on 'little wusses' amid claims of Broncos player revolt against Michael Maguire

Rugby league great Greg Alexander has teed off at the Broncos over claims that players have turned on coach Michael Maguire due to his notoriously tough training methods.

Speaking on SEN on Monday, Alexander described players who have turned up their toes as "little wusses" with the club in a fresh crisis after a fourth straight loss, the latest of which was a dismal performance against Manly on Saturday night.

Alexander said if there is any truth behind Maguire's tough training methods that those complaining do not "deserve to be playing NRL."

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"Don't let me think that Brisbane players are whingeing because Michael Maguire is too hard on them. Cry me a river, you little wusses," Alexander said on SEN.

"If that is true, none of them deserve to be playing NRL.

"I can't believe it's true because I can't believe that experienced NRL players would be bitching and whingeing because Michael Maguire keeps them there too long.

"They've won one game in their last seven. A number of those have been at Suncorp Stadium too... Brisbane have got some problems."

Alexander's strong comments came a day after Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler accused Brisbane's players of lacking the desire to "get down and dirty".

Johns praised Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan, after the pair backed up from Origin and were among the team's best performers against Manly, but pointed the finger at the rest of the team for failing to step up in support.

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"At the moment they want to trick shot their way to victory, they don't want to do it with hard work," Johns said on Nine's The Sunday Footy Show.

"I think maybe when Ben Hunt and Reece Walsh come back it could be different... but I feel sorry for Payne Haas and Patty Carrigan. They get the ball and it's like, 'OK, run here and get me a quick play of the ball'.

"The halves and the fullback are back standing, waiting on the big plays.

"It's up to your halves and your fullback to support your big men, to get forward, to get the one-on-one tackles or an offload.

"At the moment they just don't want to get down and dirty."

Fittler added: "They don't work hard for each other at all. They look so isolated.

"Everyone is hitting the ball up on their own. If the ball goes through or someone makes a line break, there is no one there. They're on their own out there."

Johns noted talks of Maguire "training (players) too hard" have been circling, although when Kevin Walters was in charge last season it was said he was "too easy on them."

Maguire told 2GB in March that he would not alter his standard of training at club level as he has evidence to prove that his methods work.