State of origin 2017: Qld fans turn on Wayne Bennett after JT misses Origin I
WAYNE Bennett is no longer the most admired man in Queensland rugby league, with fans north of the border describing him as a “whinger” and a “clown”.
Phil Rothfield
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WAYNE Bennett is no longer the most admired man in Queensland rugby league.
Fans north of the border have turned on the veteran coach for forcing superstar halfback Johnathan Thurston to rush his fitness test for Wednesday night’s game, describing him as a “whinger” a “clown” and a “grumpy old man”.
Thurston had played 36 straight Origin games since debuting in 2005 and was rated an outside chance of proving his fitness by game day.
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Check the comments on last week’s Thurston stories on the Courier-Mail website to get an understanding of how furious fans are.
Lynn: “Who does Bennett think he is? Time to go before he becomes a complete embarrassment.”
Jim: “Nobody likes him anymore.”
It goes on and on.
Even Broncos supporters are dirty he put his club team ahead of the Maroons.
Troy: “I’m a lifelong Broncos supporter and a Wayne Bennett fan but I have had a gutful of the old clown. He used to be about growing the game. About making it a spectacle for fans. He’s a self- interested whinger.”
Nathan: “Last week Wayne was telling Milf to grow up. What better opportunity for him to do this than to have him spend 10 days in camp with the best in the business in JT, Cam Smith and Cronk.”
Peter: “I don’t think most people have the same respect for Wayne as they used to. He seems to have two standards on the high moral ground.”
Queensland coach Kevin Walters wanted to give Thurston until game day to recover from his shoulder injury. Then Bennett used his influence north of the border to bring the decision forward to last Thursday.
He is extremely close to QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher.
Another reader, John, wrote: “Grumpy OLD man who poaches what is considered the best and then complains when they are in line for higher honours.”
We’re told Bennett is unlikely to attend the game at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night. He’d probably be booed if he did.
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