Seibold confirmed as Broncos coach
THE Brisbane board has voted unanimously for Anthony Seibold to spearhead life after Wayne Bennett – paving the way for the Souths coach to ink a multimilliondollar deal with the Broncos.
The Townsville Bulletin can reveal the Brisbane hierarchy has rubber- stamped Seibold as Bennett’s successor from 2020 after a board meeting at the club’s $ 27 million headquarters yesterday.
The board’s decision to formally back Seibold will see the Rockhampton product named as the Broncos’ next coach, possibly as early as today.
Broncos chief executive Paul White has been in negotiations with Seibold for the past week and has been given the green light to ramp up talks to poach the Rabbitohs coach and activate Brisbane’s succession plan for Bennett.
In the process, the Brisbane board has delivered a crushing blow to club legend Kevin Walters’s hopes of succeeding Bennett at his beloved Broncos.
The two other prospective candidates, Broncos assistant Jason Demetriou and Kiwi coach Michael Maguire, have been ruled out, prompting the latter to sign a three- year deal with the Wests Tigers.
White yesterday fronted the Broncos board to deliver his summation of the search for Bennett’s successor, which began in May when the Brisbane CEO sounded out Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy’s decision to stay loyal to Melbourne prompted White to explore the prospect of signing Seibold, who steered South Sydney to the grand- final qualifier last season in his maiden year of NRL coaching.
Now White has got his man.
The Broncos board heard how Seibold blitzed the interview process, with the 44- year- old former university lecturer rated “a cut above” Walters, Demetriou and Maguire in their respective presentations.
Seibold also performed well in psychometric testing held by an independent company, giving the Broncos board compelling evidence he has the skill- set to break the club’s 13- year premiership drought.
Speculation has suggested Seibold could be handed a massive five- year deal but the Broncos will come under pressure to match the fouryear extension tabled by the Rabbitohs.