EXCLUSIVE: Phil Gould backs 'healthy' Michael Maguire spat amid latest Broncos saga

Phil Gould has weighed in on the latest turmoil at Brisbane, urging head coach Michael Maguire to continue making tough decisions regardless of the consequences.

Just days after their first win of the year, the reigning premiers again found themselves in the spotlight for negative reasons on Tuesday when assistant coach Ben Te'o quit his role after a heated verbal altercation with Maguire.

Te'o was signed with the Broncos until the end of 2028 but has now walked out just three rounds into the title defence, leaving Maguire without a crucial cog in the wheel.

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Matt Ballin and Trent Barrett will remain on the staff, but Te'o - who oversaw the side's defence - has forced the Broncos into damage control.

While the exact reason behind the argument hasn't been revealed by either party, initial reports claimed it was a tactical difference in opinions before the Storm clash.

Broncos boss Dave Donaghy has also confirmed the club blocked Te'o from joining Billy Slater's coaching staff for this year's State of Origin series, with fellow assistant Ballin already locked in to help the Maroons in the middle of the NRL season.

Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus, the legendary coach and current Bulldogs boss was quizzed about the situation and why Maguire needed to stand firm in his methods - even when it could lead to tension or backlash.

"I don't know what's happened here - disagreements between coaches happen all the time everywhere, but you don't hear about the majority of it," Gould said.

"That's why you have coaches - if everyone agreed, it's not a very good situation either - but they've got to be able to handle the differences in opinion.

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"At the end of the day, what you want in your staff is that everyone will support the final decision, whether it's their decision or not. Even if it might not be your preference, you still support the cause and if things go wrong, it's not saying 'I told you so'.

"Differences of opinion are healthy and differences in thought processes are healthy.

"The head coach, if he's recruited the right staff, he wants push back from assistant coaches. You can't just be a yes man to the head coach and let him get away with everything he wants, nor should the head coach ever want that.

"I don't know what the difference of opinion here was. If it was just as simple as 'no, we don't want you to do the Origin', I can't believe that would lead to the coach leaving.

"You'd really have to sit down and talk to Michael Maguire … at the end of the day, it's one little ship and one little captain and he's the boss and he's got to make calls.

"He's the head coach and he's got to make decisions. If you're gonna be in a position of leadership and think everyone's gonna like you, you're kidding - it doesn't work like that.

"The bottom line is whatever happened in that situation, the head coach said 'no, we're doing this' … that's what leadership is, you've got to make decisions that make people unhappy and sometimes you don't get the chance to explain your call.

"Whatever has happened here, at some stage the head coach has had to make a call and it hasn't suited Ben, so he has made the decision to quit and he's gone."

Te'o is a highly-touted assistant and many smart judges believe he could be an NRL head coach in the future, but his spat with Maguire could derail things short-term.

His departure continues a difficult period for Brisbane, who lost superstar forward Payne Haas to the Rabbitohs for 2027 and beyond before a ball was kicked, before Gorden Tallis ignited a week-long feud between himself, Maguire and Adam Reynolds.

Tallis then had his name taken down from a conference room at Brisbane headquarters, sparking debate amongst ex-players and fans about his place in the club's history.

But according to Gould, any suggestions of major issues inside the four walls at Red Hill were squashed when the Broncos came from 14-0 down to defeat Melbourne.

"The way they fought back the other night, if there was any dissension or lack of morale in the place, they didn't show that," he said.

"The way they rallied in that second half was excellent."

Brisbane will take on the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, with skipper Reynolds returning from a rib injury at halfback.

The side have been dealt a blow however, with Haas sidelined due to a shoulder issue.