Paul Kent: Sacking Wayne Bennett still a final option for the Broncos
In announcing on Friday he would be staying at the Broncos, Wayne Bennett said the drama ‘wasn’t about him.’ Paul Kent begs to differ:
Thank heavens that’s over.
Or is it?
Even after all the drama on Friday, the absolute certainty of it, nothing is certain.
It began when Bennett began calling journalists in the morning telling them to stick around Red Hill. He was making an announcement.
Bennett turned up at training when he was not expected and told his players he was making an announcement. He didn’t tell them what.
They hung around after training, as confused as anybody.
Rumours went around that he had called News Corp boss Michael Miller, as the owner of the Broncos, and told him he was staying at the Broncos. In literally the same breath it was claimed he called the Rabbitohs and told them he was going to Souths next year.
Who knew what to believe.
And while this was happening, where it looks like it is now finally resolved, Bennett remains one false step from being sacked at the Broncos.
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There were plenty of ironies on Friday.
Bennett’s firm declaration might have actually saved him. And the goodwill of the same bosses he has been picked fights with are the same ones refusing to sack him.
The Broncos have always had a bit of class about them.
Even Bennett’s announcement on Friday, declaring he was staying in Brisbane, was the coach at his best; bullish and forthright and selectively principled.
“The drama hasn’t been me,” he said. “I know how I’ve handled myself.”
Well …
If that is to be believed then somewhere, someone is getting their wires all kinds of crossed.
Friday’s flurry all kicked up this week because, as Bennett said on , he put a deadline on a decision of December 3. This, after last week claiming none of this was his doing.
Bennett was waiting around for months to be sacked by Brisbane and, when it dawned that the Broncos really did have no intention to sack him, he began picking a fight with the Broncos to make it happen.
Stories were leaked that the Broncos were going to sack him, when they weren’t. That they had signed Anthony Seibold, when they hadn’t yet.
That they had treated him disrespectfully, when they had done nothing of the sort.
He criticised chairman Karl Morris and chief executive Paul White for hiding away, even though White walks past every flea-bitten journo with a fading Bic as he walks into work every morning.
Bennett was always the news. He set himself up as the club figurehead years ago.
Bennett kept the story humming along.
At every query Bennett has confirmed he would not quit because he had a contract, even though he broke at least three contracts, at Canberra, Sydney Roosters and Newcastle.
He claimed he made a commitment to the players, even though he has walked out on his players at two clubs before, Canberra and Newcastle.
His behaviour in recent months contradicted the narrative he long ago began pushing in Brisbane that “nobody is bigger than the Broncos” or that there is a “Broncos way”, or that he will walk away from the job when they no longer want him. All quietly forgotten.
Now the ground has subtly shifted to make the topic all about honouring a contract and a commitment to the players.
But as Bennett set up his next job, determined for success and determined to show Brisbane they got it wrong refusing to extend his contract, he went a step too far.
The Broncos believe Bennett has breached his contract and they are now on safe ground to sack him, at their call, with no payout.
They have evidence of approaches to staff about joining him at South Sydney, recruitment of players and of him contributing to planning for the Rabbitohs’ current off-season. He denies this.
In most other industries this would mean immediate dismissal but rugby league, where heart strings come attached, makes that difficult.
The Broncos know what Bennett meant to the club and the city and respect that. Even if it has recently diminished.
So sacking Bennett still remains an absolute final option.
It received a new twist this week because of Bennett’s secret deadline, revealed on Friday, and because the conversations have got heavier at South Sydney.
Seibold has been frozen out of club decisions, like a say over staff and recruitment choices, since signing with Brisbane for 2020.
There is an argument the Rabbitohs have breached their contract to him and his manager is fighting fiercely over it.
Recently it got more confusing because somewhere in there South Sydney somehow received, they believe, enough of an undertaking that Bennett would be their head coach next season that the Rabbitohs’ general manager of football, Shane Richardson, told staff and players Bennett would be coach in 2019.
Richardson even flew to England to talk to Bennett about next season, even though the public dialogue was that it was for 2020.
So Seibold and his manager were driving for a resolution, one that Souths wanted and Brisbane wanted, all aware they were at the will of Bennett.
Souths called Morris and asked for help to convince Bennett to take charge of the Rabbitohs in 2019. It made sense for everybody.
Morris told them it was their job to convince Bennett.
Bennett rightly assumed Souths and Brisbane were working together to move him on.
So much so Seibold was in Brisbane on Friday preparing to be announced late afternoon as Brisbane coach next season.
Outplayed again.
Instead Bennett announced he was staying.
It is only the latest time Bennett has torched Seibold.
The first time was when Souths headed to Brisbane in August and suddenly the local papers were filled with reports Seibold had secretly met the Broncos. He hadn’t, but plenty were embarrassed.
Then last month the Rabbitohs were still negotiating with Anthony Seibold about a contract extension when Seibold asked for more time.
Seibold always coveted the Brisbane job but part of his thinking was that it had come too early. He liked what he was building at South Sydney and he was wondering if he could stay one more contract period before joining Brisbane.
But would the Brisbane job be even available then? It was a lot to think about, so Seibold asked Souths for more time.
Then Cody Walker called him in England asking what had happened. He just read on Souths’ website that Bennett had signed for 2020-21.
It effectively forced the decision and negated Seibold’s bargaining power when he negotiated with the Broncos
At that point it was considered common sense would prevail and both clubs would agree to swap coaches immediately.
But common sense left this story long ago.
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