New Manly Sea Eagles head coach Anthony Seibold has revealed how he almost gave away the idea of head coaching in the NRL after a disastrous stint at the Brisbane Broncos.
Seibold came under intense scrutiny during his time in Brisbane.
Taking over from Wayne Bennett after the pair were involved in a swap between the Broncos and Rabbitohs at the end of the 2018 season, Seibold struggled horrendously at Red Hill, with the glaring eyes of the media and fans not letting up for a single second.
The proud club - who had never won a wooden spoon before Seibold's arrival, and had only known success - made the finals in 2019, but only just so, having started the season on the wrong foot before winning six of their last eight games to qualify.
Playing an elimination final in Sydney, the Broncos were thumped 58-0 against the Parramatta Eels, and it was a result from which they never recovered the following year.
Despite winning their first two games of the 2020 season, issues in the squad were evident, and following the coronavirus imposed shutdown of the competition, the Broncos lost six games on the trot, and ten of their next eleven.
Seibold then took a leave of absence from the club, before eventually leaving towards the end of August, with the club picking up their first wooden spoon - only winning 3 from 20 games.
Speaking on 9 News, Seibold revealed the experience in Brisbane was enough to make him consider never becoming a head coach again, and that Gould was a big part of the reason he is now ready to go again.
“There was certainly a time after my previous head coach experience that I thought maybe I didn't want to be a head coach again,” Seibold said.
“Phil [Gould] was really generous with his time when I was coaching the Broncos.
“There was one time I spent a full day at Phil's house... talking with one of the best minds in the game for the best part of six or seven hours.
“There was a message he said to me after I finished up at the Broncos, it was around, ‘don't hide behind the curtains' — the message I took was even though (it had been) a really challenging time, get back out there and hold your head high.”
Seibold has spent time out of the spotlight - particularly the Australian media spotlight - since his departure from the Broncos.
After joining the Newcastle Knights in an assistant coaching capacity during 2021, he would ultimately find his way to England for a code switch, where he worked as part of Eddie Jones' staff in the English rugby union set-up.
That would ultimately delay his return to the NRL, where he finished contractual obligations before joining the Sea Eagles a few weeks into the pre-season, having been signed following the departure of Des Hasler following the disastrous end to 2022 on the Northern Beaches.
Hasler's side lost all of their last seven following the pride jersey saga which saw a number of players sit out on religious beliefs, and the run of losses, combined with the drop out of finals contention, saw the club ultimately elect to move on Hasler.
Seibold now inherits that team, who are good enough for far better, but are still relying on the fitness of Tom Trbojevic to properly stake their claim for a spot in the finals.
Seibold's first NRL game in charge of the Sea Eagles will come against the Canterbury Bulldogs at home on Saturday, March 4, following their victory in the pre-season challenge which will bank the club $100,000.