I haven’t packed it in: Broncos boss

Brisbane chief executive Paul White insists that he is working harder than ever amid calls for him to stand down in the wake of the Anthony Seibold saga

Paul White and Anthony Seibold end their media conference at Red Hill Picture: Annette Dew

Departing Brisbane chief executive Paul White says he is working as hard as ever. Maybe harder. He has heard suggestions he has checked out of the building as Rome – or in this case Red Hill – burns around him.

He finds the criticism ignorant. Galling even. That said, there is no hiding from what has happened to the Broncos in his final season in charge.

White has been at the helm of the Broncos for a decade but his final months have resembled a car crash as the club has struggled on the field and fought constant brushfires off it.

On Wednesday, with his own position under scrutiny, White fronted a press conference to confirm the exit of coach Anthony Seibold, whose appointment he had personally presided over.

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Some believe White should leave with him. They say he has downed tools and the club would be better off dispensing with a man who, while growing revenues, handed Seibold a long-term deal that has ended in disaster and cost the club a seven-figure payout.

“I do not have to defend myself to people who don’t understand what my job is, what my days are like, the diversity of roles you have to undertake on a daily basis,” White said.

“That is just the role. It is also just the role that people can have a free hit at you. That is the nature of it.

“The next person who puts their hand up has to accept that.

“I don’t need to come out because the people who need to know – my board, the management team, people within this organisation – they see the energy I have for my role and the passion I have for this club.

“The club for me is the people we have here and the passion I have for that. You can’t fake that and you can’t sustain that over 10 years unless you have a hardwired system which is primarily based on shoulder to the wheel and work ethic.

“Some days are diamonds, some days are stones … but that is part of it. I can’t switch off those energy levels, I can’t switch off the passion I have for the club and its people.

“They are ultimately the things that sustain me.

“In some ways, when I do finish, the biggest challenge for me will be how do I come down from those elevated work levels in a short period of time because it is an all-encompassing job.

“It is every day of the week. It is pretty constant.”

White took over from Bruno Cullen with the club in a rosy position and they continue to be a ­financial juggernaut. Their revenues have soared, but a succession of coaches have failed to end a premiership drought that now stems 14 years. White has seen off a handful of them, the most visible seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett. White will leave in coming months, having embedded the club’s financial future but failed to provide supporters with what they crave most – another premiership.

Asked whether he would have involvement in the selection of the new coach, White said: “I will do whatever the board requires me to do.

“They will determine that. I will work as hard on my last day as I did on my first. People who know me and know me well, know I continue to work hard.

“I have a sweep-the-floors mentality. The truth is I made a decision last October and I gave my final 12 months notice.

“We are a big enterprise – we are a listed company. It is totally appropriate that I remain, I see out my tenure, and I work with the board ensuring a smooth handover to the incoming CEO.

“To do any less after 10 years in this role would be totally disrespectful to the role and everyone who is important to our club.

“I understand people have opinions but the reality is I still have to do my job and I am highly motived to do it to the best of my ability until the new CEO is appointed.

“The club deserves that and I owe that to the club. I have have 10 years in this role and you can’t survive unless you can take a bit of tap and have a thick skin.

“The judges of how I work are the board and people within our building.

“People who often pass judgment don’t know what that organisation looks like on the inside. I have worked as hard this year as any other year in my tenure.”