Brisbane Broncos have refused to be drawn into a war of words with Melbourne Storm prop Stefano Utoikamanu after he labelled Broncos players “stuck up” in the lead-up to Sunday’s NRL Grand Final.
Earlier this week, the usually mild-mannered Storm front-rower stunned fans by accusing Broncos players of arrogance — even boldly declaring he couldn't wait to "run over" them in the Grand Final.
Although the 25-year-old didn’t name anyone directly, speculation quickly suggests he was targeting Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam, both previously labelled as having a ‘rockstar’ attitude.
At Thursday’s official Grand Final fan day at Circular Quay, Broncos coach Michael Maguire — who once coached Utoikamanu at the Wests Tigers — was quick to defend his players, insisting the Storm star’s comments won’t faze his squad.
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“My players have got their own motivations,” Maguire told reporters.
“They've been very dialled in for the last couple of months.
“We've really focused a lot more on ourselves and anything that goes on around us.
“I think that's one of the reasons why we are where we are. I know that the players will do that and will just work hard together.”
Patrick Carrigan, back in Brisbane’s starting side after sitting out the preliminary-final win over Penrith through suspension, backed his coach’s stance, saying the team had shrugged off Utoikamanu’s barb without a second thought.
“It doesn't really bother me, I think it's always part of life,” he said.
“People say and think about you what they want.
“I just know that I love playing footy with these boys and turning up every day and working hard.
“We know that we've got a job to do and that's about locking into our role and playing our brand of footy.”