'Simple as that': Michael Maguire bites back at Gorden Tallis, Braith Anasta after selection backflip

Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has clapped back at Gorden Tallis after the Broncos legend claimed there was "absolutely" drama behind the scenes at the club and said one pre-season training session had fractured the camp.

Maguire also bit back at Braith Anasta after the NRL and NSW Blues great said it was "strange" he played Ezra Mam off the bench in the opening-round loss to Penrith.

"Yeah, absolutely," Tallis said on Fox League's NRL 360 on Tuesday night when it was noted there may be ructions behind the scenes at the Broncos.

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"Because of the way they're trying to smother it."

Tallis also said he'd heard that one pre-season training session Maguire put his players through in Toowoomba "disappointed" some of them, adding the whispers about said session were "loud around the place".

Maguire was short when asked about Tallis' remarks at Brisbane's Red Hill headquarters on Wednesday morning.

"He should come to training and have a look," Maguire said.

"Simple as that."

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Maguire's decision to play Mam off the bench and start with Ben Hunt at five-eighth against the Panthers in round one has courted widespread criticism.

Maguire grinned and chuckled when asked about his role for the Broncos livewire and Anasta's take on NRL 360.

"Everyone's got an opinion and, you know, they all have their commentary," he said.

"I don't tend to pay too much attention, but look, you know, that's their job, you know, is to talk about what the teams are and aren't, and we chose to go with what we did last week.

"[We're] looking forward to round two now."

Maguire has performed a backflip ahead of Thursday night's clash with Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium, naming Mam at five-eighth and Hunt on the bench.

Mam was originally named at five-eighth for the Penrith clash, which resulted in a 26-0 drubbing, but switched Mam and Hunt an hour before kick-off.

He injected Mam into the game in the 30th minute, with the star playmaker partnering Adam Reynolds in the halves, Hunt shifting to hooker and Cory Paix moving to the bench.

It was hoped Mam would spark the Broncos as super sub — a role he played in Brisbane's grand final triumph over Melbourne last October — but that was not the case.

Respected rugby league journalist Brent Read reported on Triple M this week that one reason Maguire chose to play Mam off the bench was because he was dealing with a quad injury.

Maguire declined to confirm when quizzed on that report.

"We don't come up with excuses. The 17 players went out there to get the job done and we weren't able to do that, and now we're moving on to round two," said the two-time premiership coach.

"We've got all different reasons and I talk with my players around why we do things, but we keep that in house.

"We had the 17 players out there and they were ready to go, but we just put a lot of pressure on ourselves. But that comes from the opposition, so we've got to make sure that we apply that to the opposition."

Thursday night's game against the Eels will pit Mam and Reynolds against Jonah Pezet and Mitchell Moses.

Pezet will join the Broncos on a three-year deal from 2027 after a one-year stint with the Eels, which follows an apprenticeship with the Storm.

Maguire backed Mam to challenge Parramatta with his speed and defence.

"What 'Ez' will bring is how 'Ez' plays; he's quick, he gets over the [advantage] line fast, he's good with his [defence]," Maguire said.

"So he'll perform."