Anthony Seibold hits back at critics of club treatment of Josh Schuster
Anthony Seibold doesn’t like the Josh Schuster pile-on as the Manly coach prepares for a hostile return to Brisbane.
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Manly coach Anthony Seibold is “looking forward” and has no bitterness as he returns to Brisbane to face off against the Broncos for the first time since his messy departure from the club.
Brisbane has bolted to the top of the ladder under Kevin Walters, who could miss the clash through illness, and Seibold‘s Sea Eagles will face a hostile sold-out crowd at Suncorp Stadium in the opening night of the NRL’s Magic Round.
In sixth place, Manly will be boosted by the return of star fullback Tom Trbojevic but will play without his brother Jake, who has a calf strain.
But Seibold is certain to be the focus of at least the home crowd’s attention, returning after being sacked by the Broncos just 18 months in to a five-year deal midway through the 2020 season.
Having spent time with now Wallabies coach Eddie Jones after his Broncos exit, before taking the job at Manly, Seibold said he was better for all his experiences and not bitter about his time in Brisbane.
“I come back to Queensland not with a bitter taste in my mouth but with a real positivity, real growth as a person and coach,” Seibold said on Thursday.
“It‘s been a narrow focus this week on looking forward rather than looking back.
“Everyone I’m sure has had some ups and downs in their career.
“Unless you go through those challenges you might not be necessarily in this position.”
Seibold said Trbojevic was a “big in” for the clash with the ladder leaders.
“Tom trained fully on Tuesday evening,” Seibold said.
“He’s in and he’s a big in.”
Seibold also defended under-fire playmaker Josh Schuster, who has been the subject of harsh criticism after revelations he was earning $800,000 this season but has played just three games and has been sidelined to recover from a quad injury and improve his general fitness.
“One of the reasons we have taken Josh out for this reconditioning block is we want to get him up and running. We’ll get Josh right,’ he said.
“It’s a little bit like there’s been a pile on. We made a collaborative decision to put him in a reconditioning block.
“We’ll always do the thing we feel is right for the player.
“I have been checking in on him because I feel as though there‘s been a lot of commentary around him at the moment which paints him in a negative light when that’s not the case.
“We feel as though we have some good people around him. We feel as though Josh will be right to come back and play some good football in a couple of weeks time.”
Seibold said the club was preparing for Schuster to partner Cooper Johns in the halves during the State of Origin period with captain Daly Cherry-Evans away.
Originally published as Anthony Seibold hits back at critics of club treatment of Josh Schuster
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