The Agenda Setters Rugby League on Channel 7 Anthony Seibold refuses to speak on the impact Daly Cherry Evan’s exit had on Manly players – Anthony Seibold Opens Up on Manly exit, while refusing to speak on the impact Daly Cherry Evan’s exit had on the players.
LK: Is there something, you look back, you’ve had probably a month now to reflect, was there one thing or a couple things where you go, I wish I did that differently?
AS: I think we had a really good pre-season, I’ve got to say that. And it’s probably the best pre-season that we’ve had in the time there. You know, we had the staff that we wanted. They’ve been staffed there for a few years. We changed some roles around. Like, you know, Jimmy was looking after our attack. I’ve got John Clarke, who’s a really good coach. He’s been our head of performance, but he’s a great coach. We got him involved coaching the middle forwards and, you know, added Noddy Kimmorley to the New South Wales Cup. So we, you know, we made some changes there and we brought Kieran in and Kieran was, you know, he’s been, you know, he’s been a, you know, a great appointment for the club. So I wouldn’t do anything different there from a staffing point of view. I feel like our game, you know, would stand up. And I feel like, you know, you can see that the style of play that the guys are playing now, I just feel like we’re a little bit off with the other parts of the game.
But I was also trying to embed, Jamal from the Raiders in a key position. Taniela Paseka and Haumole Olakau’atu hadn’t played for a long period of time. You know, it was almost a year that Taniela was out and been about six months since, you know, Haumole last game. So I felt as though they would improve as the sort of season went on. But yeah, look, there’s some things that on a day-to-day level or, you know, even from a leadership POV. But yeah, as I said, you know, I don’t walk away with too many regrets other than, you know, the way that it all finished up. I’d love to still be, you know, coaching the team because they’re a good team and very talented team, as you can see.
CP: It’s always difficult from the outside looking in. You’re not within the four walls. You’re not within and privy to the conversations that are being had. But in 2025, arguably the biggest story in Rugby League in the NRL last year was Daly Cherry Evans leaving to sign and the way it all unfolded to go with the Roosters. Was that the start of the issues that you saw snowball in your time?
AS: Well, first of all, I think, you know, Daly couldn’t have been more clear in his conversation with me. You know, Daly told me November 1, 2024, that, you know, he was going to look around and see whether there was an opportunity to continue playing elsewhere. Chez was our captain and I wanted to support our captain. That’s why, you know, I didn’t, you know, drop him from the captaincy. I didn’t drop him to reserve grade. I saw the model that, you know, Souths did with Adam Reynolds, you know, when he had signed for the Broncos. And I thought that was the best thing for our club to keep Chez as our leader. And we won 12 games, guys, you know, and when you normally win 12 games and have a positive for and against, you know, nine times out of 10, you make the playoffs. And we won six of our last 10 games with Chez as captain playing some really good footy. We won our last three games by over 120 points. So we actually finished the season in reasonable shape. And that’s why I was so positive about this year. And unfortunately, you know, losing three games at home when, you know, people do expect, you know, expect you to win at home. You know, you’ve got to put your hand up, you know, as a head coach, you’re accountable for the performance.
CP: You mentioned about the players. Did you see a disconnect once that news was delivered within the playing group that things weren’t quite the way they were the day before?
AS: Well, we actually had a really good start. So, we won three of our first four games. And then we went through the period that we were actually, you know, we challenged last year was that middle part of the year. And, you know, often there’s the Origin distraction and so on. We played some good footy, we beat Penrith away, we put 30 points on the Broncos at home, but we lost to a couple of the bottom teams like Newcastle and Gold Coast, beat us two weeks in a row. And that probably, you know, started some of the noise around, you know, my tenure as head coach and potentially, you know, Chez, you know, leaving the club and so on. But on a day-to-day level, you wouldn’t have smelt anything. One thing that we did really well over the last couple of years after that Pride Jersey saga was bring the group back together and really connect the group. I can’t talk for the playing group around Chez’s exit, but I really enjoyed working with him. And, you know, he’s a neighbour of mine, he lives around the corner, so I see him very often. And, you know, it’s good to see him on a personal level, because I know his family very well, doing a really good job there at the Roosters.
AW: Foz has taken over, you had him there as assistant coach. Have you had any contact with him? Have you had a chat, a sit-down, a meeting? If so, how’s it all gone and how’s the relationship with Kieran?
AS: Yeah, really good. I think he’s an impressive guy. One of the things that impressed me and why I wanted to bring him into the club was; 1: he had that manly DNA, and not only the DNA, but he was a winner there. He won a premiership, played in the grand final, and everyone spoke highly of him. And 2: without knowing him, just his resilience and his perseverance, he’s had to go through a lot of stuff personally. And I know that’s been well-documented and spoken about. But one of the things for me, to see people go through challenging times and keep marching forward, I think that says a lot about their character and them as a person. So I had a holiday up on the Gold Coast in October, I caught up with Foz a couple of times and asked him to come on board. I’ve caught up with him since. I caught up with him for a coffee about two weeks ago now. I’m really happy for him that it’s going well.
I’m happy for the club. I think, obviously, my ego takes a little bit of a hit when we play three games and they’re doing so well now. But that’s just the ego talk and I want the group to do really well.But Foz has got some really good people around him, like Peter Jennell, the GM of footy, Aaron Greaves, who we brought in from the AFL, Jimmy Demick, John Clark, Noddy Kimmorley, those types of guys are really quality human beings and they would be putting a lot of support around Keiran. Because the challenge for Foz will be when you lose a couple of games, when you’ve got to drop a player, when you’ve got to tell a senior player, “hey, look, we can’t sign you anymore”. They’re all the challenges, but he’s obviously made a great start of it.
CP: What does the future hold for Anthony Seabold? Would you like to be a head coach in the NRL again?
AS: I’m not sure, Coz. I’m not sure. Look, I’ve enjoyed the bulk of my time coaching and I’ve had some great experiences. I’ve had some challenging experiences as well. But one thing I feel like I am sold on, I’ve loved Rugby Leagues since I was a little boy. I used to ball with the Rocky Brothers up in central Queensland. So, yeah, I love coaching and I want to keep involved in the game in some capacity.
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The Agenda Setters Rugby League on Channel 7 Anthony Seibold refuses to speak on the impact Daly Cherry Evan’s exit had on Manly players
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