New Panthers coach Anthony Griffin says he’s not bitter over Broncos axing

ANTHONY Griffin insists he is not bitter over his Broncos axing and will be his own man under Phil Gould’s regime to make Penrith an NRL powerhouse once again.

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ANTHONY Griffin insists he is not bitter over his Broncos axing and will be his own man under Phil Gould’s regime to make Penrith an NRL powerhouse once again.

Griffin will officially resurrect his NRL career in Penrith’s season opener against Canberra this Saturday, 20 months after a gut-wrenching dismissal at the Broncos he never saw coming.

Griffin’s detractors were adamant he would never coach in the NRL again. Chewed up and spat out by the Broncos, Griffin could be forgiven for lacking the self-belief to bounce back.

After all, his successor, Wayne Bennett, managed to do in one season what Griffin failed to do in four at Red Hill _ deliver the Broncos to a grand-final appearance.

But Griffin’s unwanted NRL sabbatical has afforded him time for forensic self-analysis.

At first glance, the Griffin-Penrith alliance appears an unusual fit. The boy from Rockhampton who coached Queensland’s flagship sporting team, the Broncos, now calling the shots in NSW at a Penrith club devoid of title success for 13 years.

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The Panthers’ patriarch, Gould, ruthlessly sacked Ivan Cleary 12 months after making the top four, but Griffin says if he can survive four years at the Broncos, he can flourish anywhere.

“I’m really happy at the Panthers, they are a great club,” said Griffin, who was a shock appointment in October after Gould pulled the trigger on Cleary.

Phil Gould, announces Anthony Griffin as the new Penrith Coach at Pepper Stadium, Penrith. pic Mark Evans

“I didn’t expect to get the job the way it happened, but I always wanted to coach again somewhere.

“I love the challenge at this level. I wanted to coach at the highest level again. I don’t know how long I will coach for and certainly when I left Brisbane, I wasn’t ready to do anything else.

“It’s a huge challenge at Penrith. Even though we have won a few premierships we haven’t created the type of club that everyone in the area is looking for.

“There’s a lot of work to be done out there. There’s a heap of potential and a lot of pressure on people, including myself, to bring success to the Panthers.”

If anyone can understand big expectations at heavy-hitting clubs, it is Griffin.

No club demands more than the Broncos and during his 101-game reign at Red Hill, Griffin had some high points, steering Brisbane to the grand-final qualifier in his rookie year in 2011.

But when there were high-level machinations to bring Bennett back midway through 2014, Griffin was a dead-man walking. In the space of 24 hours, he went from coaching the most glamorous club in Queensland sport to a life of unemployment.

Griffin is entitled to be angry. He still had 12 months on his Broncos deal. And in Bennett’s first year back, the master coach duly steered the Broncos to their first grand-final appearance in nine years.

Coach Anthony Griffin during a Penrith Panthers training session. Picture Gregg Porteous

Did Griffin lay the bedrock or did Bennett achieve what ‘Hook’ simply never could? Either way, Griffin watched the NRL decider, 15 days before his appointment as Penrith coach, at his in-laws’ place with a heavy heart.

“I watched the grand final with a beer in my hand,” says Griffin with his trademark smirk.

“Obviously it was hard. There was a part of me that was really pleased to see the players get there because I knew how hard they had worked since they were 17 or 18 years of age to get to a grand final. Guys like Ben Hunt. Andrew McCullough. Alex Glenn.

“It was a weird feeling watching it. I was gutted in the end for Hunt (who dropped the kick-restart in extra-time) and ultimately for Justin Hodges (retiring skipper).

“I found it hard to watch ‘Hodgo’ having that dream snatched from his grasp with two seconds to go.”

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Griffin had his own ambitions snatched the moment he was summoned to Brisbane’s headquarters on Sunday, July 13, 2014. His sacking could have represented the last rites as an NRL coach. Instead, Griffin showed dignity ... and learned lessons.

“It was a tough thing for me to process, I was gutted,” Griffin recalls of his sacking.

“It was really hard on me and my family. But you can only stay in control of what you can do and at that time I had no control over the decision. I only had control over my decisions.

“I was very disappointed, but I just made a point of worrying about what I could control and I worked out very quickly I wanted to coach again. I didn’t get bitter. I just got on with life. I wouldn’t say I was pragmatic or just shrugged my shoulders about the situation because it did hurt.

“It was a massive privilege coaching the Broncos. I worked in the organisation for seven years and I honestly can say I never took the job for granted.

“I still feel I made a contribution there that will help the club long-term.”

As a young coach, Griffin admired the legendary Jack Gibson but is determined to forge his own path. Gould is a strong, quirky, passionate personality who was effectively given the keys to Penrith after coaching the club to their maiden premiership in 1991.

Griffin knows Gould will drive him hard, but no harder than he drove himself during his years at the Broncos.

“Gus is really good, I’m really impressed with how he rolls his sleeves up across all areas of the business,” Griffin said.

“He is a guy I can bounce things off but he certainly doesn’t get in the way so to speak. He is happy to give input but allows me to run things the way I see it.

“We talk at the end of every week and make sure we’ve moving forward.

“The important thing is to be yourself and do what you believe in. It has got me this far. It’s a long road at Penrith, but I’m ready for what the job throws at me.”

Originally published as New Panthers coach Anthony Griffin says he’s not bitter over Broncos axing