‘I’ll just have to leave’: Wayne Bennett threatens walk out over milestone
Dolphins head coach Wayne Bennett threatened to walk out of a press conference after he became the subject of the questions ahead of Magic Round.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has threatened to walk out of a press conference ahead of Magic Round as it doubles as his 900th premiership match against the Sharks on Saturday night.
A man who you could hardly say enjoys the spotlight at the best of times, Bennett wanted no part of the line of questioning around his milestone match.
Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Bennett will become the first head coach to coach 900 games with Tigers mentor Tim Sheens the next most experienced more than 200 games behind.
He has 562 wins, 323 losses and 14 draws in that time and coached the Broncos to six premierships and the St George Illawarra Dragons to another title.
He also had stints at the Newcastle Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs before becoming the inaugural coach of the Dolphins.
While the NRL wanted to make a big deal of the milestone, the 73-year-old didn’t want any part of it when questioned by journos.
“We either change the subject or I just move on,” Bennett told reporters.
“I’m not talking about my achievements, what I’ve done and haven’t done.
“You’ve written about them, had an opinion on them. We’ve all had enough of it.”
When the reporters continued to push, Bennett held firm.
“Oh, we’re talking about me again?” he said.
“I’ll be clear then. If you want to talk about the team and players, that’s fine.
“But if you want to talk about me I’ll just have to leave the conference.”
It’s sometimes hard to tell with Bennett whether he’s in a good mood or not but he was making jokes throughout the press conference, including talking about debutant centre Valynce Te Whare, who has been nicknamed “Val Meninga”.
“I coached Mal, he was a great player and great guy. The only similarities are the shorts – they’re the same size,” Bennett joked.
Later, Bennett did speak on the milestone, claiming he was well over 1000 games but NRL records did not add his Brisbane Rugby League exploits.
“If you put all those in I’m well over 900,” he said.
“I coached at least 180 in Brisbane before I went to the NRL.
“I don’t see why they shouldn’t (count), but unless you’re in the NRL life doesn’t really exist outside of it.
“There is a lot of existence outside it and a lot of great players that did great things in those competitions prior to the NRL.
“I’ve always believed the players should get that recognition but it doesn’t count so you move on with life.”
Speaking to AAP, rugby league statistician David Middleton had the number at 1227, including 171 BRL matches, and 42 matches that include pre-season, state league and other matches.
He also has another 115 representative games for the All Stars, Queensland, Australia, Great Britain and England.
Bennett admitted he never thought about being a coach, but has now proven to be arguably the greatest ever over a near 50-year career.
“It’s not something I wanted to do and I’m still not sure if I want to be a coach,” he said.
“I found myself doing it and I’m still doing it today.”
Originally published as ‘I’ll just have to leave’: Wayne Bennett threatens walk out over milestone
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.