NRL Finals 2021: Wayne Bennett reveals where his retirement sits after Rabbitohs roll Sea Eagles

Legendary coach Wayne Bennett says he won’t be run out of town when it comes to retirement as he prepares for a 10th grand final appearance with South Sydney.

The Manly vs. South Sydney preliminary final match is expected to be delayed. Picture: Getty Images.

Wayne Bennett has hit out at his critics, saying he won’t be railroaded into retirement and will exit coaching on his terms as he prepares for his South Sydney swan song in the NRL grand final.

Bennett’s remarkable 34-year top-grade career as a head coach will be over — for now — when his Rabbitohs contract expires after his record 10th grand-final appearance in Sunday week’s NRL decider at Suncorp Stadium.

The 71-year-old remains unemployed for next season, but remains hopeful he will only have a 12-month hiatus from coaching if he can secure a job to spearhead a proposed second Brisbane team for the 2023 season.

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Wayne Bennett has scoffed at suggestions he is a spent force as a coach. Picture: Getty Images

Bennett has been buffeted by speculation over his future in recent years, largely fuelled by Brisbane’s decision to sack him in 2018, and it was widely believed he would retire at the conclusion of his three-year South Sydney deal.

But as he begins plotting a premiership with a record third club — and a possible eighth title overall — Bennett scoffed at suggestions he is a spent force as he weighs up the prospect of coaching until the age of 75.

“I will determine when I finish. No-one will determine it for me,” Bennett said following the Rabbitohs’ 36-16 disposal of Manly in Friday night’s preliminary final.

“Nothing has changed for me. If I want to coach, I will keep coaching and make a contribution.

“I have spent a lifetime being honest with myself.

“If I was washed-up as coach, I wouldn’t coach another day because I would be letting too many people down.

“I learnt as a young coach about when you should or shouldn’t retire. I worked with a coach that didn’t have the ambition anymore and the passion for it, but I’m not at that stage.”

Underlining his unrivalled pedigree and gravitas, Bennett has fielded interest from all three prospective NRL 17th team franchises the Brisbane Jets, Firehawks and Dolphins.

The Jets met with Bennett as recently as last Saturday, while the Dolphins and Firehawks both want the seven-time premiership-winner to be their foundation coach to set up an explosive Brisbane rivalry with the Broncos.

Bennett says the fire for coaching still burns. Picture: Getty Images

While the pressures of coaching crush many in their 40s and 50s, the fire still burns for Bennett.

“I am still motivated,” he said.

“I am motivated by the things that I did as a 23-year-old when I decided to coach a football team because we didn’t have a coach.

“I was very busy, I was a young police officer, I was playing rugby league in Brisbane and about to get married. A lot of things were going on. I had a big decision to make. The reasons I coached then were the same reasons I coached today. When they change, then I won’t coach anymore.

“If I want to coach, then I have to be good at what I do and I have to adapt. It’s as simple as that.

“There are no grey areas for me. And if I don’t want to adapt, then I have to move out of coaching, my time would be up.”

Dane Gagai and Cody Walker after their preliminary final win. Walker says Bennett installs great belief into the players.

Souths five-eighth Cody Walker says Bennett’s enduring strength is his care for players — and the belief he instils.

“Wayne is our X-factor to win the premiership,” he said.

“I love being coached by him. He is the best man manager, he connects with players on a personal level as opposed to just footy.

“As a coach, he allows you to play your style of footy. He doesn’t try and change who you are, he just wants you to play to your strengths and he gives you a belief in your ability.

“He is a great motivator. Some of his speeches and the way he protects his players is second-to-none.

“The list goes on. It’s hard to explain, but he knows what to say on a certain day and at this time of year, as a player you know he has a proven record of winning comps.”

I owe Crowe this one: Bennett’s Broncos blast

Wayne Bennett launched a stinging attack on the Broncos club that sacked him after the super coach had the last laugh by steering Souths to the NRL decider and chalking-up his 10th grand-final appearance.

In a stunning post-match swipe at the Broncos, Bennett opened up on three years of heartache, paying tribute to the Rabbitohs for throwing him a lifeline after he was sensationally sacked by Brisbane bosses in 2018.

The Rabbitohs’ faith was repaid in spades on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium as Bennett engineered another slice of coaching genius, piloting Souths to this year’s decider with a 36-16 mauling of Manly in the preliminary final.

The Broncos bosses who sacked him three years ago – leading to his coaching resurrection at Redfern – should hang their heads in shame.

Brisbane chiefs believed Bennett, then 68, was washed-up as an NRL coach. Now 71, the wily old fox couldn’t help but deliver a verbal uppercut, blasting Brisbane figures as he prepares for Sunday week’s NRL grand final.

“I’m so pleased and proud of the guys,” Bennett said.

“To Souths’ credit, they were happy to bite the bullet and give me an opportunity.

“So I owe Russell Crowe (Souths co-owner) and hopefully this is part of the repayment with what the team has done and the support from the club. The last three years have been the most refreshing in coaching.

“That was a huge thing and I will say this … they (the Broncos) undermined me in conversations with Souths.

“So they didn’t do a little job on me, they did the best job they possibly could.”

Inspired by Dally M Medal contender Cody Walker, who terrorised Manly with a two-try masterclass, Bennett’s Bunnies were always in control against a bumbling Manly side to qualify for their first grand final since their 2014 title triumph.

With Walker ably supported by razor-sharp rake Damien Cook, Souths became the first side into the decider and they will face the winner of Saturday’s Penrith-Melbourne clash in Sunday week’s NRL grand final at Suncorp.

Damien Cook was impressive for the Rabbitohs. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

For Bennett, this was a glorious exclamation mark to his status as the greatest coach in rugby league history.

At 71, age cannot weary the wily old fox.

In his final game as Souths coach next week, Bennett shapes as the talismanic X-factor in the Pride of the League’s quest for a 22nd premiership.

As Souths sliced-and-diced a Sea Eagles outfit too sloppy to give fullback superstar Tom Trbojevic the latitude to run riot, Bennett smashed records like plates at a Greek wedding.

Aside from celebrating his 10th decider, Bennett became the first coach in history to take four clubs (Canberra, the Broncos, the Dragons and Souths) to a grand final.

If Souths salute next week, Bennett will become the only mentor to hoist the premiership with three teams after six titles at the Broncos and his most recent triumph with St George Illawarra 11 years ago.

“They (Brisbane) felt a lot of things about me, but I wasn’t listening to them,” he said.

“I spent a lifetime being honest with myself. If I felt I was washed up I wouldn’t coach, because I would be letting people down. I will determine that. No one will determine it for me. Nothing has changed for me. If I want to coach I will coach. I learnt a lot about when you should or shouldn’t retire.”

WALKER’S ON

Before 26,249 fans at Suncorp, Walker was a lightning rod for South Sydney’s offence.

With halves partner Adam Reynolds battling a groin problem, Walker stepped up to lead the way. The classy five-eighth opened the scoring in the 13th minute and when he showed superb awareness to swoop on a Cook kick for his second try in the 30th minute, Souths were rolling at 18-0.

Adam Reynolds played through the pain of a groin injury against Manly. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

WOUNDED RABBIT

Reynolds is showing immense toughness to play through the pain barrier in his final games as a Rabbitoh.

The Broncos-bound halfback has been carrying a groin injury and required a fitness test in the sheds just moments before running out to face the Sea Eagles.

His injury saga had ramifications for Souths’ attacking structures. Reynolds barely kicked and handed the goalkicking reins to Blake Taaffe as he tried to safeguard his damaged groin.

The Storm or Penrith are sure to target Reynolds in next week’s grand final.

NO LATRELL, NO WORRIES

The season-ending suspension to superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell was supposed to drive the dagger into Souths’ premiership hopes.

Instead, the loss of Mitchell has opened the door for a future superstar in Taaffe.

In just his seventh top-grade game, Taaffe looks like he has played 70. The 22-year-old was flawless at the back, running with venom, throwing two superb balls for Alex Johnston’s double and relishing the goalkicking duties. He will not be overawed in his maiden grand final.

SLOPPY SEA EAGLES

Manly will rue their error-riddled first half, in which they completed at 56 per cent. It killed their season.

Under siege from the opening minutes, the Sea Eagles had a glimmer of hope when Trbojevic was involved in two potential tryscoring movements, but on both occasions, Manly were denied.

The video referee flashed the red light in the 20th minute when Manly, trailing 6-0, were penalised for an obstruction after Trbojevic had sliced through to put Reuben Garrick over.

Then, six minutes later, Trbojevic crashed over, only to lose the ball as Souths defenders converged. It summed up Manly’s night. Four minutes later, Walker crossed to give Bennett a shot at Glory, Glory with South Sydney.

Turbo’s charges not enough for Sea Eagles

—Fatima Kdouh

Manly superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic has carried the Sea Eagles all season but even for his herculean efforts in 2021, it wasn’t enough to deliver his side a spot in next week’s NRL grand final.

Even the 28 tries he’s scored, which see him surpass the great Phil Blake’s season record, was not enough. The 24-year old produced one of the best individual seasons in recent memory, but it still wasn’t enough.

Nor were the 33 linebreaks he made, the 28 try assists he created and the 34 linebreak assists he notched up.

At one point, with the glut of possession against his side, Trbojevic carried four South Sydney defenders over the tryline. But it wasn’t enough.

When Trbojevic was sidelined with yet another hamstring injury after a conspicuous slip in the shower, the Sea Eagles slumped to four straight losses to open the season.

Tom Trbojevic tried his best to lift the Sea Eagles. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

At the time, no one was thinking Manly would ever be in a position to book a preliminary date at Suncorp Stadium, let alone challenge for a grand final appearance.

If anything, questions were being raised about whether Des Hasler had lost his touch as a coach and whether veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans was still the man to return the Sea Eagles to their premiership winning ways.

But Trbojevic returned to the field in April and all of sudden the Sea Eagles emerged as a premiership dark horse.

But what the Melbourne Storm and then South Sydney Rabbitohs have shown is that if you can control possession and win the forward battle then Trbojevic’s impact can be minimised.

On Friday night, the Rabbitohs found a way to limit Trbojevic’s time and space in the middle of the field. When Manly did get into the Rabbitohs red zone, it was Trbojevic that threatened to penetrate South Sydney’s line, whether it was himself or for a teammate over to score.

Rectifying Manly’s inability to fire when the opposition has figured out how to take the heat out of Trbojevic’s game will be Des Hasler’s greatest challenge in the pre-season.

Hasler has a roster mixed with rising talent like Jason Saab and Josh Schuster, who set up a try last night, and seasoned veterans like Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran.

But if Manly are to have a chance of winning a title, Hasler needs to find a way to surround Trbojevic with the kind of talent that cannot only help the club capitalise on Trbojevic’s best years but lift the burden of success solely off the fullbacks’ shoulders.