Wayne Bennett, Paul White narrowly avert crisis, but there’s drama ahead at Red Hill
WAYNE Bennett may have been blindsided by the Broncos but there can be no tears or tantrums. He knows the laws of the rugby league jungle, writes Crash Craddock.
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WAYNE Bennett may have been blindsided by the Broncos but there can be no tears or tantrums. He knows the laws of the rugby league jungle.
In fact the only law of this shadowy world is that there are no laws.
The complex world of coaching recruitment is one of secret meetings, subtle offers, cagey denials, half-truths, side-stepping and backtracking where yesterday’s rumour can be today’s denial but tomorrow’s done deal.
DRAMA: Bennett, Broncos on collision course
EXCLUSIVE: Bennett out, Bellamy in
Bennett has played the game as well as anyone.
To survive and thrive in this jungle for more than three decades, Bennett has had to walk out on a $90,000 contract at the Canberra Raiders to join the Broncos for their first season and once agree to join the Roosters but pull out when his deal became public even after they sacked coach Ricky Stuart to make way for him.
He also agreed to join the Dragons a few years ago then change his mind and go to the Broncos.
Suddenly, after being the man in demand, he is now the man fighting for his future.
But he is not a loser out of this episode because the Broncos have been forced to guarantee that he will see out his contract which runs until the end of next season.
REVEALED: Broncos CEO held talk with Bellamy
KENT: Why Broncos want to replace Bennett
To listen to Bennett and CEO Paul White speak at the Broncos was to watch two experienced performers who know they must spend the next 18 months together both jump on the path of least resistance despite the fact that they were seemingly on a collision course earlier in the day – and will be again soon enough.
Their stories did not quite match each other but were just close enough for them to escape the feeling that the Broncos were on course for an uncivil war in the short term though further tension seems inevitable.
White is a super smooth performer but he was fully extended as he tried to explain the complex and highly sensitive manoeuvre which potentially involved a baton change between the Killer B’s of rugby league coaching.
White said Bennett was consulted about the choice of Bellamy and fully supported it.
Bennett confirmed this but he also admitted it took another staffer to tell him about the fact that negotiations had started and White had been conducting secret meetings with Bellamy.
Bennett was understood to be more miffed by this than he let on but he was smart enough to know that there was no point in starting a bushfire.
Part of the secret to surviving in the jungle is knowing when to fight and when to simply growl in your den.
Given Bennett’s iconic status at the Broncos some would see it as a lack of respect for Bennett that he was not told about the Bellamy talks.
But White, as Bennett’s boss not his underling, could argue he does not have to tell the coach everything.
The great unanswered question was whether the Broncos wanted Bellamy to come next season.
If so Bennett would have had to have been sacked with a year on his contract and that truly would have been World War III.
What would the Broncos have done if Bellamy had said “I will come but it must start next season … I am not having a year off waiting for Wayne?’’
It was surprising to hear White say that he had not offered a formal contract to Bellamy and that he was waiting for the super coach to decide whether he wanted to sign an extended deal with Melbourne.
Maybe there was nothing on paper but surely there had to be some talk of money.
How could Bellamy possibly know the Storm offer was true market value until he sees what Brisbane had to offer?
The big game hunt for Bellamy again proved that, rather unfortunately and for reasons never properly explained, the Broncos have never seen Kevin Walters as their ideal first grade coach despite his impressive State of Origin record.
The big question now is how long Bennett will coach for.
Throughout his decorated coaching career Bennett has been one for urging great players not to diminish their standing by staying around too long.
Go one year early rather than one too late.
Will he be bold enough to follow his own advice? Bennett was sounding very much like a man who sees no end.
Rugby league has been his life.
He is not the sort of person you will see playing lawn bowls or golf or towing a caravan around Australia.
As his press conference ended with a laugh the vibe spread that an immediate crisis had been averted but this will be a story of more twists, turns and drama.
That’s life in the jungle.
Originally published as Wayne Bennett, Paul White narrowly avert crisis, but there’s drama ahead at Red Hill