Anthony Seibold’s worldwide rugby league journey could reach its peak in South Sydney
FRANCE, England, Wales, Papua New Guinea, Estonia, Germany — after a career that has taken him around the world, Anthony Seibold hopes his experience can bring glory back to South Sydney.
Rabbitohs
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rabbitohs. Followed categories will be added to My News.
FROM the South Wales Scorpions to South Sydney Rabbitohs.
This is the extraordinary journey of Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold, who has travelled from the furthest rugby league outposts to be at the helm of the game’s most famous club.
A 26-year trek which has landed Seibold at Redfern and at the edge of creating history.
MATTY JOHNS: Seibold following Bellamy’s path
PODCAST: Is the premiership a two-horse race?
HEAVYWEIGHTS: Storm to cook Bunnies’ gun rake
EXPERIENCE: Souths’ inside man knows Melbourne tricks
Seibold’s passion for footy has only been matched by his insatiable wanderlust.
His coaching and resume reads like a backpackers guide — France, England, Wales, Papua New Guinea, Estonia and Germany.
“I was very much a journeyman as a player,” Seibold, 43, said. “I have been fortunate enough to get a lot of opportunities across the game, as a coach and player.
“That has helped me along the way, there’s no doubt about it.”
Having had stopovers in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Manly, Seibold is attempting to guide the Rabbitohs to their 22nd premiership.
They will get to test their title credentials in a top-of-the-table clash with ladder leaders the Storm at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
Humble and unassuming, Seibold didn’t want to tell this story. He prefers his players to enjoy the focus limelight.
“I am very conscious of making it about the players,” he said.
But after some convincing, Seibold opened up on a career that has taken him from Saint-Esteve to Tallinn, Hull to London, Port Moresby to Bridgend, Perpignan to Munich and Toowoomba to Ipswich.
“They all add up as experiences,” Seibold said.
Just eight years ago, Seibold was coaching the South Wales Scorpions — a third-tier club in the UK now known as the West Wales Raiders — after his coaching stint with the Celtic Crusaders ended.
“The Crusaders got sold to a different franchise in north Wales,” Seibold said of Celtic’s move from Bridgend in the south to Wrexham in the north.
“I intended to come back to Australia and didn’t want to move so I stayed behind and coached South Wales during my last eight months in Wales.
“They were in the second division over in England. It was called Championship One. This was 2010. The Crusaders used them as a feeder team. I coached them more because I didn’t want to move the family.
“I had already told the club I was going home at the end of the season. There were a lot financial issues at the Crusaders but I won’t go into that.
“They left some players and staff in south Wales and others went up to north Wales.”
Rugby league has even taken him to Estonia where he represented Germany.
“My grandad is German so I was over there coaching the Crusaders at the time. They had a bye weekend and the German side were playing Estonia, so they asked me to come up and give them a hand,” he said.
“So I went and did that up in Tallinn in Estonia and played for Germany. They all add up, different experiences.”
Former Canberra star Bradley Clyde remembers Seibold as a tough forward.
“He was pretty small prop who played well above his weight,” Clyde said. “He relied on his strength. Physically, he was quite strong for his size and tough. Anthony was a good clubman during his time at Canberra and contributed well on and off the field.”
Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly has tracked Seibold’s progress with the clipboard for years.
“I first came into contact with Anthony when he was at Celtic Crusaders a decade ago and even then you couldn’t help but be impressed by his willingness to learn, work ethic and poise,” Solly said.
“The Australian clubs he has worked for speak for themselves but to be at London Broncos, Hull KR and Celtic Crusaders gives you an indication of how hard he has worked to get where he has.”
Seibold, a fine junior cricketer, has now settled in Redfern, despite reports of interest from Brisbane.
“I’m really enjoying what I’m doing at the moment, we had a bit of a rocky start to the year — it was quite a challenging start,” he said.
“But we’ve been reasonably consistent since then but, mate, one thing I have learnt over the journey, I’m definitely not trying to get caught up too much in winning.
“I certainly wasn’t kicking stones earlier in the year when we had a pretty average start. I’m just trying to keep level-headed and focused. We have got really good processes in place. We take it day-by-day and week-by-week.”