Seething Anthony Seibold to hit Broncos players ‘between the eyes’
A furious Anthony Seibold has unloaded on his playing group after the mauling against Melbourne, with the Brisbane coach under the pump ahead of a vital Queensland derby next week.
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Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has launched a stinging attack on his players, vowing to hit them “between the eyes” with some home truths ahead of Thursday’s do-or-die derby clash against the Cowboys.
Brisbane’s 40-4 hammering against the Storm on Friday night represented one of the worst losses in the club’s history, with Seibold left seething at the Broncos’ inability to hunt as a pack in the Suncorp Stadium massacre.
Now the ninth-placed Broncos will wage a desperate Queensland derby against the 13th-ranked Cowboys, who could torpedo Brisbane’s finals hopes with victory in Townsville.
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With Brisbane’s season on the line this week, Seibold pulled no punches, questioning the squad’s collective desire under pressure as the Storm tore them apart, registering seven tries and 11 line-breaks in the 36-point mauling.
“We need to review this game heavily,” Seibold said.
“What we did in round two against the Cowboys (a 29-10 victory at Suncorp Stadium) has no impact on what we do next Thursday night.
“The players have to be hit straight between the eyes about what they missed (against the Storm), that’s the reality.
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it.
“For the last three months, we have been reasonably consistent but we got taught a lesson.
“We had no response and when we are under pressure, we don’t have the overlapping effort areas. We just worry about ourselves. We don’t do the job for our teammates.”
Pressure is building on Seibold.
The Broncos made four straight finals campaigns under his predecessor Wayne Bennett, including a grand-final appearance in 2015, but Brisbane are now in danger of missing the playoffs in Seibold’s maiden season at Red Hill.
Seibold conceded the Broncos, as an organisation, are not even close to building the premiership culture that has made Melbourne the NRL’s best team of the past decade.
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“They are the benchmark and the best team in the competition. We got lapped by 36 points so that’s how far we have got to go,” he said.
“Somewhere deep inside this organisation we have to be better.
“The Storm are at a way different part of their journey to us. The loss won’t define our season but it shows our young guys and as a club that we have a long way to go.
“Under pressure, individually and collectively, we didn’t do our job. There was plenty of effort at times but it was one-out effort.
“When we play our best football, it’s the overlapping efforts where there is cohesion and teamwork and doing something for your teammate, but I didn’t see that at all.”
Storm coach Craig Bellamy – Bennett’s former assistant at Brisbane in 2002 before he joined Melbourne – knows well the pressures on the Broncos to succeed.
He believes the loss of several experienced players, including Queensland Origin hardman Josh McGuire and James Roberts, has hurt Brisbane.
“They need to get more consistent in their performances,” he said.
“Anthony has a very young side and it’s a talented side without a doubt, but they are very young side.
“They lack experience. Losing McGuire ... he would have been a really good player to have their young forwards around and James Roberts has left as well.
“Payne Haas and (David) Fifita are wonderful young players but getting some experience is what they need to do.”
Originally published as Seething Anthony Seibold to hit Broncos players ‘between the eyes’
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