Brisbane defensive coach Ben Te’o appears set to leave the club after a disagreement with coach Michael Maguire reached flashpoint.

Club hierarchy were in a series of meetings on Tuesday morning and were expected to confirm the future of the South Sydney 2014 premiership winner and former Broncos forward once a resolution had been reached. Te’o is understood to have tendered his resignation.

The 39-year-old had signed a contract extension until the end of 2028 after last year’s grand final win.

News Corp reported that a disagreement between Maguire and Te’o over defensive tactics occurred in Melbourne prior to Brisbane’s 18-14 comeback win on Friday night.

Ironically it was Teo’s methodology on scrambling defence, so integral to the 2025 title triumph, that played a key role in the victory after the Broncos repelled wave after wave of Storm attacks.

AAP has been told that Maguire, football boss Troy Thomson and Te’o held a crisis meeting on Monday night.

Te’o is yet to speak on what the exact reasons for his impending exit were.

Brisbane players Ben Talty and Brendan Piakura faced the media on Tuesday morning after news of the Te’o fallout broke.

“I saw it on Instagram this morning. I don’t know what the situation is so I can’t really comment on that,” Talty said.

Talty, a late blooming prop,’ said Te’o was “a fantastic coach”.

“He is our defence coach and we try to pride ourselves on our defence as a team,” he said.

Second-rower Piakura has gone ahead leaps and bounds under Te’o with his defensive clout a highlight of his game. Te’o, also a feared back-rower in his day, had taken the powerhouse forward under his wing.

“He’s done really well for me, just learning off him,” Piakura said.

“He was a great player and a great coach as well. We won a grand final with him. He’s our defence coach and us players really took his practices into the game.”

Te’o’s impending exit would be a great loss for the Broncos who have made a name for themselves under his tutelage as a side that defends at their best in the big moments.

They conceded just 10 points in the second halves of the three finals they won last year, including keeping two clean sheets in the second 40 minutes against Penrith and Melbourne in the preliminary final and grand final.

Te’o was integral to the Rabbitohs’ win in the 2014 decider under Maguire after playing one of best games of his career in the preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters.

The Broncos host the Dolphins on Friday night in the ‘Battle of Brisbane’ with prop Payne Haas (AC joint) under an injury cloud.