Brisbane legends heap pressure on incoming coach Anthony Seibold

BRISBANE legends have warned Wayne Bennett’s successor Anthony Seibold to brace for the brutal reality check of delivering premiership success at the Broncos.

Anthony Seibold is already under-pressure as incoming Brisbane coach. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

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BRISBANE legends have warned Wayne Bennett’s successor Anthony Seibold to brace for the brutal reality check of delivering premiership success at the Broncos.

Former Broncos Wally Lewis, Wendell Sailor and Gorden Tallis believe nothing can prepare the largely unproven Seibold for the pressure of coaching Queensland’s flagship sporting club.

The Broncos are taking a huge gamble on Seibold, who is ostensibly an NRL coaching rookie, with his 2018 campaign at South Sydney representing his maiden season in the big league.

Anthony Seibold is already under-pressure as incoming Brisbane coach. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Seibold did a superb job, steering the Rabbitohs to within one win of the grand final, but he now faces the ultimate task – turning the Broncos into a consistent title-winning force.

The Broncos are mired in their longest premiership drought in their history, having failed to win a title since 2006, and Brisbane’s finest servants say Seibold is about to confront searing levels of expectation.

“He will be under the spotlight every day,” said ‘The King’ Lewis, Brisbane’s foundation captain.

“Anthony Seibold appears to be a very good coach but the attention that will come his way at the Broncos cannot be underestimated.

Brisbane greats have warned Seibold of the expectation of success held at the club. Picture: David Kapernick.

“The Broncos are the big show in a one-team town.

“He won’t be sharing the attention with a pile of other clubs and coaches like he is in Sydney at the Rabbitohs.

“At the Broncos, you are constantly under pressure – there’s an extra responsibility attached to performing at the club.”

Seibold is regarded as one of the rising stars of the NRL coaching ranks but the 44-year-old has yet to win a premiership at any level.

The Rockhampton product twice finished ninth with Intrust Super Cup club Mackay in 2012-13. Seibold steered Melbourne’s under-20s squad to eighth spot in 2014.

Seibold had a stellar year in his first season as an NRL head coach. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Such results will not be acceptable to a Broncos club that hopes Seibold can use Souths’ fine campaign this year as a springboard to a breakthrough premiership at Red Hill.

“Good luck to Anthony Seibold,” Tallis said.

“I know him, he’s a great fella, but he’s got a big job.

“Broncos coaches only get judged on winning grand finals.

“He comes from a club (Souths) where all their focus each year is on finishing higher than the Roosters.

“I’ve worked at both clubs (Souths and Brisbane).

“At the Broncos, you have to finish higher than every single team in the competition.

“If you don’t, it’s a failure. There’s a lot of pressure.

“Seibold also has to follow in Wayne Bennett’s footsteps and we know how that went for Anthony Griffin and Ivan Henjak.”

NRL coaching rookies Henjak and Griffin were given their big breaks by the Broncos, only to be sacked after failing to deliver the club’s seventh premiership.

Sailor said Seibold’s former stint at the Broncos as a lower-grade player will have given him an insight into the professional standards of the club.

“There is a lot of pressure that comes with the job as we have seen with Henjak and Griffin,” he said.

“He has worked with some of the Broncos players as younger blokes in development so he’s smart enough to realise the task ahead of him.”

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