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Is Benny headed back to the Dragons?

A rose between two thorns - is Benny headed back to the 'Gong? (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Roar Guru
11th July, 2014
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Reports are circulating that Wayne Bennett could return to the St George Illawarra Dragons, following his messy exit from the Newcastle Knights.

The Bennett era proved to be a successful one for the Dragons, who won their first premiership as a merged entity in 2010 after a decade of underachieving under Nathan Brown, Andrew Farrar and David Waite.

The Dragons have failed to build on the platform of success Bennett laid after he left the club at the end of 2011, failing to make the finals in consecutive seasons for the first time in the club’s history.

Steve Price, who was tasked with trying to keep the team in the upper echelon after Bennett’s departure for Newcastle, failed to carry on the legacy left behind by the supercoach, and was sacked in favour of Paul McGregor.

Under the coaching of McGregor, the Dragons have won four of their last five matches, including defeating the once-almighty Melbourne Storm at home in Wollongong and coming from behind to beat the Cowboys at Kogarah Oval.

But now, the coaching future of the former Dragons captain remains in the balance following the news of Bennett’s departure from Newcastle, which has led to speculation he might return to Kogarah to lift the club’s on-field fortunes.

Despite this, some fans are calling for McGregor to be appointed to the head coaching role full-time, given the immediate impact he has had on the confidence-stricken squad.

But if Bennett does return to the Dragons as speculated, McGregor might revert to being assistant coach, as was the case when Rick Stone moved down to being an assistant coach when Bennett took over from him at Newcastle in 2012.

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Speaking of Stone, it’s likely he will assume the full-time coaching role at the Knights from the 2015 season onwards.

Mid-season recruit Benji Marshall is starting to rediscover his form of old and his combination with English Test five-eighth Gareth Widdop has been a huge factor behind the team’s recent good run of form.

The only poor match he has played since linking up with the Dragons in May was his debut game when the side was thrashed 36-0 by Parramatta, the game that ended Steve Price’s career.

Gareth Widdop has also proven to be a revelation for the Dragons since joining the club at the start of this season, and he remains one of the favourites for this year’s Dally M Medal.

Josh Dugan has also improved over the last month-and-a-half and has proven that he can also play at centre, scoring three tries against the Sharks in Round 13. So much so, he was named there for the Blues.

We have already seen how much impact he has had on this proud club. After being appointed as their coach for three years from 2009, he overhauled the club in an effort to turn them into genuine premiership contenders.

Darius Boyd, Michael Weyman, Neville Costigan, Jeremy Smith and later Nathan Fien were some of the players who were successfully lured to the club by Bennett. Boyd and Costigan had both previously played under the supercoach at the Brisbane Broncos, with Boyd featuring in their 2006 premiership team.

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There are reports that the 2010 Clive Churchill Medallist could also follow Bennett back to the Dragons, or even head to the Bulldogs as a belated replacement for Ben Barba, who left the club at the end of last season to return home to Brisbane.

Boyd has played his entire club football under Bennett dating back to his debut with the Broncos in 2006. If that trend were to continue, then the odds are that he might also return to Kogarah where he could possibly fight it out with Gerard Beale and Adam Quinlan for the Dragons’ fullback role.

Bennett’s potential return to the Dragons could also spark another signing spree similar to six years ago. However, at present, there have been no confirmed gains or losses for the 2015 season as of yet.

There’s also the chance he could quit rugby league altogether, given he will be 65 at the beginning of next season – if that is the case, we can only wish him well for the next chapter of his life.

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