Madge

[Tim Sheens]

It's every clubs aim to provide their coaches with a squad capable of winning a premiership. Madge is successful at the Broncos because he had the resources to work with.
He fullfilled his role as did the players and the club that invested in them. No coach has a magic wand regardless of whether some are considered better than others.

Plus, and whilst in no position to judge the Wigan title, I don't see him winning the big one here without either Sam Burgess and Reece Walsh respectively.

Maguire can obviously coach, though he also wears thin quickly like 40 grade paper for many. Maybe he has been able to somewhat change his spots, as time will tell.

 

[mtd#2]

Madge evolved as an NRL coach this season, he didnt continue to push the players ALL season, as he did at the tigers - he listened to the feedback of the senior playing group and changed tactics.

Tigers weren't ready for a coach like madge... but he probably wasn't the coach we needed either.

 

[Lukic]

Madge is clearly a good coach. Won an SL title, won 2 premierships, flogged Aus with the Kiwis and won origin decisively in his only attempt. You don't win this being lucky.

Let's call a spade a spade, those teams we had under him were not good. Totally forgettable players who fizzled out of the league or became backups as soon as they left us.

The fact we only won the one spoon, in the year he was sacked half way through, is actually a credit to Madge. Our best player of his tenure was Harry Grant, a guy we had loaned for a bunch of games from Melbourne during covid. He was stuck with Brooks playing 7 on a million a year. Front rows featuring the ghosts of Matulino, Packer and Tamou at different times, guys like Maumalo on the wing and overpaid guys like Mbye and Reynolds taking up significant chunks of the cap. Tons of guys who'd be playing 5-10 games a year for us that were never seen again after when they were moved on.

It's pretty clear Madge is a guy that's designed to get the best out of a talented team because it's easier to buy into his hard training when you're actually winning games. It creates a positive loop where you train harder, see results, get motivated, train harder etc. It didn't work with us because our team was full of guys who were cats or sucked, so he was basically screaming into the void.

I can imagine he'd have much more success with our current roster, even if it is a bit limited from a talent perspective. Alas, we have Benji and we need to hope he can show some improvement next year.

 

[Tiger-ferret]

Madge evolved as an NRL coach this season, he didnt continue to push the players ALL season, as he did at the tigers - he listened to the feedback of the senior playing group and changed tactics.

Tigers weren't ready for a coach like madge... but he probably wasn't the coach we needed either.

Not sure about this. Rothfield was pedaling he’s too tough on the players bs late into the season. The crisis manager and mid season camp stories were meant to destablise Madge. Yet they won countless times coming from behind when it counts.
That should have silenced the haters but now it’s about how he won’t be able to maintain the intensity barely 1 day after winning the comp.

Tigers needed toughening up. Our board and the players were too soft.

 

[hammertime]

Madge is clearly a good coach. Won an SL title, won 2 premierships, flogged Aus with the Kiwis and won origin decisively in his only attempt. You don't win this being lucky.

Let's call a spade a spade, those teams we had under him were not good. Totally forgettable players who fizzled out of the league or became backups as soon as they left us.

The fact we only won the one spoon, in the year he was sacked half way through, is actually a credit to Madge. Our best player of his tenure was Harry Grant, a guy we had loaned for a bunch of games from Melbourne during covid. He was stuck with Brooks playing 7 on a million a year. Front rows featuring the ghosts of Matulino, Packer and Tamou at different times, guys like Maumalo on the wing and overpaid guys like Mbye and Reynolds taking up significant chunks of the cap. Tons of guys who'd be playing 5-10 games a year for us that were never seen again after when they were moved on.

It's pretty clear Madge is a guy that's designed to get the best out of a talented team because it's easier to buy into his hard training when you're actually winning games. It creates a positive loop where you train harder, see results, get motivated, train harder etc. It didn't work with us because our team was full of guys who were cats or sucked, so he was basically screaming into the void.

I can imagine he'd have much more success with our current roster, even if it is a bit limited from a talent perspective. Alas, we have Benji and we need to hope he can show some improvement next year.

Spot on. The roster and cap inherited from Ivan and pascoes supermarket spree run was an absolute basket case.

In hindsight, he should have ripped the band-aid off in year 1 and got rid of most of them rather than persisting. Like the dogs did. But i doubt he had that level of control with the c-level and board the way they were at the time.

Glad his career didnt die because of muppets above him that didnt deserve to be there.

 

[jadtiger]

Spot on. The roster and cap inherited from Ivan and pascoes supermarket spree run was an absolute basket case.

In hindsight, he should have ripped the band-aid off in year 1 and got rid of most of them rather than persisting. Like the dogs did. But i doubt he had that level of control with the c-level and board the way they were at the time.

Glad his career didnt die because of muppets above him that didnt deserve to be there.

The problem was Madge inherited overpaid players (many of them duds) on longterm contracts signed by Cleary and the dynamic duo Lee and Pascoe plus we undoubtedly had the muppets from HBG sticking their noses in.It was not easy to move players on without the club paying big dollars to other clubs to hopefully take them.By the time he had a little money to get players to us(Api and Paps) Sheens was already doing a hatchet job on him and it is recent history to know what disasters that followed from that.
We now have significant changes to our management and it should lead to a far stronger future.2026 needs to be another year of measurable progress.

 

[Halbrowne61]

Interesting to see Trent Barrett by his side, another guy who’s copped a fair amount of crap over his coaching career. There was probably a point late last night where they had a quiet beer and a laugh over the whole thing.

 

[dazza65]

Looking back over the last few pages, some crow needs to be ate….lol

 

[Tucker]

Going to totally disagree with you. Madge was the problem.

Pascoe, etc let Madge have a fairly free rein. They only brought Sheens in at the end and remember Sheens had previously coached Madge at Canberra.

What Madge was doing wasn't working. Doesn't matter if he won a premiership at Souths or Brisbane. It wasn't working HERE.

This sillyness of "give a coach 4 chances...". Even the titans aren't this stupid and have Punted Des after 2.

So you are happy for us to piss Benji off then I assume?

 

[twentyforty]

The Wests Tigers board conducted an internal review of their football department, and while Michael Maguire was not unanimously supported, the board decided to keep him as coach in September 2021. The review was initiated due to the Tigers finishing 13th in the NRL season and was a response to questions about the team's performance and recruitment. Ultimately, Maguire was sacked in June 2022 after the team started the 2022 season poorly and finished bottom of the table to claim their first wooden spoon.
it was an absolute disgrace, the way the board members appraised Maguire’s performance given the circumstances he inherited.

 

[Winston Churchill]

Going to totally disagree with you. Madge was the problem.

Pascoe, etc let Madge have a fairly free rein. They only brought Sheens in at the end and remember Sheens had previously coached Madge at Canberra.

What Madge was doing wasn't working. Doesn't matter if he won a premiership at Souths or Brisbane. It wasn't working HERE.

This sillyness of "give a coach 4 chances...". Even the titans aren't this stupid and have Punted Des after 2.

Its ok for you to be wrong.

 

[bbobb]

I do recall a presser when Sheens took over saying that Madge can definitely coach but isn’t a “development” coach.
I took that to mean that some coaches are like a GM role where they have a strong influence across certain aspects of football at the club (e.g. development).
Looking at his successes since he has left the Tigers - NZ, NSW and now the Broncos, maybe he is good when he just coaches and is not distracted with the other parts of running a football club.
I do agree he seems to be able to get the best out of elite squads and players. Maybe he found something that works for him at the Broncos.

 

[twentyforty]

I do recall a presser when Sheens took over saying that Madge can definitely coach but isn’t a “development” coach.
I took that to mean that some coaches are like a GM role where they have a strong influence across certain aspects of football at the club (e.g. development).
Looking at his successes since he has left the Tigers - NZ, NSW and now the Broncos, maybe he is good when he just coaches and is not distracted with the other parts of running a football club.
I do agree he seems to be able to get the best out of elite squads and players. Maybe he found something that works for him at the Broncos.

Sheens has always had a focus on development but the club has run hot and cold on the idea because of the cost.
Rightly or wrongly at the time I thought it was code to mean, the board wanted Ciraldo who could lure developed players. Ciraldo, of course declined the approach saying, “there’s still a lot of work to do on the roster” which translates to plain English as the club is not prepared to financially back the development of the team. Certainly not like the Bulldogs would.

 

[jadtiger]

Sheens has always had a focus on development but the club has run hot and cold on the idea because of the cost.
Rightly or wrongly at the time I thought it was code to mean, the board wanted Ciraldo who could lure developed players. Ciraldo, of course declined the approach saying, “there’s still a lot of work to do on the roster” which translates to plain English as the club is not prepared to financially back the development of the team. Certainly not like the Bulldogs would.

Long term success follows not only the spending of money but also having good management.You only have to look at which teams continue to dominate and which clubs consistently fail to realise why we are underperforming.

 

[twentyforty]

Long term success follows not only the spending of money but also having good management.You only have to look at which teams continue to dominate and which clubs consistently fail to realise why we are underperforming.

Exactly, and success attracts success. Straight after the Broncos win their share price jumped 40%.

 

[Tucker]

I do recall a presser when Sheens took over saying that Madge can definitely coach but isn’t a “development” coach.
I took that to mean that some coaches are like a GM role where they have a strong influence across certain aspects of football at the club (e.g. development).
Looking at his successes since he has left the Tigers - NZ, NSW and now the Broncos, maybe he is good when he just coaches and is not distracted with the other parts of running a football club.
I do agree he seems to be able to get the best out of elite squads and players. Maybe he found something that works for him at the Broncos.

Yes that may have been prophetic from Sheens at the time, but he then replaced him with Kimmorley, Himself and then Benji. Madge goes on to win everything he attempts and we lurch from spoon to to spoon
This relegated Sheens opinion to dog feces for mine.

 

[WestsEffTheRest]

Madge was on a hiding to nothing at the Broncos this year flogging them the way he was flogging us. The senior players intervened & said he needs to change his ways or it'll basically end like how it ended for you at Wests. That's the difference Brisbane had the senior leadership at Wests he didn't.

 

[innsaneink]

Madge was on a hiding to nothing at the Broncos this year flogging them the way he was flogging us. The senior players intervened & said he needs to change his ways or it'll basically end like how it ended for you at Wests. That's the difference Brisbane had the senior leadership at Wests he didn't.

That was a nice fuzzy warm story from Buzz after the fact
Be careful what you swallow.
May be true i dont know...but things from Buzz im usually wary of

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Madge was on a hiding to nothing at the Broncos this year flogging them the way he was flogging us. The senior players intervened & said he needs to change his ways or it'll basically end like how it ended for you at Wests. That's the difference Brisbane had the senior leadership at Wests he didn't.

Exactly hence management must have had a word in his ear to cool it after hearing rumblings from the players.
He obviously listened, maybe he has found an equilibrium to his training methods.

If he has the Broncs could go on a run of titles from here, they have the talent, but if he goes back to his old ways, he could be on the nose again.

Only time will give us clarity, none of us have crystal balls.

 

[Tucker]

Madge was on a hiding to nothing at the Broncos this year flogging them the way he was flogging us. The senior players intervened & said he needs to change his ways or it'll basically end like how it ended for you at Wests. That's the difference Brisbane had the senior leadership at Wests he didn't.

That does not sound true at all.