Gorden Tallis vs Aaron Woods: How footy great declared war on rival on NRL Grand Final day

Gorden Tallis and Aaron Woods haven’t always seen eye to eye when it comes to their opinions on footy.

With both former pros sitting on either side of the Queensland-New South Wales divide, there is always bound to be some friction.

But this year, the pair have clashed over several heated topics, and on Grand Final day, their war of words came to the fore once again, after ex-Wests Tigers star Woods, took aim at Tallis, over his past criticisms of Brisbane’s decision to part company with his old friend Kevin Walters and hire Michael Maguire.

It was a night to remember for the Broncos, and Maguire, who ended their 19-year wait for a premiership glory with an epic comeback victory against Melbourne on Sunday evening.

In the build-up to the match, Woods, speaking on the Triple M Breakfast Show with Beau, Cat and Woodsy, shot a dig at Tallis, over his criticisms over the Broncos decision to hire the former New South Wales boss, Maguire.

‘Clip this up baby,’ Woods said. ‘I really want to see them win because a certain individual in social media, and a prominent media figure, said that a New South Wales person cannot coach a Brisbane Broncos side.

‘If he wins it, that person is going to get the last laugh - Michael Maguire is going to get the last laugh from that person...’

Maguire resurrected his career with the Blues in 2024, and had enjoyed an excellent run in charge of New Zealand, guiding the Kiwis to the Pacific Championships trophy in 2023.

Woods was coy over who he was taking a shot at, but it then became clear he was referring to Tallis, after he added: ‘I’m sure if you look back... his great mate is Kevin Walters...’

Tallis, who won three premierships with the Broncos during his glittering career, took aim at the Broncos leadership back in September 2024, calling Brisbane bosses ‘cowards’ for their decision to part company with his good friend and old team-mate, Walters, following an indifferent 2024 campaign.

Interestingly, Maguire had attempted to reach out an olive branch to the former second-row, asking him if he’d like to go for a coffee. Tallis shot that down, stating: ‘I don’t drink coffee,’ before adding that he didn’t

Sat in the commentary box at the Accor Stadium ahead of Sunday night’s NRL Grand Final, Tallis was pressed on Woods’ comments by his Triple M colleagues, before hitting back at Woods with a brutal snub.

‘Where does that podcast rank?’ Tallis said, referring to Woods’ podcast.

‘Listen, he got one thing right: “A prominent media personality.” Thank you for that.

‘Woodsy, you took on Billy [Slater], right. Get off the podcast and start concentrating on your radio show to get those ratings up. Stop using me for ratings.’

Earlier this year, Tallis had sounded off on Woods after the former NSW prop slammed Queensland coach Billy Slater’s decision to drop Daly Cherry-Evans. He branded Slater a ‘grub’.

The former Queensland and Kangaroos second-row doubled down on his criticisms of Brisbane’s decision to hire Maguire, even though the footy coach won a premiership in his first season in charge at the club.

‘And, I stand by everything,’ Tallis said, before he began to list where the Wests Tigers and South Sydney Rabbitohs have finished under Maguire, before he moved into representative coaching.

‘12th, 12th, ninth, 11th, 13th and 16th, Woodsy, was his [Maguire’s] club coaching record,’ the ex-Brisbane forward said.

Tallis wasn’t entirely correct when recounting Maguire’s coaching record, with the footy boss having finished 13th and 14th in his final two seasons at the Rabbitohs, not 12th.

‘Now he’s ringing everybody trying to get his record out there. If he wants to talk about a representative record, Mal Meninga’s the greatest coach ever, he should be coaching them,’ Tallis continued.

‘Every team should go after Mal Meninga. Because he won eight in a row. So we can’t talk about representative. When you go on those short camps for about three to six weeks, it’s a totally different [type] of coaching than when you’re at a club.

‘Woodsy, you can have your opinion, right, and you’re probably right about one thing, I sat there and let Buzz [Phil Rothfield] get all the bullets. But I wasn’t asked a question, because I just love watching Buzz under the attack.

‘If you guys want to ask me any questions, as I said again, I’m going to stand by watching Tiger Town, to that guy that was in that dressing room wouldn’t have worked at Brisbane, because I knew the personalities and I think he’s changed. And Buzz alluded to it, that Ben Hunt and the senior players went to him and asked him to change. So that guy that I saw, wasn’t going to work.’

But their feud dates back to earlier this year.  Woods caught the ire of Tallis earlier this year for his comments in the build-up to the second State of Origin match, calling Queensland coach Slater a ‘grub’.

Tallis then blasted Woods claiming that he was braver on the microphone than he was during his playing days.

'He got sacked from six clubs so he knows what it feels like, and when Queensland start listening to a bloke that played his last six years in reserve grade, we've got problems,' Tallis said on Triple M’s Sunday Sin Bin program.

For the record, Tallis was mistaken when he said Woods had been sacked by six clubs - he only played for five in the NRL - and neither was he in reserve grade for his final six seasons.

'He wasn't that brave when he was a player, he's braver on the mic. That's a good comeback, isn't it?

'He wouldn't have said that when he was playing, so that's my point.'

He added: 'If you didn't say that (he was a grub) when you were playing against him and you keep on holding him accountable for what he did as a player, we're all in deep s**t here,' he said.

'Every single person in our game has done something wrong. But as a coach I think he's doing a pretty good job.

'You know, Woodsy went and took his son about a month ago and got a photo taken with him (Slater), and if I thought someone was a grub you wouldn't go ask him for a photo.'

Woods, though, clapped back, appearing to mock the former Broncos player’s nickname, ‘The Raging Bull’.

'When your spokesman is Gorden Tallis that’s when you know you’re in trouble,' he said on the Triple M breakfast show.

'He said my son got a photo with Billy Slater... My son doesn’t know who Billy Slater is.

'If you’re going to get your information correct, maybe say the right stuff.

'We don’t call him the raging bull in our house any more – it is the raging something else.'