Anthony Seibold lost the Manly job, but refused to let himself lose
Manly pulled the trigger far too early
Manly were far too hasty letting Seibold go after three premiership games, particularly when he was only three matches into a two-year extension and trying to settle a new halfback alongside key forwards returning from long-term injuries.
Seibold concedes three straight home losses looked awful and Newcastle had been a poor performance, yet Manly led Canberra and the Roosters at half-time, took the Raiders to golden point and faced a Roosters side that completed at 96 per cent without conceding a penalty. That is context, not excuse-making.
The real warning was the silence. Seibold had previously enjoyed strong support, but after game two the calls stopped and he felt increasingly isolated, especially after Tony Mestrov left as CEO. He had been warned Manly could be political, never really felt it for more than two years, then probably did near the end.
His demand after the Roosters loss was entirely fair: “Come out and back me, or you know what? I'm man enough, if, if you don't think I'm the right person, move me on.” They moved him on. I reckon they should have backed him.
He left with more dignity than most could manage
Seibold’s response to being sacked tells you more about him than the decision itself.
There was no pleading once the decision came. Seibold thanked Penn for the opportunity, accepted that the first three games had not gone to plan and walked away believing he had given the club his best. He remains disappointed, but credits Penn and Jason King with handling the final meeting respectfully and holds no bitterness towards the club.
The relief mattered too, because public dismissal is humiliating and the pressure had reached his children and parents. Rather than disappear, Seibold ordered takeaway and invited close friends over for beers, then went to local football the next day. “Rather than isolate yourself, I reckon, you know, just get around a couple of friends and just, you know, have a feed and have a couple of beers.” That is simple advice, but it may be the most useful thing here.
The abuse at Brisbane crossed every line
Nothing in football justifies what Seibold and his family endured during his Brisbane exit. He accepts that results brought pressure and acknowledges making mistakes, but the false rumours and social-media abuse were disgraceful, full stop.
Seibold was not using social media himself, yet his family saw everything. His daughter was completing her HSC in Sydney during the pandemic and had not seen her parents from February to August; when she rang crying after a loss, needing her dad, he got off the team bus despite being warned that doing so meant quarantine. He would make the same choice again.
The ordeal nearly broke him. “And I had to, I had to seek help.” He felt isolated, spoke to someone and later joined Erin Molan in pushing for laws that treated electronic harassment as seriously as the same conduct in a workplace, schoolyard or street.
Seibold did not want the public appearances or sympathy. He acted because the next young person targeted online might not have family, mates or professional support around them. That was brave, and far more important than protecting a coaching reputation.
The teacher was always hiding inside the footballer
Seibold’s coaching life makes perfect sense once you meet the structured, studious kid from Rockhampton. He loved being ball boy for Rocky Brothers, where his father had played and the local footballers were his heroes, then sought the discipline of boarding school at St. Brendan’s College, including three hours of nightly study broken by an hourly bell.
Cyril Connell recruited him to Brisbane at 16 and steered him towards teaching rather than policing, reasoning that a teacher could find work wherever football took him. By 21, Seibold was playing reserve grade while teaching year six, occasionally arriving after a Sunday night at City Rose in less than pristine condition.
His playing journey carried him through Canberra, France, London and Hull KR. It also put him onstage at the Brit Awards in a karate outfit and headband, banging drums near Brian May before Queen and Five performed “We Will Rock You”. Two days later, London faded badly against Warrington after leading at half-time.
It is a cracking yarn, but the thread is serious: “Like teaching in many respects is coaching.” Planning, questioning, feedback and checking understanding became the tools of his second career.
Brisbane was the wrong choice for understandable reasons
Seibold’s decision to leave South Sydney for Brisbane was wrong, but I cannot condemn the motive. After taking Souths to a preliminary final and being named Dally M Coach of the Year, he rejected Brisbane offers of three, four and five years before a five-year deal with a sixth in his favour became life-changing.
His parents had him when they were 18 and 17, while one grandfather drove trains and the other worked as a miner. Seibold saw a chance to help his parents and secure his daughters’ future, although he now believes he chose for the wrong reasons. “My heart was at Souths.”
Brisbane proved relentless: around 30 media workers attended training, every injury became immediate news and a very young squad lived beneath constant interference. Seibold committed to youth, handed out a host of debuts and reached the finals in year one after winning seven of the final nine matches, only to suffer a heavy finals defeat. The following season began strongly before the pandemic turned everything upside down.
The lesson is not that ambition is grubby. It is that money can answer every practical question while leaving the most important one — where do I belong? — untouched.
His next chapter should be about service, not status
Seibold does not need another head-coaching job to prove anything. He desperately wanted a premiership and did not get one, but he took three major clubs to the finals, accepts his failures and refuses to spend the rest of his life mourning the missing trophy.
That generosity is clearest in his support for Kieran Foran. Seibold brought Foran into Manly because he admired his resilience, vulnerability and aptitude for coaching, and he now wants him to succeed without pretending one man deserves all the credit; Jim Dymock ran the attack through the preseason, while a strong coaching staff collaborated around the game model.
Seibold is meanwhile consulting with Collingwood, helping Craig McRae and the assistant coaches improve meetings, communication and player understanding rather than pretending to know AFL tactics. The former teacher has become a coach of coaches, while committee work with the NRL and RLPA keeps him connected to rugby league.
“If I'm to coach again, I think, initially it'd be go back and be a big brother somewhere.” I reckon that would suit him. After 20 years as a professional coach, Seibold has stopped chasing the title of dad and rediscovered the joy of helping.
