Broncos legend Wally Lewis has revealed his shock after fellow club great Allan Langer was dropped from the Brisbane football department and moved into an off-field role in one of the first major moves of the Michael Maguire revolution at Red Hill.
While Langer’s role as a blue shirt trainer has become synonymous with the Broncos, with many rival fans joking he spent as much time on the field as many of the players, the era is over as Maguire looks to put his stamp on the club.
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The Broncos move to oust former coach Kevin Walters reportedly hit Langer hard and left the 58-year-old “shattered”.
“I don’t have anything to do with Madge as a coach, so I don’t understand what his plans are or what his thoughts were prior to that decision making taking place,” Lewis told Wide World of Sports.
“But, if you try to come up with how many people expected that … there wouldn’t have been a person in Brisbane or Queensland that expected that.
“Coaches are entitled to make a decision – I think he’s come in with the thinking ‘change is as is as good as a holiday’ and probably believed there needed to be a broom put through the Broncos.
“I was shocked … f—ing stunned. Sacking Alf is like sacking Santa Clause.”
NRL legend Paul Gallen had a similar view to Lewis and argued it would be crazy to get rid of Langer given his unique ability to bring a playing group together.
“I’ve been involved with him with the Kangaroos 스포츠토토사이트 and you can’t let a guy like Alfie Langer go,” Gallen said.
“That’s Madge’s decision but I’d be shocked if he was lost to the Broncos completely. He’s just a good bloke and his presence in that club is priceless.
“I remember he was a trainer for us (Kangaroos) and he was a guy who just kept everything happy, kept everyone onside, kept the connection of the group together.
“He does things that other people can’t do and I’d be shocked if he was lost to the Broncos.”
Rated by legendary coach Wayne Bennett as the greatest Bronco and a snubbed Immortal, stating he would have been awarded the honour “if he’d been down in NSW”, Langer has been part of the furniture at Red Hill in the two decades since his retirement.
However, the club is hopeful that even though he’s been moved out of the football department that Langer will remain at the club.
News Corp reported Broncos officials will offer Langer a role as a corporate ambassador, working with sponsors.
While from the outside it could appear like another casualty of the club’s move to install Maguire as head coach, the former NSW and New Zealand mentor has stated he wants Langer to stay.
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