Blindside: Incoming Broncos coach Anthony Seibold appoints Ben Cross as his first assistant
He hasn’t quite set foot in the door yet but incoming Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has made his first coaching appointment – bringing in a NSW Origin forward.
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INCOMING Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has made his first staff appointment.
Seibold will enlist former NSW Origin forward Ben Cross as an assistant coach when he lobs at Red Hill.
That could be as early as next week as an agreement for South Sydney’s Seibold and Broncos coach Wayne Bennett to switch clubs edges closer to being finalised.
Bennett’s current assistant, Jason Demetriou, is contracted to the Broncos for the 2019 season.
Seibold’s relationship with key South Sydney figures has deteriorated over his decision to abandon the Rabbitohs after the club gave him a shot at the NRL.
He has had to turn up to pre-season training over the past two weeks as he waits for the swap to happen.
Meanwhile, Bennett is enjoying a short holiday in Europe before he returns to Brisbane next week.
It remains to be seen whether Bennett will make an appearance at Broncos training if the swap negotiations continue to drag on.
JACK’S THE GOLDEN GOOSE
This is the jersey no Gold Coast Titans player wants to wear.
The Titans have had a specially designed “Goose of the Week” jersey made up for training sessions.
Sporting the jersey this week was prop Jack Stockwell, who made a couple of minor errors at training and was made to pay.
WHERE WAS OUR INVITE?
Titans forward Bryce Cartwright got hitched this week and none of his teammates were there to see it.
Cartwright married partner Shanelle Peeti in an intimate ceremony on the Gold Coast on Monday.
Coach Garth Brennan gave his big money player a couple of days off after Cartwright reported for pre-season training in excellent shape.
The wedding was so small that no Titans players or staff were invited and Cartwright has been copping it from them for being “tight”.
THE CHAMBERS OF SECRETS
Former Test centre Will Chambers is on shaky ground at the Melbourne Storm.
Chambers’ form plummeted this season and he was replaced in the Kangaroos by NSW Origin sensation Latrell Mitchell.
Chambers is contracted to the Storm until the end of 2020, but don’t be surprised if he moves clubs.
IT’S ABOUT THE FANS
The Queensland Maroons lost their first Origin series in four years this past season, but they know they have not lost any fans.
A week after announcing they had picked up Auswide Bank as a major sponsor, the Maroons have given Blindside a sneak peek at their 2019 campaign for the coveted Queensland jersey.
With the theme “it’s more than a jersey”, the QRL will use the campaign to prove just how much the Queensland Origin strip means to the team’s fans.
A video to be released on Wednesday will show off real Maroons fans in iconic Queensland settings, including Bribie Island-based father and son, Tony and Riley Jeppesen (pictured).
While fans will have to wait until next week to see the jersey in full, Blindside understands it will have some of the usual classic themes with a modern twist.
BRONCOS NRLW player Kody House has been spending her off-season giving back to the rugby league community, helping Aspley Rugby League club teach the game to people with disabilities.
The Queensland Origin utility first lent a hand to the “Try Time” program in August and will be back tomorrow for Aspley’s final session of the year.
House has already won herself a new fan in 13-year-old Maisie Andrews (pictured together), who attended the last session and will be back tomorrow.
The program includes modified games plus rugby league drills and skills and is all non-contact.
The last session of the year will kick off at 10am tomorrow at Aspley Rugby League.
Originally published as Blindside: Incoming Broncos coach Anthony Seibold appoints Ben Cross as his first assistant
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