Paul Green’s friendship with Darren Lockyer key in race to replace Anthony Seibold at Brisbane Broncos
Paul Green was totally blindsided. He had been led to believe he was part of the Cowboys’ plans for 2021. That all changed with one phonecall mid last week.
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Ousted North Queensland coach Paul Green says he didn’t see his sacking coming with his close ties with Brisbane board member Darren Lockyer raising the prospect of him succeeding Anthony Seibold at the Broncos.
Green has spoken of his shock at being dumped by the Cowboys, but he is keen to continue his coaching career and revealed he would consider all options, including a possible return to the Broncos.
Green’s axing comes as the club he beat in the 2015 grand final, the Broncos, prepare for an annual general meeting on Tuesday which could get fiery as shareholders demand answers over Brisbane’s slide under Seibold.
It can be revealed that Green has been catapulted to the top of the Broncos’ coaching hit-list alongside club legend Kevin Walters.
News Corp Australia understands the Cowboys had discussed keeping Green in 2021 some months ago, which is why his sacking rocked North Queensland’s only premiership coach.
“I was planning to be here next year. I didn’t see it coming,” Green said on Monday night.
“I didn’t think the game on Sunday would be my last until I was called in last Wednesday and told they were going in a different direction.
“I was shocked. I didn’t have any inkling they were looking at other options until that meeting.
“It’s been a long day. I am pretty flat. Emotionally, I have mixed emotions.”
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Green also has a solid and long-standing friendship with Ben Ikin, a leading contender to take over from Paul White as Broncos’ chief executive.
Ikin was on the Cowboys’ board when Green was handed the job following Neil Henry’s demise in 2013.
Green is understood to have received a significant payout, close to $1 million, to make his immediate exit from Townsville with a season and a half to run on his contract.
Green’s departure means the Cowboys are also on the lookout for a new head coach, with Josh Hannay to take over for the interim.
Anthony Griffin, Kristian Woolf, Nathan Brown, Walters and Green’s former assistants David Fairleigh and Todd Payten have all been mentioned as possible candidates, although the Cowboys have had no discussions with any outside coaches at this point.
That hunt is expected to start immediately following Friday night’s showdown with Manly.
But the timing for Green could not be more ideal given Seibold is considered a dead man walking.
The Warriors are still searching for Steve Kearney’s successor, while Green has been linked with Cronulla, for whom he playd 95 games in the 1990s.
Asked if he would consider coaching the Broncos if a position was available, Green said: “I won’t comment on any clubs or teams at the moment. It’s still too raw. But I want to be a head coach so I will weigh up any opportunity that comes my way.
“I want to coach on. Today has been a bloody long day.
“The truth is I want to go on, there are things I want to achieve and I will achieve them. My time as head coach at the Cowboys has finished but my time as head coach hasn’t ended. Where I end up I’m not sure.
“I don’t want to be drawn into whether it (his sacking) was unfair. The Cowboys have decided to go in a direction and that’s up to them as a board, it is what it is.
“I have some great memories, I am proud of what the club has done for the community, Townsville has had it challenges with off-field disasters like the floods and we have provided hope for the community.
“I will always treasure winning the 2015 premiership and I’m proud of what we have all achieved as a club.”
It is now seen to be a matter of when, not if, that the Broncos board pulls the trigger on Seibold.
The Broncos board is preparing to cop huge backlash at Tuesday’s AGM that will be done via video link because of COVID-19 restrictions.
But there will be no escaping the reality with angry shareholders expected to demand answers on the coaching front, as well as what is being done to stem the bleeding at their once proud club that has hit an all-time low this season.
While the Broncos’ board has tried desperately to give Seibold as much support as possible, the reality is the 48-0 loss to Wests Tigers last Friday night has basically made Seibold’s position untenable.
The greater fear now is that if the Tigers can do what they did to the Broncos last week, Friday’s clash against Melbourne threatens to end in a cricket score.
Enter Green, who has always had a strong desire to coach the Broncos ever since he worked under Wayne Bennett a decade ago.
Green also played a handful of games at the club, while he won premierships with Wynnum Manly.
Until this point Walters was viewed as the man most likely to take over from Seibold because of his proud Broncos’ history.
While Walters has no NRL head coaching experience, he is the current Origin coach and is adored at every level of Queensland rugby league, which would pull together the angry club legends as well as the fans.
But in Green’s favour is his close relationship with people of influence, while his coaching record is pretty outstanding.
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Green’s highlight in six and a half years at the Cowboys was beating the Broncos to win the 2015 premiership, although his effort to take the club to the 2017 grand final without Johnathan Thurston was also a huge coaching achievement.
“I’ll take some time, take a break and clear my head, and then decide what’s next,” Green said on Monday.
“Whilst my time coaching the Cowboys has come to an end, my time as a head coach has not so I’ll be looking for an opportunity at some stage.”
Green’s demise at the Cowboys has been dragging on for some time as his relationship with some senior players deteriorated.
A blazing row with Michael Morgan following a match in Newcastle last year while on a night out was considered a tipping point.
Green is known to be an extremely smart footy brain with a wonderful coaching ability, but his man management skills have been known to let him down.
It just got to the stage at the Cowboys where both parties needed a fresh start, although the parting was done with immense respect.
It is understood Green and club chairman Lewis Ramsay spoke last Wednesday following the humiliating 42-16 loss to the Sydney Roosters and it was decided Green would not be coaching the Cowboys in 2021.
That was followed with another conversation last Friday when Ramsay and Green agreed the game against Penrith would be Green’s last at the club.
But only board members and senior management were aware of the situation.
The players were then told on Sunday night they would be required for a Monday 11am meeting where Green informed them he was moving on.