Brisbane Broncos legend Gorden Tallis has fired back at the club after officials removed his name from a meeting room at their Red Hill headquarters. The space now honors NRLW star Ali Brigginshaw, highlighting strained ties between Tallis and the organization.
Tallis’s Storied Legacy
Once celebrated among the Broncos’ elite, Tallis helped secure three premierships in 1997, 1998, and 2000. He played 160 games for the club from 1997 to 2004, captaining Queensland and Australia during a distinguished career.
CEO Explains the Change
Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy confirmed the update, framing it as a tribute to Brigginshaw’s achievements. “Brisbane Broncos recognize the positive contributions and ongoing support of a number of club legends by naming various meeting rooms within the Clive Berghofer Centre,” Donaghy stated. “The naming of the Ali Brigginshaw meeting room recognizes her outstanding contribution to the Broncos club since the inception of the NRLW program, including leading the club to four NRLW premierships.”
Tallis Responds Defiantly
The change followed Tallis’s public criticisms of the club, coach Michael Maguire, and halfback Adam Reynolds. During a Sunday radio appearance on Triple M, the former enforcer, known as the ‘Raging Bull,’ dismissed the snub. “I’m good, nothing has changed in my life,” Tallis said. “They can’t take away my memories, they can’t take away what I did. No one can.”
He added that he views himself as a fan offering paid opinions and plans to stop commenting on the team. “It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s the fact that I just can’t have an opinion, so what I’m going to do is stop talking about them and they can work it out themselves,” Tallis explained. “It will not change my relationship with the blokes I played with one bit.”
Support from Fellow Legend
Andrew Johns, former Knights, NSW, and Kangaroos halfback, labeled the decision “really petty” on Channel Nine. “Gorden is loyal to a fault and some of the things he’s said, we all know he’s backed his great mate [former Broncos coach] Kevin Walters, but that’s Gorden,” Johns remarked, noting merit in Tallis’s comments on Reynolds.
Tallis vows to maintain his outspoken style in media appearances, undeterred by backlash.
