Ben Te'o resigns from Brisbane Broncos following fallout with Madge

Updated 12:30pm

Ben Te'o has resigned from his position as Assistant Coach of the Brisbane Broncos.

Te'o, who won a premiership with Michael Maguire at South Sydney in 2014, informed the club of his decision on Tuesday morning following reports of a heated exchange with Maguire on Thursday night ahead of the Broncos victory of the Melbourne Storm.

It is understood that the Broncos vetoed an offer for T'eo to join the Queensland Maroon's coaching ranks on top of his current role earlier this year. The NRL's newest head coach Josh Hannay filled a similar role previously.

More in today's episode of Kenty Blitz.

Earlier

The Broncos turbulent start to the season appears to have has another dramatic turn, with coach Michael Maguire and assistant Ben Te'o understood to have been involved in a heated exchange behind the scenes.

The disagreement is believed to have centred on tactical differences in the lead-up to Brisbane’s hard-fought 18–14 victory over Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park last Friday, with tensions spilling over during preparations for the match, according to Daily Telegraph reporting.

Club powerbrokers moved quickly to address the situation, with football boss Troy Thomson said to have convened a meeting with both coaches at Red Hill on Monday. The Broncos have confirmed the talks took place, as the club looks to defuse the situation before it escalates further.

The episode adds to a growing list of off-field distractions for Brisbane, coming shortly after the club’s public falling-out with former great Gorden Tallis, whose name was removed from a room at the club’s headquarters following critical remarks about Maguire and captain Adam Reynolds.

The latest development is particularly ill-timed, arriving just days out from the highly anticipated “Battle of Brisbane” clash with the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium of which Payne Hass is set to miss.

While disagreements within coaching setups are not uncommon, the intensity of this exchange has raised eyebrows given Te’o’s key role in shaping the Broncos’ defensive identity during last season’s premiership run - a campaign that ended the club’s 19-year title drought.

Te’o, initially appointed under former coach Kevin Walters, remained on staff following Maguire’s arrival due in part to their long-standing relationship, which dates back to their time together at South Sydney. Until now, that partnership - along with fellow assistants Trent Barrett and Matt Ballin - had appeared stable.