Brisbane Broncos director Darren Lockyer has denied he and fellow board members put an ultimatum to coach Anthony Seibold as pressure grows on the struggling club.
Sitting 14th on the NRL ladder with just three wins, Seibold's job security in Brisbane has been questioned extensively by media and fans in the last few months.
Yesterday Broncos chairman Karl Morris guaranteed Seibold will see out 2020 at the club, as the coach is in the second season of a lucrative, five-year deal.
However after every NRL loss speculation about his future reignites.
Reports this week claimed that the Broncos board had given Seibold an ultimatum that in the remaining 10 games of the NRL regular season, should he secure less than five wins, he would be shown the door.
But Lockyer vehemently refuted those claims were accurate.
"I've never heard that. I've heard it externally but not internally," Lockyer told Wide World of Sports' QLDER.
"You have a look at some of the teams they're playing against - it makes it pretty tough," added Queensland great Wally Lewis.
"They come up against the Storm, the Sharks at home, the Rabbitohs are away, the Raiders are away, the Dragons, then the Roosters and the Panthers. That's a little bit of a tough run to come home to and demand they win five of those 10 games.
"I'm sure every one of these players will be out to make sure they're doing it for themselves, their teammates, their coach and the club."
It was a tense scene at the Broncos' AGM yesterday, with Lockyer telling media the situation at the club was taking its toll on everyone.
"You lose sleep at night. It hurts," he said.
"It's up to everyone in the club, right from the top to the bottom, to lift and get performances that we're proud of."
Some shareholders, including former Premiership-winning Bronco Chris Johns, was frustrated that concerns emailed in to be discussed at the AGM were ignored.
"It was an absolute joke," Johns said.
"One of the accountants for the Broncos - he was there for 10 years - he had some very eloquent questions that were fair and proper and they weren't brought up. They weren't aired amongst all the shareholders."
Lockyer said he was aware of the mental health impact on Seibold and the team as more scrutiny follows them, but he was confident the Broncos coach will be able to find success once the worst is past.
"When he came in at the Rabbitohs he had a good season, there was no real pressure," Lockyer told QLDER.
"This is uncharted territory for him. He'll come out of this and be a better coach for it but you've got to hold your nerve at the same time.
"I think when you're not winning footy, it's not enjoyable and then when you throw in the Broncos being a one-team town and the pressure and media talk around the club, I can imagine there are a lot of people struggling - not so much physically but mentally - with all of the distractions going on outside the club.
"We've said just block out the outside noise and focus on what you've got to do."
Lewis was equally upbeat that the Broncos could regain some pride in the jersey soon.
"You'd just like to see them get their way out of it," he said.
"To be able to display some sort of confidence when they take to the field and make sure their best performances are there, because they don't go out there to lose.
"They're not guys that enjoy having the drama of consecutive losses and pride is a wonderful thing for a footballer."
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