Anthony Seibold steps down as Brisbane Broncos coach

Anthony Seibold has chosen to step down from his role as Brisbane Broncos coach with immediate effect.

The 45-year-old addressed his players and staff this morning before speaking to the media. Brisbane currently sit second bottom in the NRL ladder, having won just three games out of 15 in 2020.

Seibold said: “Last week, I made the decision to finish my tenure as coach of the Brisbane Broncos. Today, I am announcing that I will be stepping down from the role immediately.

“I was honoured to be appointed Brisbane Broncos coach at the end of 2018. This was the club where I started my rugby league journey as a young man and it’s a club that I have always admired.

“For many reasons, my time at the Broncos did not work out as we had all hoped. But that’s sport. We love sport because it’s full of uncertainty. And rugby league seems to throw up uncertainty better than any sport I know.

“People ask me if there are things I’d change about the last two seasons. None of that matters right now.

“I gave it my best at the Broncos and I am responsible for where we currently are. Head coaches know that there is no finger-pointing and no deflection of blame when a club struggles.

“These events haven’t dampened my enthusiasm for coaching or wanting to help others achieve. In fact, they have made me more determined. Head coaching in the NRL isn’t for the faint of heart. I know that. And I know that I’ll be a better coach, a better leader and a better person for all that I have learnt over these last three seasons at South Sydney and Brisbane.

“I have very much appreciated the messages of support from many people over the last two weeks. I want to thank them, and I want to let them know that I’m doing ok.

“I have appreciated the opportunity to coach the Broncos. I thank Karl Morris and Paul White for their work and their advice throughout my time here. They run a very successful club and they should be proud of what the Broncos achieve in shaping so many lives for the better across Queensland. This club is more than what happens on the football field and I’ve been privileged to see that up close.

“I thank the Broncos fans. I’ve had plenty of well-wishers and I’ve had plenty who haven’t been as impressed. Sport only succeeds because of the passion of the fans. Without them, we have nothing.

“Most of all, I’m appreciative of the opportunity to be a football coach, working with young men towards a common goal. I thank my players over these last two seasons for their effort, for their camaraderie and for their passion for playing football. Our game is a brutal game physically.

“I take pride in the fact I have given NRL debuts to twelve young men over the past 38 games that I have been head coach of the Broncos. There were also another eight players with less than twelve games when I arrived and to see many of them develop over this period into NRL players and in some cases representative players has made the many personal challenges very worthwhile.”

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