The fuse has been lit for next week’s historic opener with Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold criticizing the Rabbitohs for failing to promote the game in Las Vegas by settling in San Diego.
Manly is the only team that will be based in Las Vegas for the double-header, with the other three clubs camping in California before arriving in Sin City for games at Allegiant Stadium.
That didn’t go unnoticed by Seibold, who had a chance with South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou after he joked that he had put some money behind the bar for the Sea Eagles players to have fun before the game.
Seibold used to coach the Rabbitohs and had some words in the media with Demetriou when he moved to Brisbane.
“It would be nice if the Bunnies came and promoted the game in Las Vegas,” Seibold said at Sydney airport before flying to the United States via Fiji.
Manly boss Anthony Seibold has criticized Souths coach Jason Demetriou, accusing the club of failing to promote the game in Las Vegas.
The coaches got into a war of words in 2019 when Demetriou, who had followed Bennett to Redfern, questioned Seibold’s ability to coach in finals.
‘One of the reasons we are going there 11 days early is to promote the game.
‘The NRL wanted to bring the game to Las Vegas so we’re doing our job. All of our training sessions are open sessions, so supporters and media are more than welcome to attend all of our sessions.
“We have a lot of companies, members and fans reaching out, so we want to do the right thing in the game.”
“I’m not worried about other clubs.
‘Each team has its own way of preparing, but we feel obligated and obligated to promote the game in Las Vegas, where it will be played.
‘There have been some comments from others, but it’s okay. We know what we need to do to minimize those distractions. We have a fantastic group of adults on our team and there is a lot of trust.
“We want to promote the game and be visible in Las Vegas.”
The Sea Eagles have already detailed plans for the media and fans to follow their trip abroad, while also devising a plan to ensure their players avoid any potential controversy in a city famous for its colorful atmosphere.
Manly are the only team that will be based in Las Vegas for the double-header, while the other three clubs will camp in California before the matches.
Seibold says Manly feels obligated and obligated to promote gambling in Las Vegas
“We’ve come up with a really good strategy to minimize any distractions, but we also want to give the guys a life experience,” Seibold said.
‘They are adults and we are going to treat them like adults.
‘The idea is to promote the game for the NRL and we feel obliged to do that. Part of that obligation is spending all your time in Las Vegas.
‘We want to be present there. For those people who probably don’t know much about the NRL, if they see us at the UFC center promoting it, we might be able to get those casual fans who don’t have much to do on March 2 (US time) to come over. .
“We want to promote the game and we do it for the right reasons.”
The feud between Demetriou and Seibold dates back to when the two were competing for Wayne Bennett’s job on the Broncos.
During the interview, Demetriou showed the team that he trained very well against teams coached by Seibold in the Queensland Cup.
However, Seibold got the nod for the role and the Broncos fired Demetriou, who was Wayne Bennett’s right-hand man.
The pair entered into a war of words in 2019 when Demetriou, who had by then followed Bennett to Redfern, questioned Seibold’s ability to coach in finals.
“Teams developed their style,” he said.
‘Last year, in 160 minutes of football with Seibold in the final, his South team scored a try. On the biggest stage of the biggest games, his attack fell.”
Seibold responded to Demetriou with a fiery tirade, claiming there was a good reason Demetriou did not have a head coaching position at the time.
“He’s forgotten a couple of things and that’s probably why he’s not a coach right now,” Seibold said.
Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles take different paths to season opener
‘You should worry about your own team. Don’t worry about my final record. I can’t believe we’re sitting here talking about Jason Demetriou before the Broncos game against South Sydney.
‘Regarding Jason, one thing I learned a long time ago is that as an assistant coach, you put your head down and your butt up and work hard.
‘You don’t need to promote yourself. I’m not sure if it’s dirty because his name hasn’t come up in some head coaching positions or not, but I will say this: Jason’s attention to detail is a little out of step with some of the comments I think he made. .
‘He obviously forgot about the 28 points South Sydney scored last year in the first final against the Melbourne Storm.
“If I think about the last two games he’s been involved in with semi-final football, he was part of a team that went down 30-0 against Melbourne. [in 2017] and part of the team that was defeated 48-18 [by the Dragons last year].
“My advice to Jason would be to work hard and let your job move you up.”