NRL expansion: Wayne Bennett confirms interest in coaching new Brisbane team

Wayne Bennett is ready to take the reins of any new expansion team, but has warned them of the perils of trying to be a carbon copy of the Broncos.

Wayne Bennett has expressed his desire to coach of the new Brisbane expansion team. Picture: Getty Images.

Wayne Bennett says he is ready to sign with a second Brisbane team, but has warned the NRL’s 17th franchise of the perils of trying to take on the might of the Broncos.

As the ARL Commission prepares to announce the winning expansion licence this week, Bennett revealed he is prepared to put consultancy offers on hold in the hope of spearheading a new Brisbane outfit.

The super coach, who turns 72 in January, spoke of the challenges facing a second Brisbane team, and the mistakes they must avoid following the death of the South Queensland Crushers in 1997.

For the first time in 45 years, Bennett is currently out of work.

His status as South Sydney coach ceased after last Sunday’s grand-final loss to Penrith, prompting Bennett to return to his family farm in Warwick, tending to his cows, as a free agent.

Wayne Bennett has expressed his desire to coach of the new Brisbane expansion team. Picture: Getty Images.

He won’t need a trip to Centrelink. The NRL’s three prospective franchises - the Firehawks, Jets and Dolphins - all have Bennett on their hit list and the winning Brisbane bid will almost certainly unveil the seven-time premiership winner as their foundation coach for 2023.

Bennett insists he has no allegiance to any bid, but if the expansion mail is right, he will be the inaugural coach of the NRL’s Dolphins.

“I will say this - I am certainly interested in being part of a new Brisbane team and I will be happy to have talks with whoever that may be,” Bennett said ahead of the ARL’s historic announcement this week.

“I am just awaiting the outcome of the ARL Commission’s decision.

“I have no bias to any bid. If any of the three bid teams want to talk, I’m available.

“I’m a free agent right now.”

The veteran of 890 NRL games has fielded some inquiries to operate as a mentor for emerging coaches. South Sydney are also keen for Bennett to continue as a Queensland-based consultant, but intriguingly, the Maroons are silent.

The Maroons are looking for a senior advisor to help Billy Slater, but it seems unlikely to be Bennett. Picture: AAP.

The Queensland Rugby League is on the lookout for a senior advisor to rookie Origin coach Billy Slater, but Bennett has had no dialogue with Camp Maroon.

“No-one has asked me about helping Queensland,” said Bennett, who led the Maroons to the greatest series boilover in Origin’s 41-year history last November.

“I can’t commit to something no-one approached me about.

“If someone wants to pick the phone up and talk to me about helping them that’s up to Billy Slater and what his plans are.

“I’ve had some offers to work with some coaches and do some consultancy, but I haven’t decided on anything yet.

“I will wait for this expansion process goes and where it finishes up.”

The second Brisbane team will be operational from November 1. If Bennett is hired as head coach, he will hit the ground running, talking to player managers, assessing potential recruits, implementing structures and constructing the 30-man full-time roster to ensure the second Brisbane team is competitive from day one.

There is a view the second Brisbane team will not have enough lead-in time to piece together a competitive roster for 2023, but Bennett disagrees.

“I don’t think the NRL would be rushing a new team (for 2023),” he said.

“We still have another 12 months before the second Brisbane team starts their pre-season. That’s plenty of time to sign players and get things right, you would be laughing.

“I won’t be coaching next year. You would be building the team and putting the structures in.

“If it was Redcliffe, for example, you would work with their state league squad a little bit, but I won’t be a full-time coach next year.

“I know exactly what to do because I did it with the Broncos.

“With the Broncos, I walked out of Canberra (as co-coach) and straight into the Broncos job.

“Canberra played in the grand final in late September and I went up to the 33rd floor of that massive building in Eagle St in Brisbane where the stockbrokers are.

“Paul Morgan (Broncos founder) had his stockbroking business there and that was my first office at the Broncos.

Bennett warns that the new Brisbane team should avoid being too much like the Broncos. Picture: NRL Images.

“You can negotiate with players from the 1st of November, so it’s plenty of time.

“The original Broncos had a huge headstart because they had all the Brisbane-based stars like Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Greg Dowling and Greg Conescu who were all Origin players. They had a ready-made type of team.

“This team will have to be brought together by guys out of the 16 clubs.

“That’s the big challenge. But the beauty of it all is you have a clean sheet of paper. You have a blank canvas. You can build your own culture and create your own culture.

“The most important people to employ are the staff right across the football department, from trainers, to assistant coaches, everybody who is involved in football.”

Bennett said he believed the new team would not impact on the Broncos in terms of fan support and sponsorships.

“The Broncos won’t be affected. They’ve had a 30-year headstart in this market,” he said.

“The Crushers’ mistake was that they tried to be too much like the Broncos.

“There will never be another club like the Broncos, simple as that, so the marketplace in Brisbane can be great if a second team comes in with the attitude that they will create their own identity.

“A second Brisbane team cannot look over their shoulders at the Broncos.

“It’s magnificent for Queensland and the rugby league fans up here to be getting another team.

“It’s also great for the Queensland Origin team. It means there will be more opportunities for Queensland kids and we need more representation for the Maroons.

“It will give Origin more certainty as time goes on.

“We have so few players in the NRL who are eligible for Queensland, it’s around 22 per cent, so we need the Maroons to stay competitive in the Origin arena.”