The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Bennett still making music

Wayne Bennett. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
27th July, 2018
35

Wayne Bennett says “don’t die with the music in you” and Julie Andrews sings the Disney classic from Mary Poppins, “the hills are alive with the sound of music.”

Bennett and Mary Poppin’s author, Helen Lyndon Goff, known as PL Travers, both grew up in the same country town, Allora, located in southeastern Queensland, on the Darling Downs, population 889.

Music has been an inspiration.

While PL Travers moved to England and lived to age 96, Bennett is fighting for his professional life as one of rugby league’s greatest ever coaches.

The hills are alive that the Brisbane Broncos will not renew Bennett’s contract after 2019, despite leading them to a record six Premierships and being a top-four contender this year.

Bennett, 68, can be likened to President Donald Trump – you may not like his demeanour and his rapport with the media, but you cannot ignore his long record of success.

When it comes to my analysis of what makes a team a winner, coaches are weighted higher than the team’s key playmaker and with the exception of the Storm’s Craig Bellamy, no NRL head coach rates higher than Wayne Bennett.

Bennett has shown in recent weeks when his team encountered the predictable injury challenges that he had the answers. He moved key players into new positions and talked others into taking the field when they had reservations, but still managed to put 50 points on the revered Penrith Panthers.

Advertisement
Wayne Bennett

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Most rugby league clubs would “kill” to have Wayne Bennett as their head coach, but the rumblings at Red Hill are singing loud that at age 70 in 2020 the music may have died.

Mick Jagger turned 75 last Thursday and he runs ten kilos during every gig, while Donald Trump is 72 and has surged the US economy to the highest in 18 years, along with record low unemployment and Dow Jones figures.

There are no signs that Wayne Bennett is slowing down and his rating as an NRL coach are as high as ever.

My system is based on factual performance data and does not discriminate on age; if it did, Cameron Smith at age 35 would not be the game’s highest rated player.

According to the Brisbane media, Wayne Bennett’s pitch to the Broncos board to be re-signed has been rejected and he looked a lonely man as he faced a press conference this week.

If Wayne wants some inspiration he should visit his old hometown in Allora and read the words from PL Travers when he visits the “House of Mary Poppins”:

Advertisement

“I go to the hills
When my heart is lonely
I know I will hear
What I’ve heard before
My heart will be blessed,
With the sound of music
And I’ll sing once more.”

close