Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold reveals why all is not lost at Red Hill
Broncos smiling after their latest defeat left fans furious, but coach Anthony Seibold vows they’ll be laughing in the finals.
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Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is adamant he can turn around the battling NRL club’s fortunes after unveiling plans to bring Brisbane back to life.
Seibold can take the first step towards saving his job when the under-fire Broncos tackle the struggling New Zealand Warriors at the Central Coast on Saturday.
The Broncos must snap a five-game losing streak against the Warriors, who are running third-last on the NRL ladder after relocating to Australia and had players walk out on the team due to homesickness and the sacking of coach Steve Kearney.
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In the final instalment of a three-part series investigating the demise of the mighty Broncos, News Corp Australia has explored how Brisbane can fight its way back into NRL premiership contention.
The key figure in resurrecting the Broncos is Seibold and he has vowed to dig his heels in and make the Broncos great again.
“The last couple of weeks have been pretty intense, we have been on the wrong side of the scoreboard, but internally there has been no loss of belief,” Seibold said.
“One of the biggest things I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks during some trying times for our club is that willingness to stick together.
“We were in exactly the same situation last year and we were able to turn it around by working really hard.
“We have great belief in what we are doing. I have taken the last two teams to the semi-finals and I know I can get the group out of this.
“We are sticking together solidly, the back office and front office and the football department, and we are working to get better.”
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Former Broncos captain Justin Hodges cannot remember another time the Broncos were booed off Suncorp Stadium by their own fans, but that is exactly what happened last Saturday night.
The Broncos trudged off the hallowed turf of Lang Park at halftime into the dressing rooms down 22-0 to the last-placed Gold Coast Titans, the 2019 NRL wooden spooners.
The Broncos had hit rock bottom.
There may have only been 6262 people in the grandstands but that made it worse in a way as every heckle could be heard by Seibold’s embarrassed players.
Put simply, the Broncos were horrendous. They lacked heart and desire and looked clueless with the ball.
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The Broncos went on to lose 30-12 in a match they were expected to win, further heaping the pressure on Seibold.
At full-time, new recruit Issac Luke was spotted laughing with rival players.
It was only the second time Luke had worn a Broncos jersey but the image was horrible and validated the perception that Brisbane players were not putting in and didn’t care.
Steve Renouf, the greatest tryscorer in Broncos history, believes the team’s attitude can be adjusted simply and urged every player to make it their mission to do so.
“There are enough good players there,” he said.
“There needs to be a turnaround in attitude with the group.
“The Titans pumped them early last week and no-one put their hand up to turn it around. I want to see someone do that.
“It will take something that simple, just one person to show something to get the group to follow them. That can change a game and they can run off that.”
It has long been believed that defence wins premierships and it is rare that a team with poor defence and excellent attack challenges for titles.
The Broncos have conceded the most points of any team in the 2020 NRL competition.
They have leaked 205 points at an average of 29 points a game, including a club record 59-0 defeat to the Roosters.
Defence is all about attitude and a willingness to put your body on the line.
“Winning without the footy is the key,” Seibold said earlier this year.
“What do we do when we don’t have the ball? Whether you are in transitioning, defending or don’t have the ball in attack. What is your job?
“That’s a big focus for us as a team this year.”
The Broncos have so far failed in that department and Seibold has brought in renowned defensive specialist Peter Ryan to fix it.
The proof will be how the Broncos respond over the next week with games against the lowly Warriors (14th) and Bulldogs (last).
RESHAPING THE ROSTER
Mixed messages have been emanating from Red Hill about the expectations on Brisbane’s playing roster.
The Broncos boast the youngest squad in the NRL, but have a handful of vastly experienced players like Darius Boyd (324 NRL games), Alex Glenn (262 games) and Anthony Milford (174 games) in the team.
Chairman Karl Morris claimed Seibold needs years to rebuild the roster and create a team that can contend for an NRL title.
Those comments drew the ire of ex-coach Wayne Bennett, who said Seibold would never have taken the Broncos job if the team needed to be overhauled.
The lack of experience among the bulk of Seibold’s squad will make it difficult for the Broncos to challenge for this year’s premiership, but the coach is confident they can be competitive and denied he pleaded for time when taking the job.
“I have never criticised the roster publicly or privately,” he said.
“Every single conversation I have had is about how we can continue to grow the group and the exciting part is we have so many guys in the zero to 30-game region. I have never said anything else different to that.
“One thing I do know is the younger players take time to develop. We are staying the course and playing the long game.
“I know it works in coaching. I have been doing it for 15 years now and it‘s my third year as head coach in the NRL. I have had that ability to take teams to the playoffs and this is another challenge.
“They will get better with the more games they will play. There have been some challenges in and around that space but the young guys here will get better.”
The Broncos’ recruitment and roster management has been criticised, with ex-player Ben Ikin labelling it “disgusting”.
BRONCOS IN CRISIS
Seibold has offloaded club stalwarts Josh McGuire and Andrew McCullough in recent years and signed 33-year-old veterans Ben Te’o and Luke in the past month.
The Broncos have also been hamstrung by the signings of marquee players like Milford, Boyd and Jack Bird.
Milford is the highest-paid player in Broncos history on $1 million-a-season but is on the verge of being dropped.
Bird is on around $900,000 and has only managed 17 appearances for the club in three seasons due to injuries.
Boyd, 33 this month, will pocket around $800,000 in his final season in the NRL but is a shade of the player he once was.
Board member Darren Lockyer, who is on the Broncos’ recruitment and retention panel, admitted high-priced signings had to be scrutinised more in the future.
“We need stability off the field and stability with the roster,” Lockyer said.
“Any large or long-term deals moving forward need to be pressure tested and done with plenty of consideration.
“Attitude needs to be a huge part of the consideration.”
Seibold has some of the NRL’s most exciting young talents in Payne Haas, David Fifita and Tesi Niu but he needs a dominant playmaker and one of his older forwards to lead the Broncos in the engine room.
“They know they have to get the roster right,” Renouf said.
“We know they have a lot of good kids but they’ve all come together at once. There is an inexperienced group which isn’t good in the NRL.
“They will get better every year, but they have a decent enough team to clock a few wins together for the rest of the season.
“They have to do some recruiting around some hardened players from other clubs that can come and make a difference.”
If the Broncos can fix those flaws and improve their attitude they will quickly become a team to watch.
LIGHT AT THE END
Seibold knows coaching in the NRL is a rollercoaster and your fortunes can change incredibly fast.
His methods have been scrutinised and criticised, with rumblings the dressing room is doubting him, but the former teacher and academic believes his job is to develop and nurture talent.
“There is no doubt your emotions fluctuate, it’s human nature,” Seibold said earlier in the season.
“When you have a great win, you feel on top of the world. When you have a shitty loss, you think ‘is this all worth it?’
“Coaching is teaching. I’m a teacher. It’s a really noble vocation. I am very energised by helping people get better.
“That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. I love seeing guys achieve what they set out to achieve. Any occupation has good and bad days, but I find it very humbling.
“Sometimes the scoreboard seduces people and sometimes it doesn’t love you. But I am comfortable in my own skin.”
The Broncos know they are held to higher standards than most other clubs.
The expectations evolved during the club’s golden run of six premierships under Bennett from 1992-2006, making the Broncos one of the game’s most successful franchises.
While it has been 14 years since they tasted title success, after falling seconds short in 2015, CEO Paul White is hopeful a seventh trophy can be added to the vacant stand in the foyer of the club’s headquarters at Red Hill.
For that to happen, the Broncos will have to weather this storm and emerge stronger.
They have been savaged for their recent form but White believes that is a product of being one of Australia’s most popular clubs.
“The best thing about the Broncos is people actually care – that’s what I love about the place,” he said.
“I don’t lament when we get a touch up for underperformance because I know so many people care.
“We are a big club and our supporters are hurting. I know how much enjoyment they will get when we come out the other side.
“I can’t wait for that to happen.”