sport, nrl

Two rookie coaches are keen to form a partnership between Australia's most successful rugby league and rugby union clubs to help them settle into their new roles. South Sydney Rabbitohs coach and former Raider Anthony Seibold swapped notes with ACT Brumbies coaches during a five-day camp at the AIS this week and wants to build on the foundations with a sustained relationship. The Rabbitohs had a boxing session with Australian middleweight champion Dave Toussaint, as well as visits from guest speakers featuring Jane Saville, Matt Shirvington, Kelvin Giles and Gayelene Clews. The input from outsiders was complemented by "in-house sessions" run by the players and a couple of days spent trading secrets with the Brumbies. Seibold has known Brumbies defensive coach Peter Ryan "since he was about 17" and the pair leapt at the opportunity to link up when the Rabbitohs rolled into Canberra. "I let [Ryan] know I was on my way down and he said 'it would be great for you to come in and have a look at training', so I went to the Brumbies on Saturday and I spent the day there with them," Seibold said. "I always love looking at other sports and looking at what other teams and coaches are doing. They came out on Monday and again it was great for them to observe us train, give us some feedback on what they saw, and it was good for me to give them some feedback on what I saw on Saturday as well. "It's a really good little connection and I'd really like to keep that going going forward. We've got a great connection with Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. "I'd be really keen to continue that connection with the Brumbies going forward. The Brumbies, I've always been a really long-time admirer. "They're the most successful franchise in Super Rugby in Australia, so just to build a connection with them and look at what they're doing, it's certainly a good opportunity for myself while I was down here." The Rabbitohs have worked closely with Port Adelaide over the past six weeks, bringing six coaches and 11 players to Redfern before Christmas, before two Souths coaches and two players visited the AFL club two weeks ago. Now they'll take everything on board in the lead up to their pre-season clash with English glamour club Wigan at ANZ Stadium on February 17. Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said: "[Seibold] came and watched our session last weekend and we did the same on Monday. "He's in a similar position to me ... he's a first year head coach, has been an assistant coach for a number of years. David Furner is there as well, and they were very welcoming of us. "We'd certainly love to bounce ideas and stay in touch in the future, whether that means doing a session together ... we'll wait and see." While the trip to the AIS allowed the Rabbitohs' players and staff to utilise the facilities designed for Olympic Games athletes, it was a chance for Seibold to reconnect with a huge part of his life. Seibold played two seasons for the Canberra Raiders in 1997-98 alongside Green Machine coach Ricky Stuart and laughs plenty has changed since then. While the pair are now opposing coaches, the city Seibold once called home is "almost unrecognisable". "I still get here a little bit because my wife [Holly] is from Canberra and her family still live here," Seibold said. "Her brother used to play for the Raiders, Lincoln Withers. Lincoln dropped down during the week and spent a day with us on Tuesday to have a look. I do get here two times a year. "It's almost 20 years ago when I played for the Raiders, and certainly since those days it's almost unrecognisable in some ways. "I remember it fondly, a couple of years with the Raiders was really good, I got an opportunity to play with some of the legends of the game there like Sticky [Stuart], Laurie [Daley], Clydey [Brad Clyde and Furnsy [David Furner] and those types of guys. "I was only here for two seasons but I really enjoyed it."

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/3491e5f8-80f8-422f-bc0a-a5d541ada5eb/r0_134_2000_1264_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg