Broncos coach Wayne Bennett open to coaching another club if replaced by Craig Bellamy

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett says he’s open to coaching another club if he’s replaced by Craig Bellamy at the end of next season.

Wayne Bennett says he will consider coaching another NRL club if he’s replaced by Craig Bellamy at Brisbane.

Brisbane chief executive Paul White confirmed this morning that he has opened talks with the Melbourne coach about taking over from Bennett at the end of next season.

Bennett said he had initiated the discussions with the club about his future and was aware of the approach to Bellamy.

Bennett flatly ruled out standing aside at the end of the season to accommodate the potential arrival of Bellamy, and said he had already been approached by clubs expressing an interest in his services.

“I have always put the clubs first here and I will put the club first again,” Bennett said.

“If I finish a bit earlier in my life than I want to, then that is probably the price I play. That’s a decision for me at another time. That’s not one I am making right now. There is a factor for me with health and age and I have to make sure I am capable of doing the job.

“The way I feel now I feel great physically and mentally. I am not going be to defined by my age. If the club doesn’t see that as relevant, I will coach somewhere else.”

Bennett also ruled out coaching alongside Bellamy and said he would know the right time to give coaching away. He also confirmed he had spoken to White and chairman Karl Morris several weeks ago about the need for a succession plan, but said was not aware of any talks between the club and the Storm coach.

”I am staying here in 2019,” Bennett said.

“That was always agreed upon. That was not part of the discussion. We talked about other coaches. I think (Broncos assistant) Jason Demetriou is a very good coach. Kevin Walters was part of the discussion, It wasn’t just about Craig.

“Why would we go out publicly and tell you all. The bottom line is someone has talked. It’s our business. Surely we can conduct our business in private. There were three of us at that meeting.

“I didn’t even know Craig had been approached at this point. I had asked Paul to tell me that. I didn’t know that had happened until someone gave me the tip about seven days ago. I was aware they were going to go and talk to him but I wasn’t aware they had talked to him.”

Asked about the prospect of working alongside Bellamy, Bennett said: “It’s just not practical. It sounds good in theory but it won’t work in practice. I still want to coach, he wants to coach. What do you do?”

As for his own future, Bennett said he had not ruled out coaching beyond the end of next season.

Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett (centre left) is seen during a team training session at Red Hill. Picture: AAP

“I have had a couple ring me up in the last couple of weeks,” Bennett said.

“I let a lot of players go from here over the years because I thought their careers were coming towards an end. I have to make that decision about me.

“There is no one more honest about me than me. No one knows me better than me. I won’t lie to myself. I never have and I am not going to do it now because I have jeopardised careers here, I have jeopardised people’s employment.

“It is not going to happen on my watch. If I am putting the club before me, I am not going to do that ... I am not going to walk away from something I love because someone doesn’t think I can do it any more.

“I think it will unfold early next year. Next year would be the appropriate time for me. It’s a job that you continually learn at. I have been good enough all these years that I haven’t taken the position that I know everything.

“I have been improving myself but at this point in my life I still think I have something to offer.”

Bennett said he had been assured a month ago and again this morning by White that he would be coach next season.

“I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” Bennett said.

“That was an undertaking we had at the meeting a month ago. That was an undertaking Paul gave me this morning. I don’t ask him for the undertaking this morning — he told me. That is the difficult part for the club in trying to appoint a coach.

“I will be here until the end of 2019. I spent 21 years here. I never signed a contract in 21 years because I trusted the people who ran the place. I have come back and I trust the people who run the place now. I have signed a contract since I came back but things have changed a bit with accountants and everything else.

“I have a good relationship with Craig. If that was to happen, whatever coach was to come in I would be supportive of them. You have to understand — club comes first with me. It is not about me. It never has been. The club is bigger than me, bigger than everybody.”

White insisted this morning Bennett would not be sacked, but the club was interested in luring Bellamy to the club at the end of 2019.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy. Picture: Getty Images

He denied negotiations had taken place and said they would not begin until Bellamy had weighed up an offer from Melbourne — the Storm have tabled a three-year deal for the premiership-winning coach.

White also said Bennett had encouraged him to speak to Bellamy.

“From my point of view we will always be future looking in terms of where this club is at,” White said. “We have the utmost respect, and I personally which you all know have the utmost respect for Wayne Bennett. I have known him since I was 18-year-old. He has had a massive impact on my life — I would never be disrespectful to Wayne.

“My communication with Wayne always remains very open and I guess candid. Prior to me having the first conversations with Craig I discussed that with Wayne and the chairman. That’s why the conversation occurred when it did.

“Wayne understands as much as anyone that we have to have an eye for the future, and 2020 includes our future. He is comfortable that is part of my job.”

Pressed further, White said: “I am not going to go into specifics of the detail. All I can say is I have met with him (Bellamy). Wayne encouraged me to meet with him.

“At the moment there are no negotiations going because Craig has an offer from Melbourne that he is considering.”

Asked whether it was possible that Bennett and Bellamy could work together at the club, White refused to discuss hypotheticals.

“I have clearly said we have had a conversations with Craig,” he said.

“That conversation was predicated by a conversation with Wayne and the chairman.

“Where that has led to is Craig is currently considering an offer from Melbourne and we won’t be impinging on that process.

Broncos CEO Paul White. Picture: AAP

“Wayne has a contract here until 2019. At the moment, we’re not looking beyond 2019. I have said to Wayne, we needed to approach Craig if he was on the market. Obviously the first conversation I needed to have was with Wayne and the chairman.

“Wayne knows he is contracted here until 2019. We don’t have a replacement beyond that and if we did we would announce it.

“We have spoken to Craig Bellamy but at the moment he is considering for an offer from Melbourne. We will continue to work on all options. I am not ruling anything in or out in terms of Wayne being here in 2020. Things can change quite quickly.

“Again, what I don’t want to do today is create hypotheticals which can create more news.

“The news today is that we are playing Parramatta tomorrow night and Wayne is coaching his 800th game. No negotiations have taken place. Wayne is aware of that and all of my conversations.

“I am CEO of this rugby league club. Part of my job is obviously a leadership role and part of that leadership role is not only planning for today, but planning for the future.”

Melbourne have been grooming assistant coach Adam O’Brien to take over from Bellamy, although that could be sooner than many had anticipated given the latest revelations.

With AAP