State of Origin 2020: Wayne Bennett, Darren Lockyer feud threatens to rock Maroons
He’s back after 17 years but Wayne Bennett may have some fences to mend if he is to make a success of coaching the Maroons in next month’s State of Origin.
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Wayne Bennett’s return to the Maroons has been made official with the NRL super coach to lead Queensland in next month’s historic 40th anniversary series.
The Queensland Rugby League announced on Friday morning that Bennett would lead the Maroons in a one-series cameo following the resignation of Broncos-bound Kevin Walters.
It will be Bennett’s fourth stint in charge of the Maroons, having previously served in 1986-88, 1998 and 2001-03..
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South Sydney coach Bennett pipped Mal Meninga for the role and said he was excited to be back in charge of Queensland.
“I love coaching Queensland and I’m extremely humbled to be invited to coach this team again, particularly in light of the challenging circumstances with Kevin moving on to coach the Broncos,” Bennett said.
“I’m very proud and pleased that I’m still able to do it. State of Origin means so much to the people of Queensland.
“It’s been a difficult year for many people and I just want to give something back if I can.
“I love coaching Queensland and I’m extremely humbled to be invited to coach this team again, particularly in light of the challenging circumstances with Kevin moving on to coach the Broncos,” Bennett said.
The appointment of Bennett places him at the same selection table as Darren Lockyer, a Broncos board member who Bennett feels contributed to his sacking from Brisbane in 2018.
Bennett and Lockyer had a father-son style relationship during Brisbane’s golden years but the duo fell out sensationally two years ago during the Broncos’ civil war.
Bennett felt the Broncos board went behind his back in chasing Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy and believes Lockyer failed to fight for him in the corridors of power when the club later signed Anthony Seibold.
While Lockyer has reached out to Bennett, the super coach has told close friends he has no intention of ever smoking the peace pipe with his former Broncos skipper.
But that must now change. Bennett and Lockyer will come face-to-face on Queensland’s selection panel in the coming weeks ahead of Game One in Adelaide on November 4.
Lockyer told News Corp he would not let his beef with Bennett hamper Queensland’s campaign.
“His departure from the Broncos did put a strain on our relationship but I’m really looking forward to working together with Wayne again with a common purpose,” Lockyer said.
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“Wayne is one of the greatest coaches in bringing a group together and playing for each other. It’s something that is critical to success in the Origin arena.”
The Maroons are coming off back-to-back series defeats and have lost Walters as head coach only a month out from the first game.
Walters will remain in the Queensland set-up over the coming weeks to oversee the train-on squad’s preparations before handing over the reins to Bennett.
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QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said he didn’t feel the need to intervene in Bennett and Lockyer’s relationship ahead of the reunion.
“Not at all, they are both very professional people,” he said.
“If you read Darren’s book you will see they have a strong and beneficial relationship. Those things never die.
“We can all have differences of opinion but it doesn’t change the world. They are both highly professional people.
“They are grown men who are united by our aims and what they’ve both done and need to contribute to the next series.
Former Maroons hooker Kerrod Walters, Kevin’s twin brother, said Bennett and Lockyer had to overcome their differences for the state with Queensland already battling injury concerns and a lack of depth.
“I’m sure they will both put their differences aside, they’re both level-headed people,” he said.
“The Queensland team is the ultimate prize. They need to work together and put their differences aside to ensure Queensland has a successful series.
“Our stocks are thin at the best of times and we’ve lost some key players. But we’ve been down this road before and the Queensland spirit has risen to the occasion.
“I’m sure Wayne will be confident they can do the job. In 2001 no-one gave us a chance and Wayne rallied the troops and got us home.”