The beginning of the bitter feud between NRL coaches Anthony Seibold and Jason Demetriou has been revealed as their sides prepare to square off in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The longstanding beef between the pair can be traced back to when they both interviewed for the Broncos job at the end of 2018.
Seibold won the job in a process Demetriou reportedly believed was “a cook up”, with the successful applicant already decided before the interviews.
The only place to watch both games of the Las Vegas opening double-header live is Fox League, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
The following year, then-Brisbane coach Seibold sledged Demetriou for “promoting himself” as an assistant at the Rabbitohs and said his “attention to detail” was off in a public take-down.
But Demetriou had the last laugh when Seibold was sacked by the Broncos in 2020, less than two seasons into his five-year deal, and the following year Demetriou replaced Wayne Bennett as South Sydney’s coach.
Seibold made a stunning return to the NRL as Manly’s head coach ahead of the 2023 season and the feud reignited this week in the US.
The Rabbitohs were based in California ahead of the NRL season opener and Demetriou said he’d “put some money behind the bar” for the Sea Eagles who have been based in Vegas the whole time.
Seibold took the bait and hit back with “it would be nice if they did something to promote the game in Vegas”.
The feud was discussed by the NRL 360 panel on Saturday before the teams meet at 1:30pm AEDT on Fox League on Sunday.
“We love a feud in rugby league, Seibold and Demetriou over the years have certainly had that… and they’re about to play against each other,” Braith Anasta said.
NRL CEOs ‘clamouring’ for Vegas spot | 01:23
MORE NRL NEWS
‘SPECIAL’: NRL stars in awe as teams get first look at Allegiant Stadium colosseum
COOK’S VEGAS DIARY: ‘Pretty impressive’ – Souths train at Raiders’ HQ
ENNIS: The Broncos star that is ‘going to do something special’ in Vegas opener
‘PROVE A FEW PEOPLE WRONG’: Latrell ‘super fit’, primed to avenge Souths fade
‘NO ONE PREDICTED’: NRL CEO’s ‘clamouring’ to pitch for Las Vegas 2025
Veteran Brisbane journalist Pete Badel, who has been covering the Broncos for 17 years explained how the beef began.
“We don’t often see coaching feuds, I think it’s magnificent. I love to see a bit of tension and some ruptures there and it all stems back to the time at the Broncos when Jason Demetriou was there,” he said.
“There was a feeling from Jason Demetriou, who was an assistant to Wayne Bennett at the time, that Wayne had put a succession plan forward that Jason Demetriou was to succeed him when Brisbane wanted to move him on.
“Brisbane rejected that. Paul White, the CEO of the Broncos at the time, had identified Anthony Seibold.
“They went through a formal process and interviewed four coaches, Jason Demetriou, Anthony Seibold, Kevvie Walters and Michael Maguire.
Turbo or Teddy under more pressure? | 04:07
MORE NRL NEWS
‘TURNS INTO A BACK-ROWER’: Legend reveals simple fix to Tedesco’s form slump
‘HOME SEMIS SUCK’: Kenty’s finals shake-up as NRL decides on 2024 GF venue
HOOPS: How Manly spent downtime in Vegas… why Turbo backs NRL’s bold vision
MCKINNON: Big US bonus nobody is talking about; why bookies have openers wrong
“There was a feeling from Jason Demetriou that it was all a cook up, the job was already going to Seibold which it did in the end and when he went into the job interview he put up a list on a screenshot, listing all of his achievements, four premierships in the lower tier and he had Anthony Seibold nothing, never won anything at any level (and said) but you’re going to give the job to Anthony Seibold.
“And I think in the fullness of time this has created some of the tension we’re seeing. I think Seibold would be aware of (Demetriou’s slide show) for sure and it would be the genesis of these comments from Seibs.”
Fellow journalist Dave Riccio revealed the feud between Demetriou and Seibold wasn’t the only one that’s alive and well between NRL coaches.
“Coaches have long memories and throughout the entire competition there are coaches that despise each other and the way they carry on,”
“They’re playing happy families ahead of this game to promote the game, but it definitely exists.”
Discussion about this post