Anthony Seibold avoids sacking as Brisbane Broncos launch full inquiry
Brisbane’s fifth consecutive defeat has turned up the heat on Anthony Seibold, who admitted he was powerless to stop the board sacking him if they believed a new direction was needed.
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- Disgraceful Broncos sink to new low after Titans drubbing
- Nervous Seibold awaits fate after massive fall from grace
Brisbane chairman Karl Morris says Anthony Seibold will not be sacked this weekend as the Broncos executive prepare to begin a sweeping investigation of the NRL glamour club’s stunning collapse.
News Corp can reveal Morris will seek strategic input from Broncos legend and fellow board member Darren Lockyer in the wake of Brisbane’s embarrassing 30-12 defeat to the Titans on Saturday night.
The Broncos were once the kingpins of the NRL, winning six premierships under Wayne Bennett, but a shattered Morris described Brisbane’s freefall to 15th spot as the worst crisis in the club’s 32-year history.
The Broncos’ fifth consecutive defeat has turned up the heat on Seibold, who admitted he was powerless to stop Morris and Brisbane’s board sacking him if they believe a new direction is needed.
But Morris insists he will not tear up Seibold’s $3 million contract in the coming days with the Broncos committed to honouring his five-year deal, which expires at the end of 2023.
“Anthony will not be sacked today,” Morris said.
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“Unless I am instructed otherwise by the company (News Corp) which owns 69 per cent of the Broncos, under no circumstances do I plan on sacking Anthony.
“I wouldn’t say I’m extremely happy with Anthony, obviously, but I’m conscious of the enormous amount of pressure he is under.
“I am the chairman of a publicly-listed company and I have responsibilities to ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) for that reason.
“I have shareholders to consider, but News Corp are 69 per cent owners of the Broncos and they are staying the course.
“As hard it is, we are taking a long-term view and we still have great faith in Anthony.”
But senior News Corp executives on Monday made it extremely clear that the management of the club was a matter for the board and the Broncos executive.
As shareholders, News Corp not only had no intention to get involved in such matters but also understood it would be entirely inappropriate to intervene.
In a remarkable reaction to Brisbane’s latest capitulation, Broncos fans booed the players off as they headed to half-time trailing 22-0 at Suncorp Stadium.
The Broncos are now in serious danger of missing the playoffs for just the fifth time in 32 years and Morris says the current state of affairs is unacceptable.
The Broncos chairman believes Brisbane’s highly-paid players, not Seibold, are a more vexing issue and Brisbane bosses will hold an inquiry into what shapes as the worst season in their history.
“It was very ordinary to watch that loss,” Morris said.
“A lot of clubs go through a rebuilding phase. In 30 years, we have gone through a couple of slumps, but this is worst period I have seen.
“There is a whole range of things I will be suggesting and it’s also something for Darren Lockyer to recommend.
“If there are things to be acted on, we will certainly look at it.
“No-one likes to see what happened (against the Titans). We haven’t come back from the COVID isolation period well and we have had several players out injured, but that’s no excuse.
“The other people who have to give him support are his players. At the end of the day, they are the guys going out there wearing the Broncos jumper.
“We can’t have a knee-jerk reaction. A lot of people seem to think there is a magic wand but there is no magic wand to fix this.”
Morris insists Seibold has not lost the dressing room and blasted suggestions from club legends such as Gorden Tallis and Chris Johns that Brisbane’s culture was broken.
“I can honestly say I am not worried about the culture of the club. Our culture is not the issue,” he said.
“I have been at the club two or three times this week and I see no evidence of a cultural problem. Because of COVID, we have not been able to be around the club and speak to coaching staff and players.
“Before COVID, I was going for a walk with Anthony once a week to stay in tune with the coach, but this has happened to every club.
“When we signed Anthony (in 2018) everyone thought he was a good appointment at the beginning, so we won’t be jumping at shadows.
“When Anthony arrived, he brought it up as an issue that it’s going to be a tough two or three years because of the nature of our roster and the youth in the club.
“That’s a reason why we gave Anthony a long-term contract, to provide some stability. It wasn’t so long ago that people were telling me what a great acquisition Anthony was and I still think he is. He has to get support from me, the board and Paul White the CEO.
“It has probably been harder than we expected. These things happen from time to time and we will continue to look long-term.”