Bunnies back Seibold after Bennett leaves him trapped in burrow

[josie andrews]

Senior South Sydney players have backed Anthony Seibold to lead them to premiership glory in 2019, even though the young coach's hopes of an early move to Brisbane are officially over.

And there is no way Souths will use Seibold's eventual move to the Broncos as an excuse next year.

In fact, Souths expect Seibold – this year's Dally M coach of the year in his first NRL season – to improve and take the proud club one step further than this season's preliminary finals.

We can get the job done next year with Anthony Seibold, for sure,'' Souths football manager Shane Richardson told Fairfax Media.

Nobody had heard of Anthony Seibold last year, yet he led us to third spot. He's a good coach. And he will get better as a coach again next next year.

"There will be no excuses whatsoever.

"The players are all behind him. I've had Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis call me today to say how excited they are about playing under Anthony next year.''

Wayne Bennett was expected to end rugby league's biggest off-season soap opera by declaring he would quit the Broncos and make an immediate move to Redfern.

But Bennett fronted the media at Red Hill at lunch time and said he owed it to the players and staff and fans to see out his current deal.

Privately, Bennett has lost all faith in the Broncos top brass and could not trust what they would do to some of his closest friends if he departed prematurely.

Bennett contacted Richardson just 25 minutes before he made the news public. Seibold remained in the dark as he made his way to the airport to fly to Brisbane for a speaking engagement at his former school before attending the Jeff Horn and Anthony Muncdine fight.

Despite Bennett announcing last Saturday after a coffee date with Broncos chairman Karl Morris that he would stay put, all parties continued to work behind the scenes to fast-track the swap.

The only thing that could change things now is if the Broncos sack Bennett and pay him out.

As the seven-time premiership-winner quipped: "It's always a possibility . . . we're in that type of game.''

Seibold is understood to have been the one who has struggled the most through the whole process. While Bennett has been around more than three decades and at times appeared to enjoy the endless headlines from the latest saga, the fresh-faced Seibold has been unsure how to cope.

He told Fairfax Media on Friday: ''I'll talk when the time is right."

The Sydney club wanted clarity before Monday's training session, especially with some of their big guns, including Adam Reynolds, John Sutton and Cody Walker, returning for the start of their pre-seasons.

Bennett said earlier in the day that he had given serious thought to fast-tracking the Souths move, and while he praised the dealings with his employer for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, there was still work to do in Brisbane.

"I'm feeling for them [Souths] a lot but at the same time I have a responsibility here,'' Bennett said.

"The players, the staff I work with, the fans, I've had a great relationship with the fans my whole career, and I feel like I'd be letting them down if I went a year earlier than I should.

"The club knew my position and I would make a decision today, which again I've made ten times before. This is the last time I'll be making it and it's done. It's made and it's done.''

Souths legend Bob McCarthy told Fairfax Media on Friday that the club could not allow the situation to fester any longer because the players were in two minds.

McCarthy did not have a preference for Seibold or Bennett and while a fan of both said: ''With the side we've got, the waitress at the local Chinese restaurant could coach us and get us into the top four next year."

"At the moment the players would be a bit half-hearted in what they're doing,'' McCarthy said.

"Do they take orders off a bloke who won't be there, or do they start thinking Bennett thinks they can't win the comp if he stays in Brisbane?

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/ ... 50jhm.html

[moto748]

Nobody comes out of this farrago looking good, do they?

[josie andrews]

Wayne Bennett out, Anthony Seibold in as Brisbane Broncos settle on future

NRL giant Brisbane has announced Anthony Seibold as its coach for 2019, about 90 minutes after terminating Wayne Bennett’s contract a year early.

The Broncos on Sunday afternoon confirmed the decision to sack Bennett, only two days after the seven-time premiership coach declared he would see out the final year of his contract next season.

Bennett, 68, is set to join South Sydney a year earlier than expected as part of a coach swap that will see Seibold move to the Broncos.

The Broncos’ decision follows Seibold’s outburst about having a “gutful” of Bennett’s behaviour during the coaching drama, which has placed a significant emotional strain on his family.

It was expected Seibold, 44, would link up with the Broncos as early as next week, but the NRL powerhouse confirmed his appointment within 90 minutes of Bennett’s sacking.

“Seibold has been granted an immediate release by South Sydney, and will be at the Broncos tomorrow for the first day of preseason training with the full squad in attendance,” the Broncos said in a statement.

The Broncos said the terms of Bennett’s termination were “confidential”.

Bennett was the Broncos’ foundation coach when the club entered the New South Wales Rugby League first grade competition in 1998.

He won NSWRL premierships with the Broncos in 1992 and 1993, before leading them to the Super League title in 1997.

Bennett then guided the Broncos to NRL premierships in 1998, 2000 and 2006, before leaving the club at the end of the 2008 season.

His time away from the club between 2009 and 2014 saw him coach St George Illawarra to its 2010 premiership, however he had mixed results with Newcastle during his three seasons with the club (2012-2014).

Bennett returned to the Broncos to replace Anthony Griffin ahead of the 2015 season, in which he guided the club to the grand final.

The Broncos have made a staggering 22 finals series in his 25 seasons as coach.

The Rabbitohs would be the fifth NRL club he has coached, as he has also been in charge of Canberra, St George Illawarra and Newcastle during his decorated career.

Seibold comes to the Broncos with the reputation as an NRL coach on the rise.

He led the Rabbitohs to the preliminary finals in the 2018 season, an effort that earned him the NRL coach of the year award.

Seibold played in the Broncos’ lower grades during the 1990s when Bennett was first grade coach.

He will become only the fourth coach to take charge of the Broncos.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/sport/rugby- ... s-sacking/

What a bloody palaver! He is going he is staying now he is going again