Picked up Wayne Bennett didya Souths fans? Um, yeah, good luck with that.
‘What Wayne did’ is a common topic for conversation here in the Hunter. A more popular chat is ‘the f-cking mess Bennett made’.
In a nutshell, he did such a job on the red and blue that an 11th-place finish in 2018 was good enough for the current coach to be signed to an open-ended contract.
This year, we celebrated missing the eight – by 12 points – like it was ’97 all over again. Because 11th isn’t last, which is the position we finished for the three years following Benny’s departure.
The man who Rabbitohs general manager of football Shane Richardson lauded as “one of the best, if the not the best, rugby league coaches of all time” may have seven premierships on his resume, but his three years in Newcastle are a black mark on his CV.
One finals appearance and a complete disaster of a roster was all the club had by the time Benny decided he wanted to head back to Brisbane (with a year to run on his contract, for what it’s worth).
As for Wayne, well, if the rumours are true (and they rarely are), he walked away $4.5 million richer for the experience.
So the essentials read like this: Wayne got paid seven figures, then left us lying prone in a ditch. I’ve been mugged before, that was pretty much the sum of it (well, except the quivering junkie who smashed me over the back of the head wasn’t a millionaire after his efforts).
Now, before I get any more steamed up over the coach who robbed us, it’s worth remembering that a fish rots from the head, and Benny wasn’t in charge of front office during his tenure at Turton Rd.
r Darius Boyd must be written in Wayne Bennett’s handwriting. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Renee McKay)
Nathan Tinkler has far more to answer for than Bennett in regards to the disaster the Knights have been until Wests took over last year, which means South Sydney can feel confident that they’re not getting a bloke who’s going to take a paycheque and leave a disaster behind him.
With the benefit of hindsight, the clubs’ respective media releases after landing Bennett are telling.
Here’s what he was quoted as saying as the Rabbitohs announced he would be the gaffer in 2020:
“I’m really grateful for the chance to be part of the club and I’m looking forward to being part of the Rabbitoh way (editorial note: I de-capitalised ‘the’ and ‘way’, because piss off, ‘The Rabbitoh Way’ isn’t a thing).
“I’ve always respected South Sydney and its 30,000 members, I’m really looking forward to being part of the Rabbitohs family, and I can assure the members that I will do my very best for the club.”
Big focus on the club and its members.
By comparison, here are some of the lines Benny signed off on as being from his mouth when Hunter Sports Group signed him in 2011:
“I sat down with Nathan and was struck by his passion and knowledge of rugby league.
“Private ownership appeals to me. I like it. This guy wants to take Newcastle to another level.
“He wants our game to capture the imagination of the Hunter like never before – for the Knights to be the benchmark of rugby league in this country.”
Respect for the Knights and the club’s members? Ha! That was pure piss in the owner’s pocket. Essentially: I’m here for Tinkler. Oh, there’s a team as well?
And as much was made face-slappingly clear when, after Tinkler handed the joint back to the NRL, Benny cited the fact his deal was with the former billionaire, not the club, so he was free and clear to walk away.
Which he did, saying, “I believe it will take a number of years to reach an acceptable position and that is what I am unable to commit to. A longer-term coach is crucial for future success.”
Read: I made a mess (and a lot of money) and now I’m out.
Which, to be fair, is his prerogative. Legally speaking, Bennett did nothing wrong. He was paid for services rendered, then walked away when he decided it wasn’t worth his while anymore. If you haven’t done that before, you need to sort out your work-life priorities.
Coach Wayne Bennett looks on during the Brisbane Broncos training session at Red Hill in Brisbane, Wednesday, May 2, 2018. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
What’s more, his contract had significant bonuses for winning the comp, so the fact he stacked his roster with a bunch of blokes who gave the Knights a premiership window of approximately 15 minutes was sort of to be expected.
All of which is to say, if Wayne Bennett owned the fact he purely came to Newcastle for the money and then left when that particular river ran dry, well, I reckon most of us could cop it.
But he’s been such a dick about his time here ever since leaving.
Nathan Brown attracted headlines with his ‘big head-little head’ comments in April, but earlier that week Bennett had said of Brown’s efforts in Newcastle: “he unbuilt it, so I suppose if you unbuild it, the next thing you’ve got to do is rebuild it.”
Sorry, Nathan Brown unbuilt Newcastle?
Whatever, we’ll move on – to this week.
You see, this wasn’t the first time Benny’s had an offer from Russell Crowe. In 2011, Bennett knocked back a deal with the Cardinal and Myrtle – to join Newcastle.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Bennett said, “I always regretted that decision.”
Sorry, you what? You actually said that?
Like, good for you and the respect you’ve always had for your future employers and their members, but how about showing a bit of appreciation for the place that lined your pockets for three years, in return for one faint sniff of a premiership?
And here’s the thing about the Newcastle Knights: on-field success has never been the determining factor for the fans’ love.
I mean, how could it be? My missus is ruthless about the fact my team sucks. And we do. We just plain suck. I mean, I’ve seen teams suck before but we’re the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked (except maybe for Parramatta).
If Andrew Johns had grown up in Carseldine rather than Cessnock, we’d have zero trophies in our cabinet. Fact.
So while Mal Reilly and Mick Hagan are prominent in the club’s history for winning grand finals, there’s also a special place for the likes of David Waite, Warren Ryan and Rick Stone.
Hell, inaugural coach Allan McMahon led the club to precisely zero finals campaigns, yet he’s held in such esteem that he was one of the first five men inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame – on a list with the likes of Joey and Paul Harragon.
As for Benny? The man doesn’t say much, but he’s talked enough trash about the Knights in the years since his departure that I doubt he’d be welcome at Old Boys Day.
And I’m sure he doesn’t care – why would he? The bloke’s a legend at the Broncos and St George Illawarra and will go down in history as perhaps the greatest coach of all time.
But he’s not one of us. He’s just some bloke who hung around the Knights for a few years.
Let’s just be clear though: the fact he didn’t win a premiership in Newcastle isn’t the blot on his copybook. It’s the complete lack of class, grace or gratitude he’s shown our proud club since his departure.
I hope things work out for you, Bunnies supporters. As I mentioned above, the fact he’s coming to a club with strong off-field leadership bodes well.
But when it comes to Wayne Bennett, three years in Newcastle have earned the supercoach a ‘buyer beware’ reputation.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Novocastrians need to get over it. Bennett was instructed by Nathan Tinkler to deliver a premiership, so Bennett chose the quick fix option in an attempt to give the then-owner what he wanted. Blame Tinkler for the debacle. Bennett wasn't there to build a club for 10 years of sustained success.
Don Aprile
Roar Rookie
As an old cockatoo sitting on the fence watching the circus perform I find myself noding in agreement to some of your comments regarding Wayne Bennett preserving his SuperCoach image over his latter years and the rosters he has had over his coaching career. I have not been attached to any of the clubs he has coached or will coach but I will say that the respect and admiration I had for him in the early years of his coaching career has since eroded and now what I see is a " it's about Wayne" attitude and a man ,I feel , thinks he has become than the game. IMO I think Wayne should heed his own advice that he has given his past loyal players...."your time is up, it's time to move on, don't play one season too long."
Dusty
Guest
Love that people are still blaming the Knights for Bennett's botched recruitment strategy. That he 100% had full control over. Bring in Darius even though they don't need him. Bring in Mason even though he's a useless pile of crap. Bring in Tahu who is old and useless and proved it sevenfold. Bring in Mason who was last good in 2004. Bring back Clint Newton, and even more laughably let him play first grade because Joey made him look good in 2006. Tell Beau Henry to take a deal with the Knights because it's a great opportunity to cement a spot and he wont be picked over their current halves but then shop him to the Titans a few months later. The guy bought his 1990s no salary cap recruiting to the Broncos and because of that they lost a number of promising players and nearly lost more if it wasn't for their unlimited salary cap. Wayne needs to stop blaming everyone else but himself and stop getting his puppets Paul Crawley and Peter Badel to write agenda dribbled biased defending him.
Emcie
Roar Guru
But if it's not reported how do you know? I've got nothing against the Knights, if anything I'll be eternally grateful to them for taking Moga off the Broncos hands.
Knight Vision
Guest
Great article. The ONLY thing I admire about Bennett is his ability to self perpetuate the myth of the "supercoach " he's a master of the Bennett brand. The facts are there for all to see with Bennett. Great record with a roster at a club with almost unlimited off field resources and 3rd party deals. Goes to a second club on the brink of a premiership, adds to the roster ( and in a year where the front runner is busted cheating ) and wins the comp. Moves to a club with less resources and virtually no 3rd party deals, stacks the roster with old guys for instant success, guts their juniors in the process and leaves them in a hole. Then has the ego to bash them at every opportunity in an effort to polish the turd he dumped on the town. Goes back to the club with unlimited off field resources and 3rd party deals, a schedule severely slanted for their success and TV ratiings and under performs ( obviously missing Gee ) Good luck Wabbito's regardless of a Bennett premiership there, the true indication of the Bennett affect will be in the following years after his departure. History shows that you will be in for some lean years.
Knight Vision
Guest
"Two vaguely provocative statements (very much set up by journalists questions) over the course of four years and he has to pull his head in? And what’s he actually said?" Far more than that and too numerous to mention, I can understand that you wouldnt know as you're obviously not a Knights fan, but you can believe us when we say Bennett has had a sly dig at the Knights at almost every given opportunity. Often not reported in the press.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Being a Broncos fan, I probably can't comment here without bias, but no coach can produce results when the front office is a basket case. Look at Manly this year. Look at Parramatta when the board were staging a coup every 5 minutes. Look at the Gold Coast when the owner was out of cash and not paying his suppliers. Bennett did as well as could be expected and got within one game of fulfilling his brief. The front office was a shambles and the team fell to bits. The front office continued to be a shambles and Brown got no results either. Now the front office appears to be more stable and professional and the team is starting to have a direction and improve. Bellamy and Bennett may be the best coaches of all time, but they owe a lot of that success to working for two of the most professional organisations in the league. Throw the Roosters in there as well. Robinson looks like a genuis, but when you buy a matchwinning fullback and an extra coach at half on top of an already strong roster, you should look like a good coach. So Bennett is a very good coach and an excellent man manager. His players in general have the utmost respect for him wherever he's gone, but he needs resources, a good team, some but not complete control (I'm looking at you Hasler) and a good front office to get results. He had none of that at the Knights and that is probably why he regrets knocking back the Rabbitohs at the time. Tinkler promised him the world and didn't follow through. Bennett will do well at the Rabittohs as (these days) they appear very well run.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Spot on.
tetley
Guest
Wow, such bitterness. OK Newcastle (and Ed), it's time to put your money where your mouth is. You're getting all the talent in the world at your club now. And they keep coming (David Klemmer, I heard today, is making a break for Newcastle). So there's really no excuses left after this rant. Let's see if you can't start winning a few. If you do, let's also see how gracious you can be as winners. Cause you certainly aren't gracious losers...
BA Sports
Roar Guru
You seem to have been almost universally hosed for this piece Joe, so I won't pile on. Except to touch on a minor point in your writing about there not being a 'South Sydney way'. I disagree, there is a South Sydney way; it is to whinge whenever you don't get your way, never except responsibility, always believe you are more important than and above the game and anyone else in it, and at the end of the day have the game bend over for you to keep you happy... So actually, Wayne might fit in quite nicely at the Bunnies...
Rob
Guest
There is no doubt Bennett is a great coach/ motivator of good players but he's not the type of coach that builds a club roster and teaches players the intricacies of the game. The Knights are a community club like the Cowboys so investing in young talent from the local area with an intuitive hands on, low profile coach is probably a better option. The Knights are moving in the right direction now IMO so enjoy the ride.
perry cox
Roar Guru
Geez, and people accuse knights fans of being salty.
Wayne Lovell
Roar Guru
The greatest league coach of all time will unfortunately take Souths to a premiership, he took the broncos there 6 times, he took the dragons there within two years. Newcastle was a basket case before WB got there, Newcastle should be embarrassed that they would fail under the best tutelage in the world.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
A hard hitting piece and you certainly get your point across.
Shawn Michaels
Guest
Without question, Wayne's 3/4 year tenure at the Knights bore little fruit & He did assemble quite the "ageing roster" during that time! However, apart from the well-documented" "reports" of "he leaving Newcastle in the lurch"! What had not made the press(or rather, not been reported widely) was the ongoing conflicts of how he wanted the Knights Football Department run as opposed to how then owner - Nathan Tinkler wanted it run(which by contrast were both extremely different & poles apart) & that's not even mentioning the Tinklers(and Newcastles) issues of whether the region would still have a football team! But again to the point of the subject, i believe would've stuck around had those issues(Running the football department & the clubs ongoing ownership issues) were matters that within his control!!!!
Paul
Roar Guru
As is the case when someone writes an article with so much passion, there's a few truths mixed in with plenty of feeling, as well as the odd swear word. At the end of the day though, this is an article that should be taught in an Australian ancient history class. Bennett has now been gone for 4 years and it's pretty sad you and others still have some much animosity. I guess you're on par with dyed in the wool Wests supporters who still remember the '62 Grand Final. Bennett's moved on and for sure he might have handled things with more class, but that's something I doubt he's capable of demonstrating - at least to Novocastrians. I guess if it's any consolation, he's done no better with the Broncos and is no lock to any good with the Bunnies. Very glad he's not heading back to the Dragons, even though McGregor is no prize as a coach.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
The only thing that matters was how it was interpreted and surely you can see that by saying anything at all,people were going to open up on him..he regrets something,good,tell your people behind closed doors..say it into a microphone and you’ve developed a different circumstance...and making a nong of yourself,getting punted from the Broncos must be hurting so bad..
Bobby Magee
Guest
Joe you write an article filled with derogatory rubbish but say all you want was for wayne to show a bit of class...Try practicing what you preach.....Adrians article on the same stuff is just as pathetic.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Seems strange asking for respect but then bagging Bennett and Souths in paragraph one and swearing about him in paragraph two. Bennett was brought on for short term success. He got them to within a game of the 2013 GF and had a year in 2014 that no coach could have found success through. Then he left. “Why didn’t you stay forever Wayne?” If the Knights wanted long term sustained success then selling their souls to Tinkler and getting Bennett in for “immediate success” were dud moves. When is Brown held accountable for four seasons of meh? Three seasons of “I’m developing juniors, it will take a long time” to a mass spending spree and an 11th. Brown’s had more tolerance shown for worse results than any coach I’ve ever seen.
Nat
Roar Guru
*7yrs before he did