The Rabbitohs-Broncos coaching farce had to end with Wayne Bennett’s sacking
The Wayne Bennett situation was ‘untenable’ because Bennett was double dipping and trying to coach two teams at once, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.
Opinion
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HE’S GONE: Brisbane sack Wayne Bennett
MORE BUZZ: Highlights, lowlights, talking points
In the end it was the right decision. Imagine for a moment that Wayne Bennett was the boss of food chain Woolworths.
He hadn’t delivered the target and goals that were set four years ago.
The Woolworths board decide not to extend his contract for 2020.
So he goes off and signs up with a major competitor in Coles. And then it gets murky.
He starts talking to senior Coles staff about their future roles, even though he’s got a year to go at Woolies.
He even begins planning for his arrival at Coles by organising staff training sessions even if it’s undermining the current Coles boss. The poor employees are in limbo.
They have no idea to whom they are meant to answer or report.
Now this is too ridiculous to even imagine in the business world.
Obviously Woolworths would sack Bennett.
Now for some breaking news: Running an NRL club is a business and in the Broncos’ case a big business.
It was an intolerable situation in that Bennett was double dipping and trying to coach two teams at once.
The evidence is there. It was produced in black and white in the Sunday Telegraph in a bombshell email.
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One day at a press conference Bennett would tell us he’s fully committed to the Broncos.
The next he’s ringing South Sydney fullback Alex Johnston to tell him he’s moving to the wing.
Another day he’s saying he can win a premiership before he leaves.
The next he’s ringing Damien Cook to check on his future at the Rabbitohs.
Meanwhile the Rabbitohs players are understandably on edge.
Do they stay loyal to Anthony Seibold and can they hang up the phone on Bennett?
It might not be a wise career move.
The way South Sydney general manager Shane Richardson has handled this is just pathetic.
He’s even made Lyall Gorman at Manly look like a genius with his handling of Des Hasler and Trent Barrett fiasco.
Richardson has told Seibold twice that he will not be coaching Souths next year and that he would be moving to the Broncos. Meanwhile the coach cleans out his office.
Richardson is assured Bennett will be at Redfern on Monday, December 3.
Bennett has other ideas. He’s backflipped. The best since Daly Cherry-Evans on the Gold Coast.
The great man has decided to honour his contract at the Broncos after all.
Shame he didn’t have the same honour in 2014 when he walked out on the Newcastle Knights mid-contract and left the club in a diabolical state from which they are only now recovering.
Apparently he owes it to the Broncos players and it’s got nothing to do with money and $1 million payout. Of course not.
The Broncos would not sack Bennett and write him a $1 million cheque.
This isn’t Super League or Gus Gould at the Panthers.
Then the email is leaked showing what old Wayne’s been doing behind the scenes.
And that was the end of it. He had to go.
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Originally published as The Rabbitohs-Broncos coaching farce had to end with Wayne Bennett’s sacking
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