‘It’s huge’: Madge out to guide Broncos to world title
Ian Chadband |
Michael Maguire has both lost and won the World Club Challenge in England as a coach — and it’s left the Brisbane Broncos boss in no doubt that bringing home the Cup to Australia remains a huge deal.
But he’s not the only Australian coach desperate to lift the global trophy as Willie Peters, leading the Super League champions Hull KR, is out to ensure the trophy stays in English hands for a third successive time.
Maguire can still recall the despondency he felt in 2011 when his Wigan side crashed to defeat to St George Illawarra Dragons and, equally, the elation of four years later when leading South Sydney, he orchestrated the crushing of St Helens.
Now, more than a decade on in another fixture on English soil, Maguire knows exactly how he wants to be feeling come Thursday night after his NRL champions take on Rovers in front of a 24,000 sell-out crowd at the MKM Stadium home of their city rivals Hull FC.
“The importance of what I learned during my time at Wigan, was how much this game meant,” said ‘Madge’, who cut his coaching teeth there before his distinguished NRL odyssey.
“That defeat in 2011 still hurts, but it probably propels you into 2015 where I was able to capture the team and they understood the enormity of what that game meant. And they performed.
“It’s a big game with the chance to make history along the way.”
The Broncos won the title in 1992 and 1997, with ‘Madge’ reckoning those 1992 Brisbane champions, captained by Alfie Langer, still talk of their win over Wigan being “one of the best games they ever played in.”
“You work all year to achieve high, and then you have the chance to go to the other side of the world; you’ve got to respect that,” said Maguire.
“The guys in 2015 also still talk about how special that game was. When you’ve got the opportunity to make those sorts of memories, you’ve got to take it.”
But has it become a match that means more to the Super League champions than their Australian counterparts?
Peters, the former South Sydney and St George Illawarra halfback who made such an impression leading Hull KR to a trophy treble, knows they’re underdogs but wants them to ensure ‘respect’ for the Super League again.
After St Helens and Wigan both beat Penrith in 2023 and 2024, Peters wants his side to make a hat-trick of consecutive wins for the English challengers for the first timer in two decades.
“It’s a huge match … We know the responsibility on us in this game,” said Peters, who was an assistant coach for the Kangaroos during their recent Ashes win and enjoyed working with the four Broncos who featured on that tour.
“People talk about the NRL is the pinnacle in terms of the competition and we need to acknowledge that — but we’re not that far behind,” said Peters.
“We’ve got an opportunity to be able to showcase that on a world stage and probably earn some respect from people that probably don’t respect the British game the way it should be respected.”
The Broncos, who arrived in Hull on Sunday after landing in England last week, have sharpened up with training sessions with both London Broncos and Hull FC, but won’t name their side until match-day.
AAP