On Tuesday morning, Anthony Griffin officially stepped in as Brisbane Broncos’ third coach in four years, preparing the team for Saturday’s pre-season trial against Melbourne Storm at Redcliffe.
With lingering questions and blame being directed at the aftermath of Ivan Henjak’s shocking dismissal last week, just 18 days prior to the start of the NRL season, his successor entered his rookie role amidst the pressure that ultimately led to Ivan Henjak’s exit.
Before training, the Brisbane players were gathered and instructed about addressing comments related to Henjak’s sacking, as their unfavorable end-of-season evaluation of his performance significantly influenced the club’s decision to make a change.
One potential trigger for Henjak’s downfall could have been his choice in September 2010 to prevent Darren Lockyer from returning from a rib injury in a must-win round-26 match against Canberra.
Additionally, Henjak faced criticism for the club’s inability to secure Greg Inglis, despite the former Melbourne Storm star bearing some responsibility for giving Brisbane his word before leaving.
The timing of the Broncos’ coaching announcement has attracted significant backlash on various internet platforms.
They revealed the news at a hastily arranged press conference at 5pm (EST), right before most major TV networks were set to air their nightly news.
Craig Davison, the director of Brisbane’s bid team, noted the “irony” of the Broncos unveiling their major news on the same day as his consortium’s official campaign launch for a second team in the city.
“We were really pleased with our press conference (on Monday), but obviously the message will be diluted somewhat now,” Davison stated.
by Buford Balony
