Broncos coach Michael Maguire would not stand in the way of Matt Ballin departing to take up the Manly Sea Eagles top job, a declaration he made at the end of a week in which he lost one of his top assistants.
News broke shortly before Brisbaneโs 26-12 triumph of the Dolphins that Anthony Seibold had been sacked by the Sea Eagles after a winless start to the 2026 campaign. Kieran Foran has been named as interim coach.
But if Manly are on the lookout for a man who has a deep understanding of what it takes to thrive at Brookvale Oval, Ballin looms as a compelling candidate.
While he is now one of Maguireโs assistants, leading the clubโs back five, Ballin played 217 games as a hooker for the side โ winning two premierships, one of which alongside the Sea Eagles current chief executive Jason King.
The 42-year-old has also worked under Billy Slater at the Queensland Maroons, and Maguire insisted he would not deprive him the chance to spearhead his old clubโs revival out of the doldrums.
โI havenโt even spoken to Matty, but I want all my staff to excel in whatever it is that they do and what they want to do. If those things arise, weโll talk about that,โ Maguire said.
โAs an NRL coach, sometimes youโre not sure whether you are or you arenโt [ready]. One thing I know is Matty is a great human and a great person, and those things come to people who work hard.
โIf itโs the right time, itโs the right time.โ
He has helped usher Deine Mariner from fledgling talent into a premiership-winning and international star, and helped inspire Gehamat Shibasakiโs rapid rise last year in which he went from a train and trial deal to a State of Origin and Kangaroos debut.
Before that, Ballin returned to Manly post-playing as a development coach with the Sea Eaglesโ and Blacktown New South Wales Cup side, while also working with their education and wellbeing department. Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds believed he had the experiences to flourish as a head coach.
โHeโs a great coach, heโs done a lot of great things for us at the Broncs, and he leads by example week to week โ heโs got a big future,โ Reynolds said.
โHe does all the little things right, he understands the game โ heโs played at the top level for a long time โ and heโs done his apprenticeship under a few different coaches now, so he knows different styles as well and how to get the best out of players.
โIf he gets the opportunity, Iโm sure heโll be ready to take it. Obviously, you donโt want to lose another one, but I like seeing coaches get an opportunity and excel.โ
โMattyโs got a really smart brain. Heโs a great coach in every aspect โฆ hopefully he stays with our club, but if he has an ambition to be a head coach I think heโs got full capability to do that,โ Brisbane prop Corey Jensen added.
โHeโs been around the system for a long time and just knows footy inside and out. He lives and breathes it.โ
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