How Rabbitohs landed super coach Wayne Bennett
WAYNE Bennett picked up the phone and promptly sent the NRL’s coaching merry-go-round into an even greater spin. READ THE INSIDE STORY OF THE COACHING COUP
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SHANE Richardson’s phone rang two weeks ago.
On the other end was Wayne Bennett.
The Broncos coach knew South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold was firming as his replacement and wanted to gauge Richardson’s interest in finally uniting, having missed out on working together twice before.
For months discussions to extend Seibold’s contract had dragged on.
The deal with Bennett was closed within weeks.
But even given Bennett’s standing as the best coach in the game’s history, the Rabbitohs had a very clear message — re-signing Seibold was their No.1 priority.
The Rabbitohs had tried as early as June to lock down Seibold, who by that stage was just 15 games into his head coaching career. Seibold wanted to put off negotiations until the end of the season because he didn’t want any distractions as he tried to join a rare group of coaches to win a premiership in their first year in charge.
South Sydney happily obliged, but the rumour mill moved into overdrive that Seibold was being groomed as a potential replacement for Bennett. By August — two months after Craig Bellamy had rejected Brisbane’s approach — the talk of Seibold joining Brisbane grew so loud that Seibold had to deny any approach from the Broncos to South Sydney officials.
Nothing to see here, he told them. But if there were any official talks, Seibold guaranteed the Rabbitohs he would let them know.
SILENT TREATMENT
Feeling confident, but still wary, the Rabbitohs reluctantly agreed to let assistant coach David Furner take an offer in Leeds despite regarding him as a genuine option to lead the club should Seibold join the Broncos.
Negotiations between South Sydney and Seibold recommenced after the grand final. His first season was a stunning success — the Dally M coach of the year award was a testament to that. The little-known mentor, who had managed just 14 games for Canberra in his NRL career, had taken a side which had finished outside the top eight the past two years to one game short of a grand final.
The offer was financially rewarding too. It was almost double the salary he earned this year, with an upgrade for his contracted 2019 season, plus three more seasons at Redfern.
The deal — expiring at the end of the 2022 — would have meant he would become just the sixth coach in South Sydney’s history to oversee more than 100 games.
When Seibold took over from Michael Maguire, the untried coach wanted to back himself by signing just a two-year deal with the Rabbitohs. And back himself he did.
South Sydney’s optimism in locking down their coach quickly eroded as they received next to no word on their offer. It was further eroded when they discovered through the media that Seibold had undergone psychometric testing by the Broncos and been interviewed before a Brisbane committee consisting of CEO Paul White, chairman Karl Morris and board member Darren Lockyer.
ON THE WAYNE
Enter Bennett. While Seibold sat on the Rabbitohs offer, Richardson turned his attention to Bennett as the South Sydney general manager of football holidayed in Fiji.
Bennett had options too. The Wests Tigers made him their No.1 priority but wanted him for 2019 — a move Bennett was unwilling to make.
With someone like Bennett’s background checks aren’t needed but South Sydney did not have
to look too far for glowing endorsements.
Thomas Burgess credits Bennett for turning his career around after Bennett simplified the prop’s game during last year’s World Cup. Sam Burgess too shares a close relationship during the time spent in England camp, while the likes of Greg Inglis and Cody Walker have been on Bennett’s radar as potential signings.
Owner Russell Crowe needed little convincing. A keen student of the game, Crowe already had enormous respect for Bennett’s record. They met briefly in Denver at the mid-season international between England and New Zealand.
THE CONCLUSION
As Souths’ negotiations with Seibold remained stalled the club imposed a 5pm deadline on Thursday for a response.
It wasn’t until late that afternoon that they received word of Seibold’s desire to continue his pursuit of the Broncos job. At 5.31pm a members release arrived in email inboxes across Australia — the Rabbitohs had landed the most successful coach in the game, a man who will follow “The Rabbitoh Way’’.
“Souths were happy to take me from 2020 on,” Bennett said.
“It’s my intention to fulfil (my contract) unless I’m told otherwise. It doesn’t change anything for me. That’s my position. If the Broncos have another position on that they will have to address that.
“It came about because Anthony was in discussion with the Broncos. I was told I wasn’t required any more. Souths were feeling vulnerable and realised they were probably going to lose their coach.
“It’s not my prerogative to think if it will or won’t work (coaching Brisbane in 2019).”
While the relationship between Bennett and the Broncos management is toxic, the same strain is not evident with Seibold and South Sydney. The Rabbitohs are comfortable with Seibold leading them when pre-season resumes on November 12, and believe the 44-year-old has shown he wants to see his agreement through by preparing thoroughly for the summer before his departure to the UK on a study trip.
South Sydney would consider releasing Seibold early if Bennett became available — a situation only likely if Brisbane pay out the remaining year of his contract. Confirmation of Furner’s departure to Leeds also means the Rabbitohs are without an assistant coach.
If Bennett moves to Souths in 2019,
it is possible Jason Demetriou — overlooked for Bennett’s post in Brisbane — will follow Bennett to the Rabbitohs and provide Souths with a potential succession plan for the post-Bennett era.
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Originally published as How Rabbitohs landed super coach Wayne Bennett
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