How legendary Bennett- Broncos partnership broke down
The apocalyptic end to Wayne Bennett’s relationship with the Brisbane Broncos began all the way back in July. It has been seven months of twists and turns before yesterday’s bloody end. We take you back to where it all went wrong?
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It was in July when Wayne Bennett’s relationship with the Broncos started to fall apart.
Over the past seven months, there have been a number of twists and turns in the Brisbane coaching saga.
It technically all started in April when Bennett walked out of his weekly press conference after then off-contract Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy declared he still had an interest in coaching Brisbane one day.
Bennett refused to speculate on his own future, but a month later it was revealed the club had approached the super coach’s former protege to see whether he would be interested in a move to Brisbane in 2020.
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At the time, Bennett claimed he was the one who told CEO Paul White to approach Bellamy but was not aware the club had followed up on his recommendation.
It was not to be for the Broncos however, with Bellamy pledging his future to the Storm on June 16.
This move put Bennett back in the driver’s seat.
The very next day, the 68-year-old gave White a proposal to extend his tenure until the end of 2020 with his assistant, Jason Demetriou, suggested as a possible successor for 2021.
White was to take this plan to the board — and from here is where it all started to fall apart.
The board rejected Bennett’s proposal and chairman Karl Morris held discussions with Bennett in which he indicated there would not be an automatic renewal of his role as head coach.
There was no final decision, but on July 12 Morris did offer the seven-time premiership winning coach a senior administrative role at Brisbane for 2020.
From here, things turned sour.
It seemed the club did not envision Bennett as their coach beyond 2019.
They had started to make their succession plans and were already keeping an eye on South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold.
And Bennett was no longer part of the discussions.
On July 26 in his post-match press conference after his side’s win over the Sharks, Bennett told the media he had spoken to Morris and no decision would be made on his future until after the NRL season.
But two weeks later, reports started to emerge that Bennett and White were no longer on speaking terms.
Then on August 14, news broke that the growing tensions between the pair had hit a new high with “BBQ-gate”.
White fronted the media on August 16 and refused to guarantee Bennett’s position as head coach beyond 2019.
The writing was on the wall.
The following day, Bennett publicly rejected the offer of a front-office position.
When the Broncos suffered a shock finals exit in early September, thrashed 48-18 by the Dragons in the opening week of finals, there was no saving Bennett’s future beyond 2019.
Brisbane confirmed on September 25 that Bennett’s last year at the club would be in 2019 but since that day speculation has been rife a swap with Broncos-bound Seibold would happen sooner.
When Bennett called his own press conference on November 30 to declare once again that he would stay with the Broncos in 2019, he said Morris and White and he were “moving on” and would “all be one” next year.
That press conference left Broncos powerbrokers with a decision to make on sacking Bennett - a scenario they were desperate to avoid given the super coach’s remarkable 25 seasons of service to the club.
The Broncos were hoping to unveil Seibold as their coach at a press conference on Friday afternoon but that plan was left in tatters as the most toxic coaching drama in the club’s history continued spinning out of control.
The whole saga came to a bloody conclusion on Sunday when Seibold revealed in News Corp Australia publications Bennett had been making coaching decisions around the Rabbitohs’ 2019 season.
The Broncos moved immediately to terminate Bennett’s contract for breach of contract, with White alerting Bennett via voicemail after repeated calls went unanswered.
THE TIMELINE OF THE BRONCOS COACHING SAGA
April 19, 2018: Wayne Bennett storms out of his weekly pre-game press conference when asked about his future at the club beyond 2019.
May 23, 2018: It is revealed the Brisbane Broncos have made a secret approach to Storm super coach Craig Bellamy.
May 24, 2018: Wayne Bennett turns up the heat on Broncos bosses, claiming he was unaware that CEO Paul White had already contacted Bellamy despite making the recommendation for the club to do so.
June 9, 2018: The Broncos identify Souths coach Anthony Seibold as a possible option if Craig Bellamy chooses to stay loyal to Melbourne.
June 16, 2018: Bellamy formally inks a new three-year deal with Melbourne, putting Seibold in the frame to replace Bennett. By mid-June, South Sydney were seven matches into a nine game winning streak and were sitting in the top four.
June 17, 2018: Bennett gives White a proposal for his future, which the CEO takes to the board at their next meeting.
July 12, 2018: Wayne Bennett receives a letter from Broncos chairman Karl Morris offering him a “senior administrative role” at the club for the 2020 season. This offer is not publicly revealed until mid-August.
July 26, 2018: After Brisbane’s 12-10 victory over the Sharks, Bennett uses his post-match press conference to tell the media that he has spoken to Morris and no decision would be made on his future until after the NRL season.
August 9, 2018: Reports emerge that Bennett and White are no longer on speaking terms.
August 14, 2018: The growing tensions between Bennett and White take a new twist with “BBQ-gate”. It is revealed Bennett and club captain Darius Boyd skipped a team BBQ at the home of White. Bennett instead hosted a number of players at his house.
August 16, 2018: White fronts the media after “BBQ-gate” and refuses to guarantee Bennett’s future for 2020, saying he is Brisbane’s coach for 2019 only.
August 16, 2018: Seibold explodes at a post-match press conference after a loss to the Broncos, saying he is sick of speculation over his future.
August 17, 2018: Bennett publicly rejects Brisbane’s offer of another job for 2020, saying: “I don’t want a front-office position”. Bennett makes it clear he is prepared to coach at another club in 2020.
September 25, 2018: The Broncos formally announce Wayne Bennett’s 2019 season will be his last with the club.
October 6, 2018: The Broncos hold their annual presentation night. This is the last time Bennett speaks with White and Morris before he leaves for the UK for an international tour with the England team. They do not speak for over a month until Bennett arrives home in late November.
October 7, 2018: Anthony Milford becomes the first player to publicly state Bennett has told the playing group he will stay with the club in 2019. Josh McGuire follows suit two days later.
October 8, 2018: White, Morris and board member Darren Lockyer travel to Sydney for a three-hour interview with Seibold. This begins an interview process which includes three other candidates in Michael Maguire, Kevin Walters and Jason Demetriou.
October 25, 2018: Seibold advises Souths his preferred option is coaching the Broncos, passing up a rich extension. The Rabbitohs then announce they have signed Bennett on a two year deal for seasons 2020 and 2021.
October 26, 2018: Bennett states he has no interest in a straight swap with Seibold, again reiterating that he will be with the Broncos in 2019.
October 31, 2018: The Broncos finally confirm the signing of Anthony Seibold on a four-year deal from 2020. In a press release, the club state again that Bennett will see out his contract in 2019.
November 2, 2018: Bennett blasts suggestions he is already trying to recruit players for South Sydney in 2020, following reports he had spoken to Trent Merrin about a possible move.
November 5, 2018: Seibold insists he is committed to South Sydney for 2019 after it is reported the Rabbitohs were trying to negotiate an immediate coaching swap with the Broncos. Denies he has lost the South Sydney dressing room.
November 7, 2018: Seibold returns to Redfern for the first pre-season training session ahead of 2019.
November 8, 2018: Broncos forward Matt Gillett is the next Brisbane player to publicly state Bennett has promised the playing group he will be at the club in 2019.
November 15, 2018: Speculation continues that the Broncos and Rabbitohs are holding secret talks to negotiate an immediate coaching swap, despite Bennett and Seibold’s assurances they will remain with their respective clubs in 2019.
November 16, 2018: It is revealed Seibold has already made his first staff appointment for his time with Brisbane, with former NSW Origin forward Ben Cross to join him at Red Hill in 2020 as an assistant coach.
November 21, 2018: Bennett returns home after his successful tour in the UK. Declares he will be at Broncos training the following day.
November 22, 2018: On his first day back at Red Hill, Bennett watches training through a window and leaves Broncos HQ by using decoy cars and lying in the back seat of another vehicle to escape media attention. Meanwhile, Brisbane hooker Andrew McCullough calls for a quick resolution over who will be coach in 2019.
November 24, 2018: Bennett and Morris have a three-minute meeting in which they both agree the super coach will remain at the helm of the team in 2019. Bennett however then hides inside a cafe toilet to avoid the waiting media.
November 26, 2018: Bennett is a no-show at Broncos training but was not expected back until Monday December 3 anyway, following his UK tour.
November 30, 2018: Bennett calls his own press conference to once again declare he is staying at Brisbane, but speculation remains that the club’s powerbrokers may still sack him.
December 2, 2018: The Broncos sack Wayne Bennett via voicemail after revelations in News Corp Australia publications that Bennett had breached his contract by making coaching decisions for the Rabbitohs.
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Originally published as How legendary Bennett- Broncos partnership broke down
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