Oates likes Seibold’s style
COREY Oates says Anthony Seibold will take Brisbane’s stars to another level, claiming positions are on the line as the new Broncos coach seeks to instil a harder edge at Red Hill.
Just 24 hours after inking a new one-year deal with the Broncos, Oates revealed Seibold has delivered a no-nonsense appraisal of Brisbane’s shortcomings in their failed title campaign last season.
Seibold had an instant impact at Souths, presiding over a dramatic resurgence that saw the Rabbitohs go from 12th place last year to the top four with essentially the same roster.
Now Oates believes Seibold can bring a sharper dimension to the Broncos as the coach of the year looks to break Brisbane’s 13-year title drought.
“We are just not turning up sometimes,” said Oates.
“’Seibs’ has already notified us where he thinks we need to fix our attack and defence and we’ll be working on that.
“Every coach wants to win and go all the way but the things that Seibs is going to work on are the things that I believe are the reason why we didn’t go all the way last season.
“He has said that we did a fair bit right (last season), but the little areas we got wrong really killed us.”
Brisbane’s defence ruined any hope of a title challenge. SPAIN’S five-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez had shoulder surgery in Barcelona and faces a six-week rehabilitation program, his Honda team said yesterday. The 25-year-old suffered a recurring dislocation of his left shoulder throughout the year. Marquez will join pre-season testing in Malaysia in February.
Huskies cross Tasman
Ambitious Tasmanian team the Southern Huskies will make history when they compete in next year’s New Zealand domestic basketball league. Beaten but not bowed after missing out on a licence in the Australian NBL for 2019-20, the Southern Huskies pursued a berth in the Kiwi NBL and have been handed a five-season deal to play in an expanded nine-team competition. They will become the first overseas franchise to compete in a New Zealandowned professional league.
TENNIS
Budapest world titles
BUDAPEST will host the 2023 World Athletics Championships. The Hungarian capital is the first host city to be named under a new bidding process. IAAF president Sebastian Coe said: “We are excited about their plans for a new stadium that will become a great legacy for athletics.”