Weekend Read: Why Anthony Seibold is a good fit to replace Des Hasler at Manly

Anthony Seibold looms as the next man to take charge of Manly after Des Hasler’s sacking. Brent Read analyses why Sea Eagles fans should believe in the former Broncos coach.

Former Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold pictured at Freshwater Beach. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

There has been a running gag in the Triple M commentary box in recent seasons. Anthony Maroon, expert commentator and occasional antagonist, has taken to referring to yours truly as the Seibold Sympathiser, a nod to my support for Anthony Seibold as he raged against the rugby league machine.

This columnist backed Seibold when he went from South Sydney to the Brisbane Broncos, a decision that went a long way towards costing me my relationship with supercoach Wayne Bennett.

I backed him as the Broncos started to spiral out of control and results slowly began to decline. I backed him when he was turned on by social media trolls, which played a significant part in things unravelling in Brisbane only two years after he was named Dally M coach of the year.

Former Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is in line to take over as coach of the Sea Eagles. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

So for fear of perpetuating the theory that I am in the Seibold camp, and without denigrating two-time premiership winner Des Hasler, allow me to share a few reasons why I reckon Seibold is a good fit for Manly.

And why the Sea Eagles fans should reserve their judgment if the club decides to go down that path, which seems increasingly likely to happen with confirmation Hasler has now been sacked.

It was barely tenable a month ago when News Corp revealed the extent of the divide at the club over Manly’s strategic direction.

Things have only got worse since. A lot worse. In recent weeks, the club sent Hasler a series of demands that would effectively dilute his powers.

The Hasler camp responded by insinuating they would launch legal action over the Pride jersey fiasco, which sent the Sea Eagles’ season into a downward spiral from which they never recovered.

Manly seem unconcerned because Hasler’s football department were given notification of the jerseys at the start of the year, months before they were worn by some players and snubbed by others.

They also believe they are protected under the terms of the contract.

Which brings us back to Seibold, who looms as the next man up at Manly.

Seibold is a local. He lives on Sydney’s northern beaches not that far from 4 Pines Park. He understands the area – sometimes known as the Insular Peninsula – and their passion for the Sea Eagles.

He was once a coach at the club, working as an assistant a few years back. Crucially, he knows Daly Cherry-Evans and the Trbojevic boys – Jake and Tom.

Regardless of the identity of the next coach, they can only succeed if they have Manly’s three most important and influential players on board.

Seibold knows that as much as anyone from his time in Brisbane. He arrived at the Broncos on his own, leaving his family behind in Sydney. He had a young squad which suffered from a dire lack of leadership.

Seibold was the Dally M Coach of the Year Award in 2018. Picture: Dan Himbrechts

When things started going south, there was no one to lean on. Seibold would then go home to an empty house and stew on his day. He had no escape.

He won’t have that issue at Manly, a club he knows well from his previous stint working under Trent Barrett. Seibold was only there for a short time – he left after one season to join South Sydney, where he eventually took charge, leading the club to the preliminary final and becoming Dally M coach of the year – but it was long enough for him to gain an appreciation of the northern beaches.

When it all went pear-shaped in Brisbane, he licked his wounds at that house a stone’s throw from 4 Pines Park. He walked the stretch of beach from Queenscliff to Shelly Beach with his dog in tow, no doubt marinating on his time in Brisbane and how he could have handled it better.

Could Seibold replace him? Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

So Seibold understands the Manly people, their club and the players. More importantly, he understands the game, its politics and himself better than he ever has. He has learned first hand how rugby league can chew you up and spit you out. It was a painful experience but one that has made him a better coach.

Funnily enough, I bumped into Seibold about six weeks ago while I was having a beer at 4 Pines before a Manly game. He had just returned from a stint working alongside Eddie Jones with the English rugby union team, where he is employed as defensive coach.

Jones doesn’t suffer fools. He is a renowned taskmaster who demands excellence from his staff. Stories abound of Jones pushing his staff to the brink.

Seibold has been a key cog for Jones, thriving on the intense pressure that comes with working for Jones.

Sit with him for some time and his passion for being a head coach again hasn’t been dimmed by his previous experiences.

He knows where things went wrong in Brisbane and he knows what he has to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

He will need to hold his nerve because his first few months in charge as a head coach will be under the microscope. Some will be looking for cracks to form. Seibold has unshakable belief in his own abilities and if things don’t work out, that won’t be his undoing.

He has unfinished business in the NRL. He may yet get to finish it at Manly. If he does, Sea Eagles supporters should give him a chance.