Crawley Files: Evergreen Wayne Bennett just keeps ticking

WAYNE Bennett had apparently lost the dressing room, and his aura. Former players were lining up to bag him, writes PAUL CRAWLEY.

LET’S take Wayne Bennett’s personality out of this and focus on what the game’s oldest coach has achieved with Brisbane this year.

For me, it rates up with his greatest coaching perform­ances in a career that has stretched 41 years.

That’s not downplaying the seven premierships he’s won in the national competition alone (if you count Super League in 1997).

But let’s remember, whenever Bennett wins a comp the fall back for his critics is that he’s always been blessed with superstar rosters.

Not this year. In fact, in pre-season predictions no one had the Broncos in their top four, and hardly anyone had them in the eight.

Peter Sterling is recognised as one of the game’s best analysts.

And what Sterlo said in February was a pretty fair snapshot of what most were thinking.

“I don’t think they’ll make the eight,” Sterling said.

Coach Wayne Bennett during a Brisbane Broncos training session.

He pointed out that Brisbane would face each of last year’s top four teams in the opening month, and also questioned the significant loss of Corey Parker.

“That will see them rely on a lot of young forwards coming through — (Tevita) Pangai Junior, Jai Arrow, these kind of players like Herman Ese’ese,” Sterling said.

Apparently, Bennett had also lost the dressing room, and his aura. Former players were lining up to bag him.

“When you have a young player like Ben Hunt who leaves the club, you have to wonder if he’s lost his aura,” Greg Dowling said.

“Once upon a time, players stayed at the Broncos for less money just to be coached by Wayne. Now that’s not happening. You have to question why. The Broncos will ­struggle this year.

“I don’t expect to see them in the top four and they won’t win the premiership.”

Plenty were also labelling Benji Marshall among the Broncos’ worst ever signings.

You could keep going through the criticisms as the season rolled on.

What is he doing dropping Hunt to reserve grade?

Why would he come out and announce Sam Thaiday won’t be offered a new deal?

Then when Andrew McCullough got injured, Bennett moved Thaiday to partner Hunt at dummy half.

Every step of the way Bennett apparently pulled the wrong rein. Until now.

Coach Wayne Bennett talks to Ben Hunt during Broncos training session.

Now people are saying Brisbane are Melbourne’s greatest threat. Yet everyone is talking up contenders for Dally M coach of the year and not once have I heard Bennett’s name mentioned.

Maybe it’s because ­Bennett isn’t Mr Popular.

This week is a good time to go back over it given that the sacking of Neil Henry again exposed what a cutthroat world these coaches work in.

The truth is Bennett hasn’t changed. He still coaches simple footy, concentrating on a system in which effort is non-negotiable but individuals can play to their strengths.

And he still plays the game off the field better than anyone, with a knack of making those around him believe even if outsiders don’t.

Just look at how Korbin Sims has taken his game to another level since leaving Newcastle, or Adam Blair, who was washed up at the Wests Tigers years ago.

Bennett has now survived 31 straight years in the ­national competition.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett addresses the media.

Before that he coached a decade in the Brisbane comp.

To put his NRL career into perspective, only two other coaches in history, Tim Sheens and Brian Smith, have coached more games than Bennett has won.

He still has a contract for two more seasons after this one. That will take him just short of his 70th birthday.

I asked him the other day how long he wanted to keep coaching. He said he hadn’t thought about it. What’s better, he sounded dead serious.

MORGAN’S STRONG AS A HORSE AT NO. 7

THE fact North Queensland remain in the top eight fight speaks as much about the Cowboys’ character as it does the class and depth of their squad.

And you can only admire the way Michael Morgan has stood up in the absence of Johnathan Thurston this year.

Always recognised as a good foil for Thurston and probably the NRL’s best utility, the 25-year-old has taken his game to another level playing in the No. 7 jersey.

Artwork: Scott “Boo” Bailey.

Morgan put in another brave performance in last weekend’s loss to Cronulla, which was the Cowboys’ fourth in a row.

It means they head into tomorrow night’s game against Wests Tigers on 28 competition points and clinging to seventh spot on the ladder.

With two rounds of the regular season remaining, the Cowboys are refusing to surrender despite a growing injury toll.

As Morgan said: “We don’t want to be a team that gives up, rolls over and says, ‘Oh, we tried hard, so it’s OK’. We see this season as a failure if we don’t get there.”

Michael Morgan has stood up for the Cowboys. Picture: Zak Simmonds

In April, when Thurston was initially ruled out with a calf injury, Paul Green said he didn’t expect Morgan to try and be the next Thurston.

At the time, Morgan even conceded he didn’t see himself as a natural halfback. But what a job he has done.

The biggest question hanging over the Cowboys in recent years has related to what will happen when Thurston is no longer around to carry the club.

Regardless of how the next two weeks pan out, Morgan has answered that question.

Originally published as Crawley Files: Evergreen Wayne Bennett just keeps ticking