MICHAEL MAGUIRE hailed “a special group of players” at Brisbane Broncos after leading them to NRL glory in his first season at the helm.
He is just the sixth man to lead two clubs to the prize, eleven years after claiming the title at South Sydney Rabbitohs, following the 26-22 victory over Melbourne Storm.
“We’ve got a special group of players,” said Maguire, who also won a Super League title with Wigan in 2010.
“They’ve been through everything. It’s been a rollercoaster. They all stayed true to what we’ve been building and they’ve got their reward now.
“I had belief in this group when I first walked in. You could feel what they wanted. The boys have been through a fair bit in the last five or six years so the hunger was in the belly. I just had to make sure we fed that.”
Fullback Reece Walsh was the star of the show for Brisbane and said: “Our backs were against the wall and we could have shied away, but we went towards the moments.
“I’m just so grateful and honoured to be a part of this team. It’s been 19 years and we’ve just etched our names into history.”
Craig Bellamy, whose Melbourne side also lost last year’s decider to Penrith, said: “We just weren’t good enough on the night.
“It’s tough losing a Grand Final whatever the situation. We’re disappointed in the result, but to make a grand final is hard work.
“There was a couple of things we thought we learned from last year, but we didn’t.”