Wayne Bennett hits back at Gorden Tallis after being accused of ‘disrespectful’ gesture

Wayne Bennett has responded after NRL great Gorden Tallis smashed him over a glaring “disrespectful” act regarding the Immortals.

Gorden Tallis has smashed Wayne Bennett’s decision to skip last night’s NRL Hall of Fame dinner, where Ron Coote was honoured as the sport’s 14th Immortal.

Bennett, widely considered the greatest coach in the league’s history, was scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the held at the Sydney Cricket Ground but withdrew at the last minute.

His absence came just a day after former player and TV personality Darryl Brohman announced his refusal to attend in protest of Les Boyd’s induction into the Hall of Fame.

Instead of attending, Bennett asked his close friend, Sam Burgess — who had flown 17,000km from the UK to be inducted into the Hall of Fame himself — to accept the honour on his behalf.

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Despite his dizzying list of accomplishments, Bennett is known for avoiding public ceremonies and maintaining a private lifestyle.

But the decision to sit out the Immortals event has not sat well with fellow Queenslander Tallis.

“I’m a little bit disappointed for the game,” Tallis said on NRL 360.

“When Wayne talks about the game, it’s so beautiful, and I know what it means to him.

“When you’ve got Sam flying out from England, and I know it can be a hassle to travel when you’re coaching, but respect for the game is Wayne coming in and grabbing that jacket.”

Wayne Bennett has responded after NRL great Gorden Tallis smashed him over a glaring “disrespectful” act regarding the Immortals.

The seven-time premiership-winning coach, who led the Brisbane Broncos to six titles and now runs the Dolphins setup, responded to Tallis’ passionate spray on Thursday morning.

Bennett typically spends Wednesdays on his family farm near Warwick, Queensland and had taken the day off from his duties as Dolphins coach.

“I just couldn’t get there. Simple as that,” Bennett told the Courier Mail.

“I’m not going into details, I’m just telling you I didn’t go, that’s it.

“I want to make it clear I wasn’t being disrespectful.

“Anyway, I’m not going to talk any more about it.

“I just had to make a decision and I made it.”

Bennett’s decision to sit out the Immortals event did not sit well with fellow Queenslander Tallis.

Andrew Johns blasts NRL

Mal Meninga revealed earlier on Wednesday that the current Immortals had not been consulted regarding the next player who will join rugby league’s most exclusive club.There are just three currently living Immortals in Meninga, Wally Lewis and Andrew Johns.

And the eighth Immortal Andrew Johns is furious about it.

“It’s disrespectful,” he said on Nine’s Freddy and the Eighth.

“I haven’t had a phone call. Not one phone call about it.

“As of Monday, I didn’t know there was going to be another Immortal being inducted. I thought it was just Hall of Fame.”

He also said legendary broadcaster Ray Warren, who had previously been part of the voting panels was also not asked for his input.“Not myself, not Wally, not Mal — I know they’re disappointed,” Johns said.

“I know Rabs is disappointed. Rabs is very disappointed.”

Andrew Johns didn’t realise an Immortal was being named.

40-year-old NRL beef reignites

Bennett’s absence wasn’t the only cloud hanging over the event.

Les Boyd shot back in a brutal response to Darryl Brohman’s comments about his NRL Hall of Fame induction in the days leading up to the ceremony, saying “I couldn’t give a f**k”.

Boyd, who played 17 Tests for Australia and eight Origins for NSW in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was named among 11 players who inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame this season.

Lionel Morgan, Ben Elias, Steve Renouf, Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Benji Marshall, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess are the other inductees.

But it was Boyd’s selection that started a storm as former Maroons forward turned TV and radio personality Darryl Brohman blasted the selection.

Former Queensland Origin forward Darryl Brohman has slammed the induction of ex-NSW and Kangaroos forward Les Boyd into the NRL Hall of Fame.

Brohman has a longstanding beef with Boyd after a 1983 State of Origin Game 1 incident where a raised elbow in a front-on tackle from Boyd left Brohman with a broken jaw.

In the match, Boyd was not sent off with Queensland only given a penalty, but he was later given a 12-month suspension.

Brohman was believed to be in contention for Australian selection but didn’t play again in the 1983 season, maintaining it cost him a Kangaroos jersey, a feat he never achieved.

Brohman also took legal action against Boyd, with the case being settled out of court.

In 1984, Boyd was given a 15-month ban for eye gouging Canterbury’s Billy Johnstone.

On Monday, Brohman tweeted: “Les Boyd…..9 Months suspension for breaking my Jaw in 1983. 12 Months for Eye gouging Billy Johnston … … Gets inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame. Please!!!!”

But Boyd has fired back.

“He should be grateful that I did it, otherwise no one would remember him,” Boyd told News Corp.

“Honestly, I couldn’t give a f**k. Let him worry about it. He’s the one who can’t let it go. I’m over it. It’s in the past.”

Boyd said that the pair had crossed paths “six or seven years ago” at the Gundagai races.

“He came up to me and said he felt uncomfortable and that he would come over and say ‘g’day’,” Boyd said.

“I said ‘don’t feel uncomfortable, enjoy the races, I don’t give a ‘f**k’ and I walked away. That’s the only time I’ve spoken to him.”

Brohman has long maintained his fury over the incident, telling News Corp in 2013: “At the end of the day he doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. I am happy for him not to be part of my life and he would feel the same.”