Author Topic: Rugby League 2018 (Read 18951 times)

Gintara · « 2018-Oct-26, 04:13 PM **Reply #225** »

Thoughts Ara on your new coach?

arakaan · « 2018-Oct-26, 06:13 PM **Reply #226** »

I actually think we've done alright out of Cleary screwing us over.

One thing luckily is from all reports our cap is under control which it wasn't when previous coaches have left.

Maguire can attempt to bring in players if he wants for 2020 without to much restriction.

Devil · « 2018-Oct-27, 05:38 AM **Reply #227** »

No doubt the Tigers have done the best deal.
This blokes is by far the best coach in the game

wily ole dog · « 2018-Oct-27, 06:11 AM **Reply #228** »

Quote from: Devil on 2018-Oct-27, 05:38 AM

No doubt the Tigers have done the best deal.
This blokes is by far the best coach in the game

Welcome back devil

As a bunnies supporter I couldn’t agree with that but he will be good for Wests for a couple of seasons.

He’s a very one dimensional coach and never seems to have a plan B

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-02, 11:38 AM **Reply #229** »

The Brisbane Broncos coaching debacle is front page today with Anthony Seibold ...the Broncos coach in waiting unleashing on current Broncos coach Wayne Bennett..."You're hurting my kids Wayne" in big bold type on the front page of today's Sunday Mail...it had been indicated that Bennett would go to Souths and Siebold would take over at the Broncos ..until Bennett called a press conference on Thursday and stated his intention is to fulfill his obligations and coach the Broncos next year ..this is not what the brains trust at the clubs want ...they want Siebold not Bennett and apparently both clubs Souths and Broncos agreed to the coaching exchange ...now there is speculation that Bennett's about face gives the Broncos board the opportunity to sack him ...on the grounds he is allegedly in breach of his contract by contacting Souths players and discussing training programs...on the other hand Broncos coaching staff and the players are happy that Bennett has decided to stick to his contract......as an observer looking in it seems to me that the management have mishandled this issue ...looking silly now doing deals and now they re falling over...maybe they should terminate Bennett and install Siebold..and take their chances on Bennett suing them ...after all he'll be picked up by Souths ..Siebold will take over at the Broncos ...and they'll both be well paid.

Giddy Up

SM stories that are capable of being reproduced ..

As Wayne knocks on nobody is a winner

PHIL ROTHFIELD
ANALYSIS

ANTHONY Seibold is today speaking on behalf of the rugby league public.

It’s not just him that’s fed up with stubborn old Wayne Bennett – we all are.

His credibility is in question following revelations he has been trying to run two clubs at once.

One day the Broncos, the next day he’s on the phone to Souths players.

For weeks this nonsense has dragged on and been played out publicly.

When it starts affecting personal lives, enough is enough.

The situation with Seibold at the Rabbitohs is obviously untenable.

He has understandably been shut out of all recruitment and almost all football operations.

The Rabbitohs don’t want him and he can appreciate that.

Wayne Bennett is in the same position at the Broncos. They don’t want him but Souths do. He knows that. The honourable thing to do is to quit and move to the Rabbitohs.

Playing around with footballers’ lives in this manner is poor form.

Souths players are wondering why he would sign for 2020 but not want to coach them now.

This rubbish about him staying in Brisbane to honour his contract is ridiculous. He didn’t honour his contract when he walked out on the Newcastle Knights four years ago, leaving the club on the scrapheap. It’s only when it suits him.

The revelations that he has already started contacting South Sydney players is the proof that his position is as untenable as Seibold’s.

And it almost gives the Broncos the ammunition to sack him.

You can’t coach two clubs at once.

I’M STILL KING OF RED HILL
Benny vows to go out with a bang
PETER BADEL
@badel_cmail

WAYNE Bennett has declared he is not a spent force and insists he can bury the most toxic coaching saga in Brisbane’s history to lead the Broncos to an emotion-charged premiership next season.
The Broncos launch their 2019 pre-season tomorrow and Bennett opened up to The Sunday Mail about his determination to leave Red Hill with a premiership fairytale.
The 68-year-old has encountered the most stressful off-season of his 40-year coaching career, staving off months of speculation to declare on Friday that he has no interest in a straight swap with Anthony Seibold.
While the drama is far from over with Seibold yesterday venting his frustration, Bennett is looking ahead to a swan song season at Red Hill that could enshrine his legacy, aiming to deliver a seventh title and snap Brisbane’s 13-year premiership drought.
The super coach hasn’t won a premiership since leading the Dragons to glory in 2010 but rubbished suggestions he has lost his mojo, saying he still has the mental and tactical tools to deliver another title.
“I haven’t lost any belief. I’m not doubting myself,” Bennett said as he closes the door on the Seibold saga by launching his 26th season at the Broncos tomorrow.
“There are a lot of coaches out there who have never won an NRL premiership.
“I have won seven. And we were a few seconds away from winning another premiership in 2015 (losing to the Cowboys in extra-time).
“I know what wins premierships. And that’s my job every year – to convince this group of men this is what we have to do to win. We’ve got through a lot of turbulence lately, but I have to get this group of men back together again to get us back to the grand final, all with the same belief, all with the same confidence, all on the same page.
“We have stability in our staff, which is why it was important to get clarity around my future. A season or two can roll by and it (premiership success) doesn’t happen and I accept the pressure builds, but I haven’t lost confidence. I’ve won too many big games, and won too many premierships, to lose faith now.”
Broncos fans are entitled to query the side’s premiership ambitions in the wake of their shocking 48-18 loss to the Dragons in the opening week of the playoffs last season.
Factor in the political hotbed surrounding Bennett’s contractual spat and the loss of hardmen Sam Thaiday and Josh McGuire, exposing a posse of young forwards, and the Broncos face a battle to make the top eight.
But Bennett backed his squad to be legitimate top-four contenders, rating Brisbane’s class of 2019 superior to last season’s outfit.
“The talent is there to win it,” he said.
“That has been built up over the last four years. When I came back in 2015, we had some cleaning up to do with our roster and Peter Nolan (recruitment chief) has done a great job with our list.
“I believe we are as good a chance as anyone. We have the quality of player, so if we stay injury-free, I honestly believe this is our best chance in my time here. We just need to come together as a team.”
While Bennett has delivered the club six premierships, Brisbane have won just one title in the past 18 years. They last lifted the NRL trophy in 2006, and Bennett concedes he is mindful of expectations.
“We don’t have the longest history really, we’re 30 years old,” he said.
“People talk about our drought ... we still haven’t been beaten in an 80-minute grand final. We were beaten in extra time. It’s easy to forget that.
“At the Dragons, it was 31 years since they had won their last premiership and they were a famous club. Look at Parramatta. They won four in the 80s and haven’t won one since. It can get away from you. I feel we are getting closer here.”
We’ve got through a lot of turbulence lately, but I have to get this group of men back together again to get us back to the grand final
WAY N E B E N N E T T

BRONCOS assistant Jason Demetriou has spoken of his relief at keeping his job and says Brisbane players were “elated” when Wayne Bennett declared he was staying at Red Hill.
The implications for ancillary staff such as Demetriou was one critical impediment to Bennett agreeing to an immediate swap with Souths counterpart Anthony Seibold for the 2019 season.
Bennett was locked in delicate talks with Broncos and Souths bosses and made it clear he would not leave until he had clarity on the futures of support staff such as Demetriou and Brisbane high-performance chief Jeremy Hickmans.
Broncos players launch their preseason tomorrow and were resigned to Bennett joining Souths before he called a team meeting on Friday announcing he was staying loyal.
“There is some relief,” Demetriou said.
“With all the media attention, we were unsure what was going on and there was definitely some anxiety.
“But there was a genuine relief in the room when Wayne announced he was staying. The players were elated and they can now look forward and get on with it.
“From a coaching point of view, everything starts ramping up.
“All the plans we have in place can be activated now, myself and the players can’t wait to get on with it and get excited about 2019.
“There was a great mood around the place when we heard Wayne was staying.
“There was an instant lift, so we’re ready to get stuck in now for a big season.”
While Bennett was away in England recently coaching the British national team in a Test series against New Zealand, Demetriou was in Brisbane overseeing the return of the club’s younger players.
Off-contract at the end of next season, Demetriou is tipped to follow Bennett to Souths in 2020, but insists he is keeping his options open, with his preference to be an NRL head coach.
“My priority was always my family and wanting to honour my deal with the Broncos,” he said.
“I have another year here and I always wanted to stick around because I love it at this club.
“The beauty of Wayne staying is we have time to concentrate on next season. My ambition is to be a head coach but this allows me time to see what’s out there and what opportunity arises.”

Authorized · « 2018-Dec-02, 02:28 PM **Reply #230** »

Wayne has won.

wily ole dog · « 2018-Dec-02, 03:17 PM **Reply #231** »

Seibold is a turd. He’s behaved disgracefully

Authorized · « 2018-Dec-02, 03:27 PM **Reply #232** »

Quote from: wily ole dog on 2018-Dec-02, 03:17 PM

Seibold is a turd. He’s behaved disgracefully

Not sure if has been a disgrace but he has certainly been a sook.

wily ole dog · « 2018-Dec-02, 04:00 PM **Reply #233** »

A sook, certainly. He negotiated a contract Mid season to be at the broncos in 2020 and now squealing about not going there tomorrow.
Let him rot on gardening duty

arthur · « 2018-Dec-02, 05:00 PM **Reply #234** »

Looks like he will be there tomorrow . .

WB's been sacked

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-02, 05:34 PM **Reply #235** »

Brisbane Broncos confirm Wayne Bennett's sacking, Anthony Seibold leaves Souths
Updated about an hour ago

PHOTO: Wayne Bennett will not be coaching the Broncos in the 2019 NRL season. (AAP: Dave Hunt, file photo)

Wayne Bennett's time as Brisbane coach has come to an end, with the Broncos terminating his contract a year early to allow Anthony Seibold to take charge in 2019.

Key points:
The Broncos' decision ends more than a month of uncertainty about who would coach the club in 2019

Anthony Seibold will join the Broncos as Wayne Bennett's replacement on Monday

Wayne Bennett's sacking ends his 25-year association with the Broncos, in which they won six premierships

The Broncos confirmed the decision to sack Bennett this afternoon, only two days after the seven-time premiership coach declared he would see out the final year of his contract next season.

Bennett, who was in charge of the Broncos for 25 seasons across two stints, is set to join South Sydney a year earlier than expected as part of a coach swap between the two clubs.

The Broncos' decision follows Seibold's outburst about having a "gutful" of Bennett's behaviour during the coaching drama, which he said had placed a significant emotional strain on his family.

Seibold will link up with the Broncos on Monday for the opening day of preseason training after being granted an early release from the Rabbitohs, who he was contracted to through to the end of 2019 season.

The Broncos said the terms of Bennett's termination were "confidential".

Wayne Bennett looks on at a Brisbane Broncos training.
PHOTO: Wayne Bennett was contracted to the Broncos through to the end of the 2019 season. (AAP: Dave Hunt, file photo)

Seibold comes to the Broncos with the reputation as an NRL coach on the rise.

He led the Rabbitohs to the preliminary finals in the 2018 season, an effort that earned him the NRL coach of the year award.

Seibold played in the Broncos' lower grades during the 1990s when Bennett was first grade coach.

He becomes only the fourth coach to take charge of the Broncos.

Anthony Seibold at South Sydney training at Redfern Oval.

PHOTO: Anthony Seibold was South Sydney coach for only one season. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

Bennett leaves his mark on Broncos

Bennett was Brisbane's foundation coach when the club entered the New South Wales Rugby League first grade competition in 1988, prior to winning six premierships with the Broncos.

He won NSWRL premierships with the Broncos in 1992 and 1993, before leading them to the Super League title in 1997.

Bennett then guided the Broncos to NRL premierships in 1998, 2000 and 2006, prior to leaving the club at the end of the 2008 season.

Darren Lockyer and Wayne Bennett celebrate after the Broncos' grand final win in 2006.

PHOTO: Wayne Bennett (right) and Darren Lockyer celebrate the Broncos' 2006 grand final win. (AAP: Dean Lewins)

His time away from the club between 2009 and 2014 saw him coach St George Illawarra to its 2010 premiership, however he had mixed results with Newcastle during his three seasons with the club (2012-2014).

Bennett returned to the Broncos to replace Anthony Griffin ahead of the 2015 season, in which he guided the club to the grand final.

The Broncos have made a staggering 22 finals series in his 25 seasons as coach.

The Rabbitohs would be the fifth NRL club Bennett has coached, as he has also been in charge of Canberra, St George Illawarra and Newcastle during his decorated career.

Topics: sport, rugby-league, nrl, brisbane-4000, redfern-2016

First posted about 2 hours ago

ENDS

No Photos we all know what they look like.

Wonder if the players at Red Hill will be happy with this outcome and what about the coaching staff who were on record today applauding the fact that Bennett would be their coach in 2019........how secure are they ......hopefully all will end well for those involved .......Broncos had to act decisively to end this drama.......cut their lossses......which may or may not ever be divulged.

Giddy Up

gunbower · « 2018-Dec-02, 08:11 PM **Reply #236** »

Always going to end this way. Bennett wanted to get the sack so they had to pay him out. Blind Freddie could see that . No surprise there. He is after all an old Queensland copper raised in the days when the Queensland Police Force were the absolute masters of making money. Bennett has an easy win over the amateurs at the Broncos.

JWesleyHarding · « 2018-Dec-02, 08:26 PM **Reply #237** »

But will they have to pay him out?

Don't they claim he breached his contract by contacting Johnstone?

gunbower · « 2018-Dec-02, 08:31 PM **Reply #238** »

JWH, sorry I can't see why you think he might have breached his contract by this. Let me know your thoughts.

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-02, 09:37 PM **Reply #239** »

This is a turnup Bennett was with his disadvantaged son and switched his phone off ....... White the Broncos CEO tried to contact him several times ..he wanted a face to face meeting ...but eventually sacked him by text and email ...Siebold was in Sydney at the movies .......links to relevant stories in News Ltd papers are the only info available at this time

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/broncos/wayne-bennetts-family-time-with-disadvantaged-son-interrupted-by-sacking/news-story/6826307242903d7b56d63cb92043161a

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/broncos/why-brisbane-broncos-sacked-wayne-bennett/news-story/48b9772e8b6206b93948a814e026e5b0

"Souths had also been dealing with Bennett on possible signings and the club has not yet appointed an assistant coach to replace David Furner, believing Bennett would bring his own coaching members. It is understood Broncos assistant coach Jason Demetriou will also join Souths.
“I’m really pleased it’s all resolved and that I can join this great club with a free mind, knowing I did the right thing by the fans, staff and players,” Bennett said in a Rabbitohs statement."

Happy Endings all round.

Giddy Up

JWesleyHarding · « 2018-Dec-03, 07:03 AM **Reply #240** »

Quote from: gunbower on 2018-Dec-02, 08:31 PM

JWH, sorry I can't see why you think he might have breached his contract by this. Let me know your thoughts.

That's just what I heard.

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-03, 07:51 PM **Reply #241** »

Nobody knows forcertain outside of the parties themselves whether Bennett got a termination payout of his 12 month contract .......today there are pages in the CM with various staff writers expressing their opinions on the deal ......too many to try and repost ...... hereunder are links to two different writers take on the affair from the Brisbane Times both stories were written last night....and the front page of today's CM
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/brisbane-and-souths-get-their-men-but-losers-scattered-everywhere-20181202-p50jr0.html

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/i-did-right-thing-by-fans-bennett-says-his-conscience-is-clear-20181202-p50jrd.html

Giddy Up

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-04, 10:15 AM **Reply #242** »

Bennett plays game of ‘run rabbit run’ with Sydney media
MATTHEW BENNS

NEW Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett jetted into Sydney last night to take over the reins at Redfern Oval.
And in keeping with everything else about his move, things did not go according to plan.
Bennett flew in from Brisbane on a Qantas flight and immediately got into a bizarre game of cat and mouse with waiting media.
After sending an accomplice to scope out where camera crews were staked out he then retired to the Qantas Club lounge to wait things out in relative comfort.
Former prime minister John Howard emerged but Bennett sat tight until arrangements were in place.
After half-an-hour of free Qantas hospitality he sauntered down the escalator and headed back to the exit.
On the way he was accosted by fans who recognised him, shook his hand and posed for selfies with the NRL’s oldest new kid on the block.
Bennett then sent his sidekick for another look around. He returned to report back that the media was keener than ever for a sight of the great man.
In desperation, the camerashy footy boss threw himself on the mercy of QantasLink staff who discussed his dilemma at length.
Eventually an important looking suited airport official and another staff member in a high visibility vest joined him (pictured) and summoned an airport golf buggy for the bashful new South Sydney Rabbitohs coach.
Bennett is 68 so perhaps the walk back along the length of the domestic airport was too much?
He was whipped along the concourse to an anonymous silver door near the Watermark book store and ushered inside.
“Now he is in the walls,” an astonished TV hack cried.
Bennett emerged in a nondescript loading dock where he eventually was picked up by a driver – an hour-and-a-half after he landed.
He is expected to give a press conference in Redfern today where finally fans may hear just what he has planned for his time in Sydney.
Broncos assistant coach Jason Demetriou is understood to be in negotiations with Souths and expected to arrive at Redfern with Bennett this week.

Giddy Up

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-04, 10:40 AM **Reply #243** »

Good, bad and the ugly for Bennett

With Wayne Bennett doing his greatest Clint Eastwood impersonation and riding off into the sunset – albeit having been shot in the back once or twice – it’s time to look back on his five best and worst decisions of the past 30 years
THE BEST
LEAVING CANBERRA
RAIDERS (1988)
FOR someone who insisted on honouring his 2019 contract at the Broncos, it is ironic that Bennett had to break a contract to join the start-up club in the first place.
Bennett was tied to the Raiders, who he had cocoached to the 1987 grand final, when Broncos founder Paul Morgan approached him to become the club’s first coach in 1988. “Only Paul Morgan could have convinced me to break a contract,” he said. It was the start of the longest and most successful coaching partnership in the game’s history.
SACKING WALLY LEWIS (1989)
AT THE time it seemed unthinkable and earnt Bennett plenty of flak, but stripping the captaincy from Queensland league royalty King Wally after just two years in the competition proved to be a turning point in the club’s fortunes.
With Lewis leaving at the end of the 1990 season, Bennett had established himself as a major powerbroker and the Broncos won their first premiership two years later.
TAKING BRIAN SMITH
FOR A SPIN (1993)
Going into the 1993 grand final, the Broncos were battered and bruised having come from fifth spot while St George, their opponents for the second straight year, were relatively fresh.
Two days before the game, Bennett was given a copy of Dragons coach Brian Smith’s game notes from the previous year’s decider. Finding them relatively tame, Bennett rewrote them to include harsh and inflammatory descriptions of the Brisbane players, and distributed them to his team. Fired up, the incensed Broncos steamrolled the Dragons to go back-to-back.
PUTTING SHAUN
BERRIGAN TO HOOKER (2006)
DURING his 25 years at the club, Bennett has made dozens of canny positional changes, including Darren Lockyer and Anthony Milford from fullback to five-eighth and Darius Boyd from winger to fullback but none has had the spectacular short-term success of moving centre Shaun Berrigan to hooker late in the 2006 season.
With Michael Ennis injured and fill-in Casey McGuire struggling to adapt, Berrigan revitalised the Broncos attack and was Clive Churchill medallist in the club’s grand final win over Melbourne eight weeks later.
GETTING OUT ON TOP
(2008)
WITH the writing on the wall that his days at the club were numbered, Bennett made a dignified exit from Red Hill.
Issuing a statement that in part said “the Broncos have always believed it is better for a player to leave a year too early than a year too late. I have always believed there should be no exception, even for the coach”, he left with his legacy intact and, won a premiership with the Dragons two years later to enhance his status.
THE WORST
PASSING ON
JOHNATHAN THURSTON (2001)
IN HIS 31 years coaching in the NRL, Wayne Bennett has admitted to just two mistakes.
The biggest was failing to sign a teenage Johnathan Thurston when he had the chance. Admittedly he says it wasn’t entirely his fault, but he does own up to being convinced by others in Broncos management that the future superstar wasn’t the player they needed.
Instead, Thurston was snapped up by the Bulldogs for free before becoming arguably the No.1 player in the game at North Queensland.
LETTING PETERO
CIVONICEVA GO (2007)
CLUB favourite Petero Civoniceva claimed that Bennett had promised him a major pay increase when marquee prop Shane Webcke left the club. When the time came, Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said there was nothing left under the salary cap.
Petero walked and the club signed Ashton Sims and Joel Clinton for a combined $210,000 more than they had offered Civoniceva. Regardless of the financial machinations, the perception that Bennett had dudded one of the club’s most popular players cast a stain that remains today.
TAKING THE MONEY
(2007)
COMING on top of the Civoniceva debacle, revelations that Bennett had for years been accepting secret payments from billionaire club supporter Ken Talbot did nothing to enhance his standing among certain explayers and non-supporters.
Talbot said the payments, totalling $1 million over 10 years, were to provide financial security for Bennett’s two disabled children but players, who for years had accepted the coach’s reasoning that they should take less pay for the good of the team, were not impressed.
PUTTING SAM THAIDAY TO HOOKER (2018)
THE second mistake that Bennett has owned up to in his long career was playing Sam Thaiday at hooker against the Dragons in Round 1 this year.
With Thaiday completely out of his comfort zone, the Broncos went down 34-12, prompting Bennett to rush the injured Andrew McCullough back into the side. As major errors go, a bungled first-round selection isn’t earth-shattering but the fact that the normally inscrutable Bennett admitted to screwing up made it headline news around the country.
COMING BACK TO THE BRONCOS (2015)
BUT for a last-second try and an extra-time knock-on, Wayne Bennett’s second coming could have been the greatest comeback since Elvis.
Instead, with the Cowboys snatching the premiership that Broncos fans believed only Bennett could deliver, it has all ended in tears over the past few months.
Wayne Bennett is a nondrinker, non-smoker and nongambler but even he would be aware of the Kenny Rogers song that goes: “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away, know when to run.” His first exit was perfect. Recent events suggest he should have left it that way.

Benny won’t sue Brisbane
PETER BADEL TRAVIS MEYN
WAYNE Bennett has ruled out legal action against the Broncos after learning of his sacking on social media.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Bennett will receive an estimated payout of $300,000 related to his image rights, but he will not be paid a cent of his actual Broncos football deal because of a series of alleged contract breaches.
Broncos lawyers spent hours on Sunday navigating the legal minefield of Bennett’s termination following revelations the coach was contacting players at his future employer, South Sydney.
It is believed the 68-yearold Bennett’s Broncos salary had two components – his football contract and an intellectual-property component related to his worth for the club in Brisbane’s marketing and corporate spheres.
The terms of Bennett’s settlement are confidential but he will leave Red Hill with a major six-figure payout.

I faced it all and I stood tall ... and I’ll do it my way
PAUL MALONE
ANALYSIS

OWN MAN: New Broncos coach Anthony Seibold.

USUALLY you hear “my way” a lot at funerals, not at the beginning of something.
But Anthony Seibold laid down at his first news conference as Broncos coach that he is going to be his own man.
Three times in the 19 minutes of his first news conference as Broncos coach, Seibold steered us on to the path of his “way’’ when asked about how his methods compared to Wayne Bennett’s or the confusing events surrounding life at Redfern and Red Hill.
Possessing the nuggety build befitting his former roles as a Broncos lower-grade hooker and Raiders first grader, Seibold strikes you as a strong presence in a room.
The 44-year-old’s more emotional outbursts at the media in the past six months and evident frustration with how his future was played out publicly have raised the question of whether he is temperamentally suited to life as Broncos coach.
“Am I suited to the role? Well, we’ll find out,’’ Seibold said.
“The last couple of weeks have been an intense experience. But it’s over. I’ll do things my way and go from there. I have a love for coaching to start with.
“I have given a long-term commitment to the Broncos. It was a very tough decision but I felt I could make an impact with this group. I’ve shown over the last 12 months (with Souths) that I do a sound job.’’ Ex-players including Chris Johns, Glenn Lazarus and Kerrod Walters (pictured) had been vocal in criticism of the road by which the Broncos bosses arrived at Seibold as coach.
“I do know there’s a great legacy left by the Old Boys at the club.
“I’ll tell you what is the most important thing for me is to build strong relationships with the playing group and the staff,’’ Seibold said.
“I can’t control any of the commentary outside this group. What excites me is there is an opportunity (for the 2019 Broncos) to create their own history.
“At some stage of course I want the Old Boys to be proud of the team’s performances, but my priority is the staff and players because they control the result.
“Watching Broncos sides in the past, they never get beaten on effort. I’ll do things my way and try to provide a really good environment.’’
Giddy Up

Arsenal · « 2018-Dec-07, 09:23 AM **Reply #244** »

Axe falls on Demetriou

PETER BADEL
CHIEF RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER

SACKED: Jason Demetriou.

THE bloodletting at Brisbane has continued, with Wayne Bennett’s assistant Jason Demetriou sacked by the Broncos.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Demetriou had his contract torn up yesterday morning, leaving Bennett’s right-hand man at Brisbane without a job just three weeks before Christmas.

And more heads are set to roll, with high-performance chief Jeremy Hickmans and Bennett’s chief analyst Scott Barker expected to follow Demetriou out of Red Hill in the next 24 hours. Demetriou was summoned to a meeting with Broncos chief executive Paul White yesterday where he was advised he was surplus to requirements.

Demetriou was contracted to the Broncos until the end of next year but has been offered an immediate payout as Bennett’s replacement Anthony Seibold ushers in a new era at Red Hill.

Seibold presided over Broncos training yesterday with a team of fresh faces including Peter Gentle, Ben Cross and high-performance manager Paul Devlin, with whom he worked at South Sydney.

Demetriou was expected to follow Bennett to Redfern, but it is understood that won’t happen, with the Rabbitohs committed to contracts with their existing staff.

The sacking of Demetriou has capped a turbulent period for Bennett’s assistants.

Demetriou, Hickmans, Barker and trainer Tannath Scott were advised to stay away from Broncos HQ for a week while Seibold’s squadron settled in.

They had their emails shut down immediately and their contents packed in boxes ready for collection.

Bennett has been savaged over the past week but he was reluctant to leave Brisbane until he received assurances his staff would be taken care of.

Eventually Bennett was sacked last Sunday, a scenario that was always going to put his assistants in the firing line.

Bennett revealed at his first press conference at Souths on Tuesday that Rabbitohs hierarchy made it clear they could not afford to bring his Broncos assistants to Redfern.

In July, Bennett tabled a proposal for Demetriou to succeed him as Brisbane’s head coach in 2021, but that blueprint was rejected by the Broncos board.

Demetriou was popular with Brisbane players and played a key role in their attacking structures over the past two seasons.

It is unknown whether he will remain in Queensland as he attempts to chase his NRL coaching ambitions.

ENDS

The casualties of the coaching fiasco mount up if Souths as reported are committed to keeping their existing staff which no reasonable observer would argue with where do Peter Gentle, Ben Cross and high-performance manager Paul Devlin,"with whom he worked at South sydney" come from of the pages off the positions vacant ?

Further and better particulars required.

Giddy Up