Wayne Bennett opens up about Broncos exit, joining South Sydney
WAYNE Bennett has opened up in an emotional interview with News Corp about how the Broncos forced him out of the club, his Newcastle regrets and joining “a wonderful rugby league club” in South Sydney.
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WAYNE Bennett has opened up in an emotional interview with The Daily Telegraph from England about his decision to leave Brisbane and join South Sydney, declaring:
“This is not the way I wanted it to end with the Broncos but my hands were forced”.
After another dramatic day on the NRL coaching merry-go-round, Bennett signed to replace Anthony Seibold who is heading to Brisbane in what is now a straight swap.
And finally completing the puzzle to the NRL coaching circus, former Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire will take over at Wests Tigers within days from Penrith-bound Ivan Cleary.
Bennett’s deal is for the 2020 and 2021 seasons but adding to the intrigue it is almost certain the swap will go ahead in the coming weeks for 2019 as well.
While legalities still have to be finalised, the reality is there is no way any of the clubs can afford to have a coach in charge that has already committed their future elsewhere.
“This is not the way I wanted it to end with the Broncos but my hands were forced,” Bennett said from England, where he is preparing for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand.
“At the end of the day South Sydney are a wonderful rugby league club.
“I had an offer previously to go to Souths (back in 2012) and I knocked it back at the time.”
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Bennett told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year ahead of 800th NRL game that he was basically a car park away from agreeing to coach Souths in 2012 before his move to Newcastle but changed his mind when he couldn’t get a park outside of Shane Richardson’s house.
It is believed Souths owner Russell Crowe was extremely disappointed at the time but those issues have now been well and truly resolved.
Bennett also has a very strong relationship with Sam Burgess through their association with the England team and it’s no secret the Burgess boys have plenty of pull at Redfern.
Bennett could be exactly what the Rabbitohs need right now after a tumultuous end to the season.
There is a sense that the off-field discipline at Souths needs to be pulled into line and Bennett is arguably the best man-manager in the game.
He famously called out Sam Burgess for his onfield discipline issues a few years back when they were together with England and while many believed it ruffled Burgess the wrong way but respect and their friendship grew as a result.
“I always regretted that decision,” Bennett added of his decision to join Newcastle instead of Souths.
“I never thought I’d get this chance again.
“But now I have I feel honoured.
“I have been blessed with a wonderful career in the game but I still feel I have more to prove and I want to keep coaching.
“The Broncos have made their decision that they don’t want me (beyond 2019) and so I have to live with that.
“But I am happy that I now get the chance to coach a great club like South Sydney.”
Bennett has been locked in secret negotiations with South Sydney general manager of football Shane Richardson in recent weeks as the likelihood of Seibold’s move to Brisbane gained momentum.
While Brisbane is still to formally announce Seibold’s signing, Richardson was supremely confident 68-year-old Bennett would be a huge boost for the club.
“Wayne is one of the best, if the not the best, rugby league coaches of all time and we are excited to see what he can bring to our club,” Richardson said.
“His football record is second-to-none and his reputation as a leader is also of the highest order.”
Richardson added of Seibold: “Anthony has done a great job at our club over the past two years however his hesitance to extend his contract with us, an offer which has been on the table since June, led the club to explore other options.”
The tone of Richardson’s commitment did not hide the Rabbitohs’ disappointment.
It is understood Seibold informed the Redfern-based club on Thursday that the Broncos were his priority going forward.
Now the pressure is on Brisbane to make the deal happen for 2019, otherwise Bennett will see out his contract at the Broncos.
That would leave Seibold to deal with some pretty angry Rabbitohs’ fans who might struggle to understand how he could walk away from the club that gave him his head coaching start.
In fairness to Seibold, he was well within his rights to explore his options given when he signed to replace Maguire it was basically a take-it-or-leave it deal.
But after taking the Rabbitohs into the finals and winning the Dally M Coach of the Year award, his value skyrocketed.
He is now rumoured to be catapulted into the $1 million-a-season head coaching club, joining the likes of Bennett and Craig Bellamy.
Given he is a Queenslander who played lower grades at the Broncos he was never going to knock back Brisbane’s interest.
But having a seven-time premiership winning coach join the game’s most successful club almost makes this a win-win for both organisations going forward.
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Originally published as Wayne Bennett opens up about Broncos exit, joining South Sydney
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