It was not the heavy defeats or off-field scrutiny that convinced Anthony Seibold to quit as Brisbane’s head coach less than two years into a five-year contract. For all that he has endured in a horror 2020 NRL season, Seibold leaving his daughter in Sydney after dealing with a family issue brought home he no longer wanted to endure the circus that his life had become.
“I think the final straw was hopping back on a plane from Sydney, when I wanted to be with my daughter,” Seibold said. Within days of returning to Queensland, Seibold had rung Broncos chairman Karl Morris telling him he wanted to quit. On Wednesday that decision was confirmed, the 2018 Dally M coach of the year’s reign at the Broncos coming to an end after a tumultuous 18 months.
Appointed after leading South Sydney to a preliminary final in his maiden NRL head coaching season, Seibold’s time as Wayne Bennett’s successor has been controversial from the outset. Bennett himself was aggrieved with the club’s board, believing he had been rushed out of the club where he won six premierships.
The hostility between Bennett and his former club became a sideshow throughout Seibold’s reign, as did a cadre of former Brisbane players who believed Seibold should not have got the job ahead of club legend Kevin Walters. Despite making the finals in his first season at the Broncos, a 58-0 hiding by Parramatta in the first week of the post-season started an on-field slide from which Seibold would never recover.
After winning their opening two matches of 2020, Brisbane’s post-Covid form has been a disaster, the club slipping to second-last on the ladder after 12 defeats in their past 13 matches. Those losses include thrashings by the Eels, the Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers.
A 28-10 loss, to the Rabbitohs no less, earlier this month would be Seibold’s last at the helm. After that defeat, Seibold left the club’s Covid bubble to be with his daughter. During his absence vile online rumours began to circulate about Seibold, an attack that Broncos chief executive Paul White labelled “hysterical, if not slanderous”.
Seibold has engaged lawyers and intends to pursue legal action against those who perpetuated the rumours and says those attacks had been a step too far. “Ultimately, I get judged on what happens on the field and with regards to the off-field stuff … I can’t control the narrative in the media,” Seibold said.
“I can’t control some things that are said across social media, but I can control the football thing and ultimately, we haven’t got the results on the scoreboard. I take responsibility for that and I thought it was best for both the Broncos and myself that we separate and I stand down.”
Seibold, who says he cried when he addressed his players on Wednesday to announce his decision, still intends to pursue a coaching career. He will take a break on a friend’s farm in the immediate future to get away from the game but does not believe the fierce pressure of being Broncos coach had quelled his desire to coach.
“Look it’s been a hell of an experience, it’s been a wonderful experience,” Seibold said. “I’ll reflect fondly on my time here. You probably think I’m crazy saying that but I’m a big believer in learning from any experience and this is another experience.”
Assistant coach Peter Gentle will lead the club for the final five fixtures of 2020 with a search for Seibold’s replacement to start immediately. Walters and former North Queensland coach Paul Green are already the frontrunners for the position.