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New Zealand rugby league captain Roy Asotasi has demanded Wayne Bennett’s inclusion on the team’s coaching staff, hinting at widespread player unrest if the status quo remains.
Asotasi reiterated his belief that head coach Gary Kemble was out of his depth on last year’s disastrous European tour and said former Kangaroos coach Bennett needed to join Kemble for the Kiwis to be competitive at the World Cup in Australia in October-November.
Kemble was last month reappointed by the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) but no decision has been made on the status of assistants Phil Prescott and James Leuluai as the board prepare to meet on Friday to discuss the issue.
“Good luck to Gary that he got chosen but it’s something that we all need to discuss,” Asotasi told NZPA today.
“A lot of us felt that Gary Kemble wasn’t up to the task. For the NZRL to reappoint him … they might have thought they made the right decision and we’ll leave it up to them at the moment, but it’s definitely an issue with the players.
“There’s talk of Wayne Bennett having a role, and if he does have a role it’ll be a big confidence booster for the Kiwis just to have him there.
“He and Gary will work well together. I believe Wayne will do wonders for Gary in the way he coaches and it’ll definitely be a plus for us.”
Asotasi, who leaves for the US on Wednesday for South Sydney’s exhibition match against Leeds in Jacksonville, said he would call NZRL chairman Ray Haffenden in coming days to “see how things are going”.
Asotasi admitted he had discussed the issue with Souths teammate and Kiwis veteran David Kidwell.
“You want to be coached by the best and that’s what the players want,” Asotasi said.
“We had a lot of major players out with injury last year and that didn’t help Gary’s cause but if you’re going to play for New Zealand you expect the best players and also expect the best coach.”
Under Kemble’s stewardship the Kiwis suffered a 58-0 hiding from the Kangaroos in Wellington, a 3-0 whitewash against Great Britain then scraped home 22-14 over France.
Kidwell said Bennett’s guest coaching role with the All Golds invitation side on the British tour opened the players’ eyes.
“It was a pretty amazing experience. You ask anyone in that All Golds team, in that short period of time he just knew how to bring the team together,” Kidwell said.
“You understand why he’s such a great coach. The NZRL would be stupid not to have him on board.”
Brisbane have given Bennett the okay to pursue the role with the six-time premiership winner reportedly keen to become involved.
“We’ve discussed the possibility but Wayne was still a little bit unsure what he was going to be invited to do,” Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said.
“We’d never stand in the way. It’s a positive for the game in a World Cup year.”
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