Wayne Bennett won’t walk away from Brisbane Broncos until his contract is up or he is sacked

Despite a deadline place on his decision, the Brisbane-South Sydney saga drags on, as Wayne Bennett won’t walk away from the Brisbane Broncos until his contract is up or he is sacked

• Souths greats call for end to farce
• Bennett slams Broncos bosses

THE Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney were, on Monday night, still trying to work out a way out of the coaching fiasco that has engulfed both clubs.

The Daily Telegraph was told that a 6pm deadline had been placed on Wayne Bennett to make a decision if he was staying at Brisbane or heading to Redfern for 2019.

What makes it so strange is that this information arrived just two days after Bennett was guaranteed by Broncos chairman Karl Morris that he would be safe at the club for his final year.

Bennett has maintained throughout the ongoing saga that the only way he will leave Brisbane is if he is sacked.

Bennett won’t walk away to make it easier. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

As of Monday morning, Bennett still had no intention of going back on the commitment he had given to his player and football staff.

Bennett was then notified late in the day about the supposed deadline, but at that point he didn’t even know it existed.

So he was then told the deadline had been extended for a few more days.

The decision now will be made in the coming days but one thing Bennett won’t stand for is being pushed into a corner.

For that reason this latest attempt to oust him might end up backfiring on the Broncos.

Broncos players are in limbo like everyone else. (Lachie Millard)

In an age when NRL coaching contracts don’t seem to be worth the paper they are printed on, the game’s oldest coach is determined to buck the modern trend.

But at the moment it appears as though he is fighting with both hands tied behind his back.

While it seems logical for both Bennett and Anthony Seibold to swap positions now, given they have already agreed to deals for 2020, for Bennett it is not that simple.

The veteran coach is waiting for the club to blink. (Annette Dew)

Bennett has consistently said this has nothing to do with him not wanting to be at Souths.

But because the Broncos have been the biggest part of Bennett’s career, where he has given 25 years of service, there is no way he wants the final chapter to be remembered for how he walked out on his contract a year early.

While it might not sound like such a big deal in the modern game, it remains the line in the sand Bennett refuses to cross.

Unless he is forced to.

It will make for an interesting season if Bennett stays at Brisbane.

Rightly or wrongly, it seems Morris has severely underestimated just how strong-minded Bennett can be, especially when he feels he is being bullied.

Bennett is due to return to work on December 3 although there is still a chance the switch could take place in the coming days.

But most likely, for that to happen it is going to take Morris to go back on the commitment he made over the weekend and pull the trigger.

One thing that is certain so far, Bennett is not an easy target to kill.

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