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Bennett and Broncos defer talks, set to resume ignoring Kevin Walters

Queensland Maroons coach Kevin Walters poses for a photograph following a press conference in Brisbane, Monday, June 18, 2018. Queensland selectors have named the team for game two of the State of Origin series against the NSW Blues, to be played at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Sunday, June 24. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Expert
1st August, 2018
15

Wayne Bennett and the Broncos have postponed talks on a succession plan, with both agreeing to wait until season’s end to resume ignoring Kevin Walters.

Bennett and the club made the decision after continually butting heads on plans for 2020 and beyond, with both disagreeing on everything so far except giving the Maroons coach a wide berth.

Walters has been regularly punted from calculations despite being long groomed to fill the breach, with the Broncos most recently ostracising him for odiously prioritising Queensland.

But this has not prevented him from throwing his hat in the ring again despite Brisbane and Bennett said to privately prefer current assistant Jason Demetriou because the Origin coach is too competent, appropriate and available.

Both club and coach fronted the media last week to confirm they won’t be making any further comments until the end of the season, except to say, “Have you considered the Gold Coast, champ?”.

The Bennett exit plan has been a prickly issue bubbling at Brisbane all year, with all parties working to smoothly dump the veteran mastermind in the same way one would lower an old man gently into a tub.

Wayne Bennett

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

But talks became icy after Bennett – off contract at end of 2019 – was denied a one-year extension which would’ve seen him become the first man to coach beyond his 150s.

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The club responded by offering him a token backroom coaching director role, a position rumoured to involve Anthony Seibold coaching and Bennett going away.

But despite the loggerheads, the club has included the coach in the selection process, one which is believed to have inexplicably excluded the services of Alan Jones.

The administration felt Bennett could provide some worthy guidance after the success of previous anointments like Ivan Henjak, Anthony Griffin, Rick Stone and Steve Price, plus it would hopefully prevent a case of old man cranks.

But after failing to lure targets like Craig Bellamy and Paul Green, they decided to narrow their focus down to anyone not currently coaching Queensland.

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The club and Bennett continue to publicly deny hating Walters’s guts is anything personal despite filling the queue in front of him with anyone and anything, even Bennett.

The club says there are more worthy candidates available, like Seibold, who is a Queenslander with a proven record of success and who has worked at the club and is familiar with the fabric.

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They believe compared to Walters – a Queenslander with a proven record of success and who has worked at the club and is familiar with the fabric – there is no contest.

While not ruling out hiring Walters in the future in a tokenistic and insulting way, they say the only temptation would be the thrill of unceremoniously snubbing him again using flimsy reasoning.

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