Stopping Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic is as simple as tackling him, Wayne Bennett reckons.
Playing it cute ahead of South Sydney’s fourth-straight NRL preliminary final, there were no signs of concern from the master coach about the damage the tremendous fullback can do if allowed.
“If he gets the ball, tackle him, it’s a pretty simple process,” Bennett quipped on Thursday.
He makes it sound simple, but the Rabbitohs are well-prepared for what awaits them at Suncorp Stadium.
Friday night’s grand-final qualifier is the fourth in a row for the Rabbitohs who are desperate to go one step further and farewell not only Bennett, but captain and halfback Adam Reynolds with a premiership.
And whether Bennett admits it publicly or not, a lot of that missions rests on nullifying Dally M front-runner Trbojevic.
“We’ve got a massive role to play and we’d be naive if we tried to handle him one out,” said Rabbitohs lock Cameron Murray.
“We’re focusing on making sure we work as a team to stop him.
“He’s been playing some great footy, it’s hard to put into words how well he’s been playing so he’s definitely a massive threat to us and a massive part of their team.”
It could be the last game in the red and green jersey for club junior Reynolds who will join Brisbane next season, while Bennett will hand the reins over to Jason Demetriou in 2022.
What awaits Bennett next year is still unknown, but the 71-year-old didn’t want to make Friday’s game about himself.
“It’s the players’ time, not mine,” he said.
“We’ve been here for three years, it’s getting past that point to go one step further and that’s the challenge for us.
“They’re been a wonderful team to work with and to their credit they’ve got themselves back here again this year. It makes it four years in a row, it’s quite an achievement.
“The way we’ve prepared in the last couple of days, the way we’ve prepared all season, the way we’ve played our football and the position we’ve found ourselves in… that will give us confidence in taking the next step.”
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Technical …let’s ease the pain, had 50 or more scored against them. That’s one hell of a difference.
Mon
Guest
Penrith haven’t beaten Souths by 50 either, genius.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
Souths should have done everything in their power to keep both Reynolds and Gagai. They will leave two huge holes in Souths squad next year, and already Milford is being investigated for an alleged offence that could derail Souths plans for him next year. I'm not at all happy about how Souths have gone about their recruitment and retention for 2022. Still, we need to stay focused on 2021. Go the Bunnies.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Manly are the only team left that haven’t beaten Souths by 50 or more this year. Still time.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Bennett's smart, he probably won't want our players to get into a grind, so we'll play the kicks to corners, solid kick-chase defence, keep them in their half, control position and then quick plays out of the ruck with our halves moving it quickly out wide to expose Manly's weaker edge defence. I am expecting Gagai to have a big game.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
If Souths forwards can dominate the Sea Eagles pack like they did against the Panthers, then Manly will be fighting off the back foot all night and hoping for a lucky punch. Like Wilder in his second fight against Fury. If Souths stay in the driver's seat and neutralise Turbo, they should be OK. Fingers crossed anyway. There is no room for error and no second chances. Not only am I hoping for a convincing win, allowing Souths to rest key players early, but I am hoping for Souths to remain injury and suspension free. That will be crucial for whichever team advances tonight against either the Storm or the Panthers next week. Go the Bunnies!
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Souths need to start strong and run away with a comfortable lead in the 1H. Manly typically play better in the second half and will come to the fight, then as you said the last 20mins will be where the battle is won or lost, hopefully Souths fresh legs and the fatigue of Manly playing an extra game will take into effect. Then Souths can sit back on Saturday while watching which team they need to beat next week.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
Look, it's quite simple. That message is for his players, not the media or the public. Bennett is not about to hype up Manly's biggest threat publicly. He doesn't want his players putting any one player on a pedestal and being overawed unnecessarily. The Storm showed how to neutralise Turbo. Starve Manly of possession, cover Turbo with 3 men and maintain communication in your defensive line. Kick away from Turbo wherever possible, unless you can pin Tom in a postage stamp corner, and finally work him over with your defence and tire him out. It will take an 80-minute effort to win this game, and a team that can stay focused for that full period. Souths have already proven they could do that against the Panthers. On the other hand, Manly got belted by the Storm in week 1 of the finals, then had everything go their way in a canter over the Roosters last week. Honestly, if this comes down to an 80-minute grind, Souths are way ahead. Especially in the first 20 mins and last 20 mins of the game, given that they have had the benefit of a week's rest.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
I love how everyone scoffs when he throws out these one liners. He always tells it in code, what their tactic is going to be is gang up on Tommy, shut him down, try for zero errors and attack at every opportunity. That's going to be Souths gameplan in a nutshell, Ol'mate uncle Wayne knows nobody is going to believe it's that simple and that's his genius. Nothing like hiding in plain sight.
Mald
Guest
:laughing: We've cracked the code boys *big brain* Just score more points than the other team guys. EZ
PeterCtheThird
Guest
But he’s right, isn’t he? Which seems to be the way of it quite a bit with Wayne Bennett. Since I haven’t been able to stand Manly since Bozo Fulton, go Souths!
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Melbourne showed you need to hog possession, about 60% seems to do it. Go Manly!