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Sailor backs Seibold to deliver title to Broncos
November 3, 2018
Former Queensland and Australian winger Wendell Sailor is backing Anthony Seibold to deliver on the expectation that he will win a premiership with the Brisbane Broncos during his first four years at the club.
Sailor, who will attempt to relive some of his on-field heroics when he plays in the Legends of League tournament at Central Coast Stadium on November 17, knows Seibold well enough to declare him up to the huge task he will face when he arrives in Brisbane.
"He's done a really good job this year and with that comes a lot of pressure," Sailor said.
"When he does go up there they will expect him to deliver a premiership in the next four or five years.
"What people don't understand with Seibold is that he's already worked with a lot of those younger players at the Broncos through the Queensland coaching system so he already knows them really well.
"For a long time Wayne Bennett has been very good at what he does, and he's a different sort of coach but I think Seibold will deliver something special up there in the next three to four seasons from when he gets up there."
Sailor, who played 222 games for Brisbane and the Dragons either side of his stint in rugby union, has known Seibold since they were teenagers in the early 1990s in the Broncos' junior ranks.
He has a unique perspective on the current situation where Seibold and Bennett will switch roles as he also played under the older of the two mentors at the Broncos and the Dragons. And he believes Bennett will get the best out of the already talented South Sydney roster.
"I don't think they need Wayne at the Bunnies with the crop of players that they've got but I do think that for two years when he comes he can get the best out of those players," Sailor said.
"When Wayne comes in he brings in the bring the process with him and he brings people in and around his coaching staff that he knows he can bounce off to make his job a lot easier."
Sailor, who participated in the inaugural Legends of League tournament last year, is happy to again be able to combine a return to the field with raising money for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
"The interest that the boys and the fans have shown in it really doesn't surprise me - it's rugby league," Sailor said.
"It's such a strong game, it's the people's game, it's grassroots and that's what's perfect about it, and we're doing it for a great cause as well.
"It's also a great opportunity for us to get back together as the boys know the importance of sticking together long-term and being there for one another."
The Legends of League ambassador, who will be playing for the Broncos against this year, said although time may have past, a legends talent never fades.
"It's good to have that old-school football back - all about the second phase and there's a few kicks in it," Sailor said.
"We never lose it. We get a bit fatter and get a bit slower and older but we still got it.
"We didn't make the finals last year and we're still hurting from that so this year we're out for revenge.
"We've recruited well but I think the Bulldogs and the Barbarians will be the sides to beat this year."
The Barbarians, Brisbane, Canterbury, Manly, Newcastle and Parramatta will take part in the one-day tournament.
Source: NRL.com
