‘New start’: Madge’s message to Broncos fans after rough year — Daily

Broncos coach Michael Maguire says he is keen for a fresh start at the club following an ugly 2026 campaign.

Maguire, who won a comp last year in his first season at Brisbane, is hungry to help lead the club back to a grand final.

Don't miss the Summer of the Century. Get 50% off Kayo Premium for 6 months. Min cost $23 for 1 month. New & returning customers only. Offer ends 31 Oct 2026. Sign up today.

He'll enter the 2027 season on the hot seat and under pressure to produce results early.

There will be a fair bit of change he'll have to navigate through though, notably the absence of star prop Payne Haas and retired halfback Adam Reynolds.

"There is a massive determination to turn this around," Maguire told CODE Sports.

"We understand where we are at, there's no doubt we have to improve and we have to get better.

"We have Reece (Walsh) and Ezra (Mam) signed up and with Jonah (Pezet) coming, there's a long-term ability to succeed, which is exciting.

"A lot of us felt what it was like to succeed the previous year (winning the 2025 premiership) - and we want that all again.

"I've come back from a good break refreshed and ready to go.

"This is a new start."

Mitch Barnett, Dane Gagai and Jonah Pezet will be some of the new faces at the Broncos.

Maguire is excited about the recruits will bring to the club.

"Mitch Barnett will be great for us with his leadership, Dane is such a great competitor as we saw in the finals and I like the way Jonah carries himself - he is a real footy head," Maguire said.

POWERFUL PANTHERS STILL REIGN SUPREME

They may have gone two years now without winning a premiership, but the Penrith Panthers dynasty has ensured the club is still the most valuable NRL brand.

Don't miss the Summer of the Century. Get 50% off Kayo Premium for 6 months. Min cost $23 for 1 month. New & returning customers only. Offer ends 31 Oct 2026. Sign up today.

New valuations by consultancy Brand Finance Australia reveal the Panthers are worth $140 million - up eight per cent on the previous year.

The Panthers also ranked as the NRL's third strongest brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 85/100 and an AAA brand strength rating.

The Broncos are the second most valuable NRL brand, worth $133 million.

"The AFL and NRL are juggernauts that are continuing to squeeze out commercial opportunities for other sports," Brand Finance Australia executive chairman Mark Crowe said.

"Both codes are increasing in economic value driven by record media rights deals, while there is no evidence this growth is at the expense of each other."

The Panthers won four grand finals in a row between 2021 and 2024, but have fallen one game short of the big one in the past two seasons, which Crowe said had started to affect their brand strength, even though its value continues to grow.

The biggest improver was the Newcastle Knights, with their brand value rocketing 40.5 per cent from $46 million to $64 million in 2026.

MORE SAM WALKER NEWS

'ALMOST INSULTING': The moment Robbo called Buzz... with 'staggering' Walker reveal

LANDING SPOTS: Huge twist in Walker sweepstakes after Bennett's big reveal

The NRL clubs' brand value grew faster, with an average growth rate of 9.2 per cent, compared to the AFL's 8.2 per cent.

It's the third year in a row that Brand Finance Australia has valued the brands of NRL clubs and has been using two metrics.

The first is brand strength, which is based on measurements of how well the club is perceived by fans regarding its culture, familiarity and its home ground.

The second is brand value, which is a financial measurement that uses the strength score to calculate the share of the profits attributable to its brand.

It includes a valuation of the trade name, trademarks and logo.

Despite not winning a premiership for the past 40 years, Parramatta is the third most valuable brand, worth $102 million, followed by the Bulldogs ($97 million) and the Storm ($94 million).

The once-powerful St George Illawarra brand didn't even rank in the top 10.

CHEIKA'S FUTURE PLANS

Lebanon coach Michael Cheika has predicted that he'll one day return to rugby league coaching after watching his team record a memorable golden point win over France on Sunday.

Cheika will leave rugby league to return to rugby union to coach the NSW Waratahs in 2027.

He has also been part of Trent Robinson's coaching staff this season and has been coaching the Cedars since 2021.

After Sunday's final World Cup pool game, Cheika was asked about a possible return to rugby league.

"I'll be back at some stage," he said.

"I've had such a great experience, starting off at the Roosters the first time in 2020 when I had a chance to be there.

"Then with the Lebanese team in 2022 was awesome, and Roosters again last year.

"I've had to be an assistant for the last year, which has been really interesting for me. New, but a great experience with some great people."