Brisbane chair Karl Morris hits back at claims of self-interest

Brisbane chair Karl Morris has rejected suggestions the club’s powerbrokers are motivated by self-interest over Anthony Seibold.

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold after the team’s heavy loss to Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval. Picture: NRL Photos

Brisbane chair Karl Morris has hit back at suggestions the club won’t make the tough call on Anthony Seibold because it would reflect poorly on the people who made the decision to appoint the coach to a long-term deal.

“Our only concern is the best interests of the club — like every decision is,” Morris said.

“It always has to be in the best interests of the club. Whether decisions have been made in the past that are wrong or right, whether they reflect badly on us, is inconsequential as far as I am concerned.”

Reports emerged over the weekend that Seibold had been told that he needed to win at least five of the remaining 10 games to guarantee his future.

Morris insisted no such ultimatum had been given. Regardless, the coming weeks shape as potentially decisive for the coach, whose position was back under the microscope after the club capitulated against Wests Tigers on Friday night.

It was an embarrassing result and Seibold seemed devoid of answers afterwards. The Broncos have lost seven of their eight games since the competition resumed, most of them one-sided beltings.

Dejected Broncos players at Leichhardt Oval last Friday night. Picture: NRL Photos

Fingers are being pointed at the coach and by extension the officials who handed him a long-term deal devoid of performance clauses.

Morris and chief executive Paul White in particular have been called to account amid suggestions that their own positions should come under scrutiny if the club is forced to part ways with Seibold, a decision that would come with a hefty payout.

White is coming to the end of his time in charge anyway, the club having started their search for a new chief executive for the first time in a decade. Former player Ben Ikin, Melbourne chief executive Dave Donaghy and AFL powerbrokers Greg Swann and Andrew Fagan have been linked with the role.

Morris is relatively new to the position, yet he finds himself in the crosshairs as the club prepares to hold their mid-year annual general meeting. Due to COVID-19, the club will convene their AGM by Zoom.

Yet Morris is expected to answer questions over the coach and the contract he was given when he moved to Brisbane from South Sydney at the end of 2018.

Brisbane Broncos chairman Karl Morris

“Sport is a great one where everyone can tell you what is wrong but very few people can tell you how to fix it,” Morris said.
“With most problems in life, there is more than one issue and it is complicated. Sport is a great one for everyone just saying sack them, sack them, sack them.

“That is an easy option.”

Seibold has resisted taking the easy option himself this season, having remained largely loyal to a group of players who have consistently let him and the club down.

That may be about to change. Halfback Brodie Croft looks certain to be axed as the club finally gives young half Thomas Dearden a chance against the Melbourne Storm on Friday night.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Having resisted the urge to throw Dearden into the furnace over the opening 10 weeks, Seibold surely has little choice given the way his side played against the Tigers.

Intriguingly, Dearden is believed to be in the sights of the Storm given he comes off contract at the end of next season.

Centre Herbie Farnworth, off contract at the end of this season and another target for the Storm, is also expected to return along with centre Kotoni Staggs and potentially prop Matthew Lodge.

Hooker Jake Turpin and backrower David Fifita are at least another week away. Seibold may also look to take young fullback Test Niu out of the firing line, which could potentially prompt him to return Darius Boyd to the No 1 jersey.

That would at least ensure the club had some direction at the back, while at the same time allowing Staggs and Farnworth to fill the centre spots.

Regardless of the changes in personnel, the biggest challenge for Seibold is to alter the attitude and boost the confidence of a playing group who have been battered from pillar to post in recent weeks.

The criticism has been relentless, their only respite coming in the days after they beat the Bulldogs. It was short-lived. The angst has been cranked up again in the wake of the loss to the Tigers and questions will be asked — and answered — on Tuesday when the club’s shareholders have their say.

The biggest is News Corp, who own nearly 69 per cent of shares. Sydney Roosters chair Nick Politis also owns around 200,000 shares — about 0.23 per cent of the club — but has been slowly eroding his interest over the past 12 months.