Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold will address his players one last time on Wednesday before ending one of the most tumultuous tenures in the NRL club’s history.
The 45-year-old has agreed to walk away from the Broncos less than two years into a five-year contract after a disastrous 2020 campaign.
It’s understood Seibold will accept a severance package from the Broncos though the final terms are still being finalised between his management and the club.
Seibold’s exit is the culmination in Brisbane’s worst season both on and off the field in their 32-year history and with the club in real danger of its first wooden spoon.
Seibold was hot property when he was appointed to the Broncos on a lengthy contract after being named 2018 Dally M coach of the year following his maiden campaign as South Sydney coach.
He guided the Broncos to the finals in 2019 but their season ended in disastrous fashion after they were thumped 58-0 by Parramatta in the first week of the post-season.
His position became increasingly became untenable during a shocking 2020 season.
The Broncos have slipped to 15th on the ladder after a horror run of 12 losses from their past 13 matches including thrashings by the Sydney Roosters, Parramatta and Wests Tigers.
Seibold will finish as the only coach not to hold a winning record at the club, with just 13 victories from 38 matches.
There were also several off-field dramas including the suspension and fining of forward Tevita Pangai Jnr for repeated breaches of the NRL’s COVID protocols and claims of rifts in the dressing room between Seibold and his players.
Assistant coach Peter Gentle is expected to lead the club for the final five matches of the season, starting with Friday’s match against the Roosters.
Seibold is the fifth NRL coach sacked in 2020 after the departures of Stephen Kearney, Paul Green, Paul McGregor and Dean Pay.
That tally is the most mid-season sackings in a single NRL campaign.
Seibold’s two-week isolation period after leaving Brisbane’s COVID bubble to deal with a personal matter ended on Tuesday but he only made a fleeting visit to the club’s Red Hill base in the morning before departing.
His exit comes a day after the club’s biggest private shareholder Paul Murphy said the Broncos fall from grace under Seibold had been similar to a disease.
“If you get cancer, you’ve got to treat it, but they haven’t cut it out,” Murphy told reporters.
Those comments upset Seibold, who said Murphy wasn’t an active decision-maker within the club.
“I think it is a pretty insensitive comment in regards to people who have to go through that ordeal,” Seibold told The Australian on Wednesday.
“I find it disgusting from a person who has no understanding or knowledge of our inner sanctum.”
Club legend Kevin Walters and former North Queensland coach Green are the frontrunners to replace Seibold.
