Broncos CEO Paul White backs under pressure coach Anthony Seibold

Broncos CEO Paul White has defended the club’s decision to hand Anthony Seibold a five-year contract and has backed the rookie Brisbane coach to end the club’s title drought.

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Broncos chief executive Paul White has defended the club’s decision to hand Anthony Seibold a five-year contract and has backed the rookie Brisbane coach to deliver a premiership during his tenure.

On the eve of Sunday’s crucial away clash against the in-form Raiders, White dismissed suggestions Brisbane’s shaky start under Seibold is evidence Broncos bosses made the wrong call by sacking super coach Wayne Bennett.

Seibold heads to Canberra’s GIO Stadium with a dismal 20 per cent success rate after five games in charge of a Broncos side floundering in equal last spot with a worrying 1-4 start to the premiership.

Seibold has never faced this level of scrutiny. Image: AAP Image/Darren England

During his 14-year journey as a coach, Seibold has travelled far wide to Wales, Mackay, Sydney, Melbourne and now Brisbane in his quest to crack the NRL.

Amid all the miles and tireless hours, Seibold has no silverware on his resume and is still waiting to taste his first premiership at any level of coaching.

But Seibold’s outstanding effort to steer Souths to the preliminary final last year, which won him the NRL’s coach-of-the-year award, is the antidote to claims he can’t succeed at the highest level.

White is adamant the Rockhampton product can break the Broncos’ longest premiership drought in their history and deliver Brisbane’s first title since 2006.

Brisbane chairman Karl Morris and CEO White are standing by their choice. Image: AAP Image/Darren England

“I am very confident a premiership will come,” White said.

“I can’t tell you if it will be this year but I have no doubt Anthony can win a premiership in his tenure here, no doubt.

“You don’t hire a coach if you don’t think they can take you to the big stage and deliver.

“I wouldn’t say it (a premiership) is overdue for the Broncos but we want to win a premiership every year.

“We want one again this year.”

Seibold‘s transformation of South Sydney convinced Brisbane. Image: Phil Hillyard

Since the NRL’s inception in 1998, no other rookie coach has been handed a five-year contract.

Even when current super coach Craig Bellamy joined the Storm way back in 2003, the former Broncos assistant was only given a two-year deal by Melbourne management.

But White says the Broncos formulated a deliberate strategy when they secured Seibold until the end of 2023, negating constant chatter about NRL coaching movement to allow Bennett’s successor time to develop the club’s stable of young stars.

Brisbane has its own unique challenges. Image: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt

“We are backing Anthony for the long haul,” he said.

“The important thing with committing long-term to a coach is you take a lot of noise (around sacking coaches) out of the pressure situations.

“It’s easy to say Anthony is a one-year NRL coach, why give him five years, but this has been a long journey for Anthony.

“He has coached here and overseas. He has been in three different systems, including the Melbourne Storm, he has coached junior Queensland and Australian teams and been an Origin assistant to Kevin Walters.

“If the only lens people are looking through is the first five rounds, it’s very short sighted.”

White accepts Brisbane’s current plight, languishing in the NRL cellar, is not ideal, but believes the early-season turbulence will benefit Seibold in the long run.

“I honestly believe this tough period will make Anthony a better coach — I’ve told him that,” the Broncos boss said.

“I know personally in life I’ve learned more about myself in adversity than in success.

“There is a rich learning opportunity for Anthony out of this and this is a nice little scar that will help him down the track.

“Anthony is hungry. I like that. He wants to win and that also gives me confidence as well. I am a positive person by nature and underlying his resume is his resilience, work ethic, determination and will to win.

“It is the highest priority for this club to win a premiership. Everything we do is driven to win the comp. We can’t have rebuilding years. I would love nothing more than a premiership for our players, our members and our fans.

“But I’ve also been around long enough not to panic. This tough time shall pass. We would have liked to have won more games, but I am pretty confident Anthony will turn our form around and it will turn quickly.”