Broncos paying a Covid penalty

How COVID-19 has hampered Broncos coach Anthony Seibold’s efforts to fix the team’s discipline problem.

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold, left, has lamented his team’s lack of discipline Picture: Getty Images

No team has conceded as many penalties as Brisbane this season. It’s not even close. Six-again indiscretions haven’t been kind to the Broncos either, a further sign of the ill-discipline that has resulted in Brisbane having less possession than any other team in the competition over the opening six rounds.

The rule changes have hit Brisbane hard and plans to address their disciplinary deficiencies haven’t been helped by COVID-19 and coach Anthony Seibold’s inability to bring in a referee to help educate the players.

Seibold regularly had a qualified whistleblower oversee scrimmages last season. The NRL and Project Apollo have prevented it happening this year and the Broncos are suffering more than most.

“You don’t go from a disciplined group to a poorly disciplined group overnight,” Seibold said.

“There is a number of times where we have been caught off-side and penalised. We can’t get the footy. We just can’t get our hands on the footy.

“So we have no field position.”
The flow-on effect has been that Brisbane’s halves haven’t been afforded the opportunity to dictate games. It helps explain why Seibold retained faith with Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft for this weekend’s game against the Gold Coast at Suncorp Stadium when many thought he should have wielded the axe.

They survived by the skin of their teeth, but at the same time have been put on notice by the selection of Tom Dearden on the interchange bench. For Milford in particular, the time has come to deliver on the coach’s loyalty.

He has looked disinterested at times, to the point that a Newcastle player suggested after their game last weekend that Milford looked like he didn’t want to be there. His future hinges on how he reacts in coming weeks.

Dearden has another year on his deal but he is among a clutch of Brisbane players attracting interest from elsewhere and the Broncos may ultimately decide to create space for Dearden by allowing Milford to go to market.

David Fifita, who began running on an anti-gravity machine earlier this week, is already in the marketplace and in the sights of the Titans ahead of their game on Saturday.

Seibold remains hopeful that Fifita will stay and used his press conference on Thursday to insist that he himself still retained the faith of the club and confidence in his own ability.

“When I came to the club I spoke to (chair) Karl Morris at length,” Seibold said. “Karl is a smart guy. He has made a lot of money in the finance industry and he doesn’t make decisions on a whim. He gave me a five-year deal because he told me it is going to take a couple of years to sort out this roster.

“I haven’t lost belief. I’ve been coaching for 15 years. I have coached across all different levels. I am trying to play the long game and not everyone that is a Broncos old boy or in the media wants the Broncos to have to play the long game.

“The reality is that in the salary cap era, the way the cap is governed and the way you have to improve, recruit and develop players … we have to play the long game.

“One thing that gets me excited about the roster is the Xavier Coateses, Tom Deardens, Tesi Nius and David Fifitas.”

He overlooked Herbie Farnworth on this occasion, although he has praised him in the past and his appearance at Red Hill on a day off this week to work on his evasion and kicking gave Seibold further reason for optimism.

It reinforced Seibold’s belief that a special group of players is emerging through the club. The challenge is to keep them happy and under contract when rivals are circling.

“We’ve gone young,” he said.
“Last year it was about bringing a lot of young forwards through. This year it is about bringing a lot of outside backs through.

“Every coach and every team is at a different part of their cycle. We are at a really early part.

“I’ve been here for 18 months and I will keep working hard until I am told I am not the right person for the job.

“As long as I can put my head on the pillow at night and think I am doing the best job for the club, the players and the staff then you can sleep pretty easy.’’