NRL 2021: New Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy puts out welcome mat for Wayne Bennett

Many believed Wayne Bennett had burnt his bridges at Brisbane for life following his bitter sacking in 2018 – but that may no longer be the case.

Kevin Walters and Dave Donaghy at Red Hill . Pic Annette Dew

New Brisbane CEO Dave Donaghy has opened the door for Wayne Bennett to return to the Broncos to provide more support for rookie NRL coach Kevin Walters.

Breaking his silence on the prospect of Bennett’s third coming at Red Hill, Donaghy declared the super coach “loves” the Broncos and is open to negotiations to bring the 71-year-old back to the club he built into an NRL superpower.

As revealed last month by News Corp, Bennett confirmed he had informed South Sydney officials of his plan to return home to Queensland when his Rabbitohs contract expires in November.

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New Broncos boss Dave Donaghy wants to give Kevin Walters all the support he needs.

As a free agent next year, Bennett will explore a range of options, including taking charge of the NRL’s planned launch of a second Brisbane team after fielding an approach from the Jets consortium in February.

Having taken office at Red Hill on Saturday, Donaghy is under pressure to rebuild the crumbling Broncos empire. The real risk of Bennett spearheading a rival new club in Queensland in 2023 and potentially stealing Brisbane players would be a public relations disaster for Broncos bosses.

It was widely believed Bennett had burnt his bridges at Brisbane for life following his bitter sacking in 2018, but Donaghy was not involved in the most toxic saga in Broncos history and thus carries no political scar tissue.

Now the former Melbourne boss has ascended to power at Red Hill and he is not ruling out a Bennett comeback as the Broncos explore support mechanisms for Walters, who is off-contract next season.

“I’m not sure what role would be suitable for Wayne, I’ve only just come into the job myself,” Donaghy said.

“But Wayne and the club will always be tied because of his achievements (Bennett has won all six of the Broncos’ premierships).

“I’ve never worked with Wayne, he’s obviously a great coach and I wasn’t here in days gone by (during Bennett’s sacking).

Wayne Bennett and Kevin Walters took the Broncos to the 2015 grand final.

“I saw some comments about Wayne not having any interest in Brisbane as well, but rugby league is a funny game, who knows?

“Nothing surprises me. I’m sure deep down he loves the footy club.”

Donaghy stressed he has not contacted Bennett, nor held preliminary talks at this stage.

Bennett declined to comment on Donaghy’s position when contacted on Sunday, but it is understood the NRL’s greatest coach is privately open to a Red Hill return in the right circumstances.

Given the pain and political bloodletting that led to his sacking three years ago, Bennett won’t make the first move.

That would have to rest with News Corp, the 69 per cent majority owner of the Broncos, which had a strong association with Bennett for more than two decades before Red Hill’s civil war of 2018.

Broncos chairman Karl Morris is another critical player. Contrary to speculation, Morris has no ill-feeling towards Bennett and would not oppose his return if there is a high-level view Brisbane’s foundation coach can help Walters.

Could Wayne Bennett be close to a return to the Broncos?

Bennett believes he can act as a pressure valve for Walters and Donaghy is determined to offer more support for the Broncos coach.

“I want to make sure Kevin Walters has everything he needs to be a successful head coach in the NRL,” he said.

“I want him to succeed and I want him to be a coach of the Broncos for a long time to come. He is one of the game’s great winners but he is also a first year NRL coach.

“We need to ensure we are putting the right support around Kevvie to give him every opportunity to succeed.”

Brisbane’s largest private shareholder Phil Murphy, who owns a $6 million stake in the Broncos, urged Donaghy to bring Bennett home.

“I would love to see Wayne come back, it would be enormous,” he said.

“The Broncos are at rock bottom and Wayne has a great history there.

Dave Donaghy started his role at the Broncos on Saturday.

“Is it not worth a crack bringing Wayne back to help the club out?

“Look at what Wayne has done at Souths. The players love him and he is a proven winner. No other coach has succeeded at the Broncos like Wayne. The Broncos board clearly have an issue with Wayne but you shouldn’t let personalities interfere with what’s best for the club.

“The current board can’t fix the Broncos. Wayne Bennett can fix them.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: New Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy puts out welcome mat for Wayne Bennett