NRL leader says he still has a job to do for the next 10 weeks.
In just 24 hours Anthony Griffin went from celebrating an important win for his Brisbane Broncos to telling them he won’t be their coach next season.
Griffin was told by the club that his services won’t be required after 10 weeks, as former legendary Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett moves back into the role that made him a household name in the NRL.
In spite of just being told he was a lame-duck coach, Griffin was surprisingly candid during his first press conference in the wake of the news.
When asked how he told the players, who only found out for sure just hours earlier, Griffin replied: I told them I got the arse…what can you say? I said I wasn’t going to be here next year but will be for the next 10 weeks.
“There were some guys I had to give a cuddle. The two captains were very strong…there might have been a couple cheering,” he said.
Speculation that Bennett would return to the club began to swirl after he said he would not be the coach of the Newcastle Knights next season.
The Gold Coast Titans were mooted to be a future home for Bennett as well as the Broncos, as it would allow him to come back to his home state of Queensland and possibly take over the reigns of a coach in John Cartwright.
However, Griffin said he understands that coaches are often the first people to fall when a team is not performing.
“I’m a realist and I understand these decisions will be made about you. It’s a high risk high reward industry,” Griffin said.
“Life’s full of challenges and this is one of them.
“I’ve done everything in my power to get the club to this point. It’s in a position where it’s going to succeed.
“The board has to make decisions…I’m not going to be a victim.”
Griffin also said he wanted to squeeze everything out of the last 10 weeks he has in charge of the team, saying they still have a chance to achieve their goals this NRL season.
“The next 10 weeks are an opportunity for us…we are as good as chance as anybody at figuring at the end of the year,” Griffin said.
“The motivation for me is the group of players, the staff. It’s a very committed, happy place at the moment. We have an opportunity to get to the playoffs. This group is going to keep getting better and better.”
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