Crash Craddock: South Sydney crisis could see Wayne Bennett return to club, Broncos vs Dolphins rivalry intensifies
The Rabbitohs could be dialling for Wayne any day now in a bid to bring him back to the club. Meanwhile, the Queensland rivalry between the Broncos and Dolphins continues to grow after a cheeky social media ploy.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Will South Sydney make a play for Wayne Bennett to join them next season if they sack the embattled Jason Demetriou next week?
How could they not at least ask the question?
Not everyone in Rabbitoh country loves Bennett for the way he tried to recruit Latrell Mitchell to the Dolphins but, significantly, South Sydney owner Russell Crowe still refers to him as Mr Bennett and is a deep-seated admirer.
Demetriou’s possible exit next week - or later this season - spotlights the worryingly small list of coaches who stand out as viable first grade mentors.
And the number of men capable of coaching volatile duo Mitchell and Cody Walker is even smaller. You simply couldn’t hand the job to a rookie coach.
Bennett, who is out of contract with the Dolphins at the end of this season, somehow had the ability to adhere to their wishes and whims without putting the noses of other players out of joint.
Bennett, at 74, is the oldest coach in the game’s history, out on his own in the longevity stakes with Craig Bellamy (64) closest on the all-time list.
Tim Sheens went at 61 while Jack Gibson and Warren Ryan were done at 58. Phil Gould coached the Roosters for the last time at 41 but spent another four years coaching NSW.
The argument against Bennett returning is that he’s been there and done that having taken Souths to a 14-12 grand final defeat by Penrith in 2021 at Suncorp Stadium. The argument for it is that he is off contract next season and has no plans to retire.
DON’T SAY DOLPHINS
The rivalry between the Dolphins and Broncos is not manufactured.
It’s real and it comes out in the smallest ways.
In social media marketing for Friday’s game at Suncorp the Broncos repeatedly called the Dolphins “Redcliffe’’ as if to remind the public that one team is the Brisbane and the other isn’t.
The Dolphins plan to not call themselves Redcliffe in a bid to cast a wider net for fans appears to have worked though with 40% of their 27,000 members located within 16 kilometres of Suncorp Stadium.
A NIU MAN
If, as expected Tesi Niu returns to the Dolphins side for the derby against Brisbane it will be a reward for his off-season calorie cutting.
Niu dropped eight kilograms as a result of smart eating and plenty of hard training.
A TITANIC STRUGGLE
The Titans had a genuine crack against the Cowboys before going down 35-22 on Sunday but the pressure on coach Des Hasler is growing by the week.
Former coach Justin Holbrook was axed last season when his side had a 6-7 record and was sitting eighth and firmly in the finals race.
At 0-4 this season they would love to have that record back.
There were some encouraging signs against the Cowboys with David Fifita working hard and Beau Fermor shining as well. But they are the first NRL team in history to concede 28 points nine weeks in a row and that suggests they simply have to find more fibre.
More Coverage
Originally published as Crash Craddock: South Sydney crisis could see Wayne Bennett return to club, Broncos vs Dolphins rivalry intensifies
‘Scandalous’: Shocking twist in Aussie snub
The Jillaroos coach is under fire after his explanation for dropping the NRLW’s best player from the Aussie squad was questioned.
‘The Panthers era is over’: Three reasons there’ll be no ‘five in 2025’
At the risk of being made look foolish again, DEAN RITCHIE claims 2025 will mark the end of the Penrith Panthers dynasty, with the tyranny of travel and lack of home ground just the start of the issues that club must conquer.