Bennett’s shadow still looms over Broncos

Isn’t it great how the early rounds of the season are always jigged to throw up the juiciest of match ups? Last week we had our fair share and then some, and next week we’ve got Trent Barrett returning to his old stomping ground.

This week’s juicy match-up has to be the Storm’s visit to Brisbane.

Wayne Bennett’s shadow loomed large over Brisbane, and even he’s headed south as this one still has his name written all over it. Players often talk about how influential Bennett has been in their lives, both on and off the field.

While they might not admit it while they’re in direct competition with him, his former assistants, Ivan Henjak and Craig Bellamy, must feel similarly.

It’s no coincidence that Bellamy hasn’t missed out on the finals and made three grand finals on the trot in his five seasons at the Storm.

Sure, that can’t all be down to Bennett, but the Storm are on the verge of becoming a dynasty in their own right against all odds (well, a salary cap) and Bennett has form in that department.

Two decades of consistent success speaks for itself.

Which brings us to Henjak, the man charged with filling one of the biggest pairs of boots to ever set foot in a coaches box.

He wasn’t the biggest name linked to Broncos job when it came up, but Bruno Cullen and the rest of the Brisbane board are no mugs.

They’ve worked patiently to ensure the club remains successful and they wouldn’t have shown so much faith in Henjak if they didn’t think he was up to the job.

Tactically Bellamy is calling the shots in this one, but that shouldn’t dishearten Henjak too much. The Storm are going to do that to everyone they face.

All Bellamy’s pre-season talk of throwing Cam Smith into the five-eighth role seems to have been a smokescreen he’s pulled to detract attention from Greg Inglis.

Smith is still at dummy-half, but Inglis is playing anything but a traditional pivot’s role.

Bellamy has given him a free role to patrol predominantly the left edge in attack while still slotting in at second receiver in equal amounts.

Ironically, Bennett’s Dragons weren’t able to contain the bulked up Inglis when he did run at them out wide, probably because they were uncertain about when he was coming.

Henjak, on the other hand, has one of Bellamy’s old trump cards to trouble the opposition’s fringes in Israel Folau. But you’d think if anyone can keep him in check, it’s his old teammates.

Against the Cowboys, Henjak had the luxury of Karmichael Hunt slotting into his back line as a third playmaker to exploit a defence fixated on Folau.

Young Will Chambers will have his hands full with the traffic the Broncos are going to send his way tonight.

As usual, much depends on whose forward pack gets on top. But if it comes down to the coaches, Bellamy has the experience but Henjak still has Bennett’s legacy stamped all over his team.

What price for golden point at Suncorp two weeks in a row?