How did the NRL bust Bunnies coach Wayne Bennett?
How did the NRL discover Wayne Bennett’s COVID breach? According to one restaurant observer, he wasn’t the only footy legend enjoying lunch at Italian joint Grappa.
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Wayne Bennett’s COVID breach is the talk of Sydney footy circles but one question remains – just how did the NRL manage to track the Bunnies coach down during a discreet and romantic lunch at Italian joint Grappa?
One keen-eyed restaurant observer has provided a possible answer to the riddle, claiming retired Roosters legend-turned-commentator Braith Anasta also happened to be dining at the Leichhardt haunt at the same time Bennett partner Dale Cage were twirling tagliatelle nearby.
It’s understood Anasta and Bennett even briefly spoke on arrival, but Bennett was quickly sequestered in a private dining area while Anasta and his party were seated among the general midweek lunch crowd.
“They saw each other and shared words briefly but Bennett seemed uncomfortable,” said a spy. “It was awkward.”
It was just a matter of hours before NRL boss Peter V’landys who brought the full force of the law down on the veteran coach.
Bennett, who later said he was hazy on the COVID-19 restrictions, was benched for two weeks for breaching the strict ban on coaches and players visiting bars or restaurants.
The snubbing of NRL policy even earned a spray from his own son-in-law Ben Ikin (who is married to Bennett’s daughter Elizabeth) who announced on Fox Sports late Wednesday that there was ‘no way’ Bennett wouldn’t have been aware he was breaking the rules.
Anasta declined to comment on the matter.
Originally published as How did the NRL bust Bunnies coach Wayne Bennett?