Wests Tigers thrashing leaves Anthony Seibold needing five wins to stay Broncos coach

The Brisbane Broncos coaching seat is reaching boiling point with Anthony Seibold’s job being placed well and truly on the line.

This NRL coaching caper is tough.

The vultures were circling after the Brisbane Broncos’ embarrassing 48-0 loss to the Wests Tigers on Friday night, but it’s been revealed coach Anthony Seibold has until the end of the year to turn his tenure around.

The Broncos coach is in the second year of a five-year deal but has come under intense pressure following a disastrous 2020 campaign that has the side languishing in 14th spot on the ladder with three wins from seven games.

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While Broncos officials have publicly admitted that Seibold would have time to correct the ship, a Sunday Mail report from Peter Badel and Phil Rothfield reported the side needs to win five of their final ten matches for the coach to retain his position, or the club would look at severance packages.

The Broncos play the Storm, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Dragons, Roosters, Panthers, Titans, Eels and Cowboys over the next 10 weeks.

Seibold has been savaged throughout the season after the club suffered some awful losses this season and the coach admitted earlier this month he’d likely jump rather than be pushed.

“If at some stage the Broncos don’t think I’m the right person for the job, then that’s their decision,” he said.

“I have a really strong contract there, it’s not performance-based, but at the end of the day, I’ll know if I’m not the right person for the job. I won’t need anyone else to tap me on the shoulder.”

It was a tough day at the office yesterday for Seibold.

After the round 10 performance however, the criticism was once again furious.

Asked directly if he was still the right man to coach Brisbane, Seibold refused to answer, saying it’s “pretty raw after a performance like that”, especially after helping Corey Oates into an ambulance.

But post-match on Fox League, Greg Alexander said last week’s win over Canterbury was an “aberration” as normal service resumed against the Tigers.

“He’s under enormous pressure, Anthony Seibold,” Alexander said.

“At the moment, he’s allowing players who are just doing the jersey no justice to dictate his future. Until he makes some tough decisions, unless he gets rid of some senior players or at least drops them out of the team, the rot will continue.”

But Alexander added he would drop senior players Boyd and Anthony Milford because “they don’t look like they care enough about the jersey”.

On Channel 9, Broncos director and club legend Darren Lockyer said he didn’t regret handing Seibold a five-year deal, but said the results “don’t sit well”.

Speaking on Saturday after Fox League’s Super Saturday, Michael Ennis said “the brand has never been so bad”.

He added that the contract discussions are “irrelevant”, the response since the return of the competition had been “catastrophic” and the post-match interviews showing the club has no answers.

Cooper Cronk added that “50 per cent is not acceptable”.

“If you’re a club of Brisbane’s stature, winning five of 10 is not acceptable. The other part of it is if you don’t think you can win five, the board are protecting themselves giving him a benchmark to reach that when he doesn’t, they let him go. He could be under pressure from three weeks.”

It was a horror show for the Broncos against the Tigers.

The criticism has continued with former Broncos great Brent Tate admitting he switched the TV off at halftime, lashing the players, saying a lack of support for Seibold is no excuse.

“I had a real sense of sadness so I ended up turning it off,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I actually couldn’t watch it. It’s so sad to see the demise of the club.

“It’s really hard to put your finger on what’s going on when you’re not in there among it all. But I think a lot of them are really starting to disrespect that jersey. I feel as though it’s now disrespectful and that’s when I start to have a problem with it.

“Some of those blokes are earning really good money. Not only are they disrespecting their teammates and themselves, they’re starting to disrespect all the Broncos that have put the jersey on. I almost took it personally.”

Wendell Sailor also told Triple M that he would sack Milford which could make all the difference.

“You have to drop some of the bigger names,” Sailor said.

“These kids are going ‘why is Milf still there?’ Tom Dearden, he’s not injured, give him a start in the halves.

“You have to pull the trigger on your highest-paid player, Anthony Milford. His kicking game wasn’t good enough, his defence wasn’t good enough, his leadership wasn’t good enough.

“If Milford gets the trigger pulled, it might be the best thing Seibold has done for him, otherwise Seibold might get a tap on the shoulder.”