Seibold confirms Brisbane days are over

Anthony Seibold has coached his last game for the Brisbane Broncos, confirming he will leave the club after two tumultuous seasons.

Seibold confirmed his departure to Sydney's The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday afternoon that he had taken care of the team for the last time.

The Broncos had started negotiations with Seibold on a termination package late last week with club chairman Karl Morris tasked with negotiating a financial settlement that was palatable to both Seibold and his manager.

The Broncos are yet to make an official announcement on Seibold's future but are preparing to do so, with the club aware that he has already confirmed to the media that he will depart.

A press conference will be held on Wednesday morning after Seibold has spoken to his players.

Seibold arrived at Broncos HQ early on Tuesday morning and left at 7.30am as media waited for an impending announcement on his future.

The 45-year-old had previously been in isolation at his Brisbane home after leaving the club's "COVID bubble" to attend to an urgent family matter in Sydney following the Round 13 loss to South Sydney. He had a COVID-19 test on Monday and returned a negative result.

Seibold is in the second year of a five-year deal and has endured a torrid two seasons at the club.

After exiting the finals last year with a record-breaking 58-0 loss to the Eels, the Broncos were then beaten 59-0 by the Roosters this year to collect another unwanted record.

The Broncos are in 15th position on the NRL ladder and on course for the worst finish in their 32-year history.

They are in danger of collecting the wooden spoon for the first time due to their 3-12 record, just one win above Canterbury and have won just once in 13 games since the competition restarted at the end of May.

Seibold's future has been the hot topic in Brisbane ever since the resumption of the competition from the enforced break where the Broncos have failed to perform to the standards expected of such a powerhouse club.

Monday dawned with Seibold confronted by camera crews out the front of his home.

He has also been the victim of slanderous rumours spread on social media recently and has engaged a lawyer to deal with that issue in a bid to prosecute the culprits.

Assistant coach Peter Gentle has been at the helm for the past two rounds and it is likely he will continue in the role for the rest of the season.

Former Cowboys coach Paul Green and Maroons mentor Kevin Walters - and five-time Broncos premiership winner as a player - are the frontrunners to coach the Broncos in 2021 now that Seibold’s tenure has come to an early end.

NRL.com had spoken to several Broncos players who had said they wanted the club to provide clarity around the future of Seibold. Veteran Darius Boyd was of the same view.

"I think it will be ideal to get some clarity one way or the other but the head honchos at the club have to decide what they think is best going forward for the club and the future," Boyd said on Monday.

"Off-field dramas or issues aren’t always ideal but we are footballers and we get paid well to do a job.

"We have to perform on the weekends and prepare well. That is what we have been trying to do the last few weeks and whether Seibs is here or not we’ll be doing the same thing."

Walters has been on the coaching staff at Brisbane in the past when Boyd was also playing for the Broncos and while he agreed he had an impressive resume, the 33-year-old fullback said it was too early to talk about Seibold's successor.

"I don’t really want to speculate on future coaches when we have a coach but we know what Kevvie brings. He's done it as a player and as a coach at different levels," Boyd said.