By Tom Decent
History shows that success is hard to come by for NRL coaches who have had to succeed Wayne Bennett.
On Tuesday evening, Jason Demetriou became the latest to drink from the poisoned chalice that comes with stepping into the super coach’s shoes.
Demetriou, who took over South Sydney in 2022 after Bennett’s three years in charge, was on Tuesday evening sacked with immediate effect following two club board meetings to deliberate over his fate after a dramatic slump that has Souths anchored to the foot of the ladder.
Ironically, the Rabbitohs have confirmed they would be willing to welcome Bennett back to the club from next season once his contract is up with the Dolphins, meaning Demetriou would become the first coach to succeed Bennett and then be replaced by him.
Bennett has enjoyed success wherever he has been, winning seven premierships from 10 grand final appearances. The same, however, cannot be said of those men who have been unlucky enough to replace him.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Canberra (1987)
Bennett’s maiden season as a first-grade coach was in 1987 with Canberra when he shared the role with Don Furner. The Raiders won 17 of their 28 matches (60.7 per cent).
Tim Sheens, who replaced Bennett when he left for the Broncos the following season in 1988, was the first and only coach to taste success in Bennett’s wake when he steered the Raiders to their maiden premiership in 1989.
After further premiership glory in 1990 and 1994, Sheens ended his stint with Canberra in 1996 with a win record of 66.5 per cent.
Wayne Bennett in 1987.Credit: SMH
Brisbane (1988 to 2008)
Bennett will always be synonymous with the Brisbane Broncos after leading them through a hugely successful period that spanned two decades. From 525 matches in charge, Bennett’s win record was 63.8 per cent.
Ivan Henjak replaced Bennett in 2009 but found the top job tough going. After winning six of seven games to start the 2009 season, Henjak guided Brisbane to a preliminary final against the Melbourne Storm, a match in which they were trounced 40-10.
It was downhill from there, with the club recording a 10th place finish in 2010. Four losses to the end the year – against Parramatta, Newcastle, the Warriors and Canberra – by an average margin of 19 points sealed Henjak’s fate.
Henjak was sacked in February 2011, three weeks out from the start of the NRL season. He finished with a winning record of 52.9 per cent at the Broncos.
St George Illawarra (2009-2011)
Bennett helped the Dragons secure a premiership during his second year in charge in 2010. It was a promising three-year period for the club, with Bennett achieving a 64.6 per cent win rate.
Steve Price was the next man up in the coach’s box but it didn’t go to plan. Price was sacked in May 2014 after a run of six losses from seven games. He won 23 of 60 matches in charge of the joint venture (38.3 per cent).
Dragons coach Steve Price.
Newcastle (2012 to 2014)
Bennett headed north to Newcastle for a three-year stint where he registered 34 wins from 75 games (45.3 per cent). The team finished 12th (2012), 7th (2013) and 12th (2014) during his time there.
Rick Stone came in for the 2015 season but didn’t last the year. The Knights won four games at the start of Stone’s tenure before a disastrous run of 12 losses from 14 matches.
Stone was sacked after a 52-6 thrashing at the hands of South Sydney. Danny Buderus was made interim coach but didn’t have much joy, with just two wins from six matches.
Nathan Brown was appointed the club’s permanent coach. His four-year stint from 2016 to 2019 resulted in a 25.5 per cent win record, the worst in the club’s history.
Nathan Brown. Credit: Getty
Brisbane (2015 to 2018)
Bennett was welcomed home to Brisbane with open arms and helped the Broncos to 67 wins from 105 games (63.8 per cent).
Once he departed, Anthony Seibold came in for the 2019 season. Brisbane sneaked into eighth place before suffering a 58-0 loss to Parramatta in the first week of the finals. The following season, Seibold was sacked in August after a run of 10 losses from 11 matches.
Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold in 2020. Credit: Getty
South Sydney (2019 to 2021)
Once again, Bennett worked his magic on another club, with Souths winning 68 per cent of matches from 2019 to 2021.
There were high hopes for Demetriou when he was given the keys to the club in 2022 after working as an assistant alongside Bennett.
In Demetriou’s first season, Souths made a preliminary final. They should have been playing finals last year but an awful run of results saw them miss the top eight. His contract was terminated on Tuesday evening after the club managed just six wins from 22 matches since May last year. His overall win record was 50 per cent.
Kristian Woolf will replace Bennett as head coach of the Dolphins next year. History shows it will be an extremely tough ask to follow the man many regard as the greatest coach of the modern era.
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