Michael Maguire

[Damien]

I came across this article and thought it was a great read about Michael Maguire's time at Wigan. I'll always have huge respect for what he did at the club and the impact he had. I think the culture the club has today is still very much on the back of what he instilled. This is just a short snip of a much longer article:

Paul Deacon jokes he “still has nightmares” about it every time he walks the dog.

But Michael Maguire’s pre-season training sessions in 2010 were no joke and the ones at Haigh Hall, just around the corner from where Deacon lives, were particularly infamous.

Pat Richards, the Tigers’ 2005 premiership hero who also played 244 games for Wigan between 2006 and 2013, remembers the very first session he had under Maguire at Haigh Hall.

It was the start of the 2010 pre-season. Maguire, who did his coaching apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy in Melbourne, was taking over from former Great Britain coach Brian Noble.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-grand-final-2025-how-michael-maguire-transformed-wigan-into-a-rugby-league-powerhouse-super-league-brisbane-broncos/news-story/f220bbab9a3ee8a27ce092afc27c214b

 

[WN83]

Great read that!

I've no doubt the club wouldn't be in the shape it is now without the foundations Maguire put in. We had great teams when I was growing up but I always feel like in the modern day, when people talk about 'The Wigan Way' and praise how they're always in a game and always physically and mentally tough to break, that started under Maguire and has run through the club ever since. 

I hope Brisbane win the game for him tomorrow. 

[lucky 7]

9 hours ago, Damien said:

I came across this article and thought it was a great read about Michael Maguire's time at Wigan. I'll always have huge respect for what he did at the club and the impact he had. I think the culture the club has today is still very much on the back of what he instilled. This is just a short snip of a much longer article:

Paul Deacon jokes he “still has nightmares” about it every time he walks the dog.

But Michael Maguire’s pre-season training sessions in 2010 were no joke and the ones at Haigh Hall, just around the corner from where Deacon lives, were particularly infamous.

Pat Richards, the Tigers’ 2005 premiership hero who also played 244 games for Wigan between 2006 and 2013, remembers the very first session he had under Maguire at Haigh Hall.

It was the start of the 2010 pre-season. Maguire, who did his coaching apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy in Melbourne, was taking over from former Great Britain coach Brian Noble.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-grand-final-2025-how-michael-maguire-transformed-wigan-into-a-rugby-league-powerhouse-super-league-brisbane-broncos/news-story/f220bbab9a3ee8a27ce092afc27c214b

 

Brilliant article.

[RidingPie]

Maguire had such an incredible impact on Wigan that year. I always thought that a coach only got about 5% extra out of the players if they were great and a bit more out of the team if they were tactically astute. After that season I completely changed my mind. I think we only bought one player in that off season (Deacon) but the team was completely transformed. 

Thanks for that article, it was a great read. 

[Superb Chops]

Another thank you Damien. Fantastic share.

[M j M]

Promoted the wrestle and slow, messy play the balls. Brought to Super League a dour era which, unlike the NRL, we are still trying to emerge from.

[Damien]

Pretty hard not to think of this article watching that Brisbane 2nd half.

[Damien]

Some record:

 

 

[Dunbar]

14 hours ago, Damien said:

I came across this article and thought it was a great read about Michael Maguire's time at Wigan. I'll always have huge respect for what he did at the club and the impact he had. I think the culture the club has today is still very much on the back of what he instilled. This is just a short snip of a much longer article:

Paul Deacon jokes he “still has nightmares” about it every time he walks the dog.

But Michael Maguire’s pre-season training sessions in 2010 were no joke and the ones at Haigh Hall, just around the corner from where Deacon lives, were particularly infamous.

Pat Richards, the Tigers’ 2005 premiership hero who also played 244 games for Wigan between 2006 and 2013, remembers the very first session he had under Maguire at Haigh Hall.

It was the start of the 2010 pre-season. Maguire, who did his coaching apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy in Melbourne, was taking over from former Great Britain coach Brian Noble.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-grand-final-2025-how-michael-maguire-transformed-wigan-into-a-rugby-league-powerhouse-super-league-brisbane-broncos/news-story/f220bbab9a3ee8a27ce092afc27c214b

 

I promise I am not trying to be argumentative when I ask this, but how do you square away reading an article about a brutal training regime like this with the assertion that you have to play games to get fit?

[Damien]

7 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I promise I am not trying to be argumentative when I ask this, but how do you square away reading an article about a brutal training regime like this with the assertion that you have to play games to get fit?

I presume you mean match fit because Ive never said you have to play games to get fit and I can square it quite easily. Players get immensely fit in the off season to set them up for the season but its a completely different fitness. Chat to any player and they will tell you that pre-season is when they are at their strongest, feel fittest etc but that its a different fitness to get a strong base and that it takes them a few games to get match fit. Hence many losing weight etc as the season goes on. With Maguire it is also very much a culture, discipline, team ethic thing too.

I know for a fact that the Wigan conditioner at this time certainly thought that too as I knew him quite well and was always intrigued about what he was doing. You also dont have to Google too hard to see Michael Maguire refer to it when it comes to Cobbo a couple of weeks ago returning in the Queensland Cup, Mann earlier this season doing likewise and other players prior.

Happy to agree to disagree as there is no point repeating posts on two threads.