MELTDOWN Wayne Bennett - Moves to Souths

Should Wayne Bennett's Contract be Extended?


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But I don't think that is the case at all. Of course we do not know what goes on behind the scenes, but you can put things together to see if they make sense or not. They had agreed to the fact that he would be here in 2019 (it makes a lot of financial sense for them to keep him for 2019), but he keeps talking to Souths and essentially coaching them while apparently being committed to us. The ball was in his court and he was playing both sides.
Mmmm, I don't actually believe that's correct. I believe, wrongly or rightly that the Bronco's intended to move WB on for 2019 probably at the very moment he announced he had signed at Souths. I think the Bronco's were actively working to get the switch going asap. Like everyone else who liked/likes WB and his antics I feel a tad disappointed that he apparently lied but we plebs know so very little about what's been going on backstage. I don't think WB was coaching anyone, perhaps putting some tentative ideas forward but no more so than officials unofficially putting stuff in place for AS for when he came to Brisbane.

No matter, I too am a Bronco's fan and want what's best for the team, first and foremost. Having said that, I want WB to absolutely achieve goals at South's and if he looks a worldbeater next year I will derive a little pleasure at that. Mind you, if it's down to the Bronco's and Souths then it will be, **** YOU WAYNE, **** YOU RUSTY CROWE AND **** YOU SOUTHS ha ha
 
I think you missed the point. There is hypocrisy there in the club actively looking to move Wayne on, and then showing concern for the fact that Wayne was making plans in case that outcome did come to fruition.
Oh please, everyone was working towards the same goal, which was the early coach swap. There was no hypocrisy or any problem with the club and Wayne making plans for that outcome, until he torpedoed it, blatantly lied about double dipping, and ultimately shot himself in the foot in that process.

No ifs and buts, I'm sure everyone involved could've done better, but trying to justify Wayne's actions and excusing them with other people's lesser failures, is akin to cover the sun with a sieve.
This is as justified a sacking as I've seen in the game.
 
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Oh please, everyone was working towards the same goal, which was the early coach swap. There was no hypocrisy or any problem with the club and Wayne making plans for that outcome, until he torpedoed it, blatantly lied about double dipping, and ultimately shot himself in the foot in that process.

No ifs and buts, I'm sure everyone involved could've done better, but trying to justify Wayne's actions and excusing them with other people's lesser failures, is akin to cover the sun with a sieve.
This is as justified a sacking as I've seen in the game.

Yep, the fact that Bennett isn’t getting a payout is all the proof anyone should need.
 
He is though, just not all of it.

He's getting $300,000 for image rights isn't he? Nothing i nregard to an actual contract payout, apparently, according to useless journos.
 
Oh please, everyone was working towards the same goal, which was the early coach swap. There was no hypocrisy or any problem with the club and Wayne making plans for that outcome, until he torpedoed it, blatantly lied about double dipping, and ultimately shot himself in the foot in that process.

No ifs and buts, I'm sure everyone involved could've done better, but trying to justify Wayne's actions and excusing them with other people's lesser failures, is akin to cover the sun with a sieve.
This is as justified a sacking as I've seen in the game.

So you're agreeing that he was in his rights to plan ahead should the immediate swap eventuate. Your issue comes down to (1) him attempting to thwart that outcome, and (2) lying about it.

On (1), he had a contract for 2019, and he had made it clear that his preference was to stay. He had also made it clear that he would not step down. In choosing to stay, you may perceive that as "torpedoing" it, but for mine, with a contract, and after literally being asked by the Broncos what his decision was, he had absolutely every right to state his preference - which is something he never once wavered from.

And (2), ideally, yes, he should have made the obligatory "no comment" when questioned. Because there was no answer that would have satisfied people. My issue is that the blowtorch that was applied to Bennett was never applied elsewhere. Why weren't the Broncos officials ever hounded multiple times a day about whether they were working behind the scenes for an immediate switch? The answer is they likely were, but never fielded the calls or refused to answer the questions. But had they answered the questions, you can bet your life they would have stuck to the official story, exactly like Bennett did.

One final thing - the terms of Bennett's sacking is "confidential". Some details have been leaked. But I highly doubt the outcome was a surprise to Bennett. In fact I have serious doubts that he was not actually consulted. His one requirement would have been that he doesn't go willingly, that they'd have to sack him. Deliberately being out of contact for an extended period of time would be a great way to sell it. His own words allude to exactly that:

"I’m pleased to be here and I’m pleased I came on my terms in the sense that I didn’t ask to leave the the Broncos, I was sacked or asked to leave.”
 
According to the media he isn't, not that they would be privy to that anyways. Bennett is reportedly worth 26 million even after the divorce settlement so he will manage regardless. I once knew a guy who wasn't worth $26. Me at age 18.
Some parts of the media are saying he's getting 300k as a payout, some are saying it's for image rights and I bet you can guess which ones are saying he will get nothing.
 
So you're agreeing that he was in his rights to plan ahead should the immediate swap eventuate. Your issue comes down to (1) him attempting to thwart that outcome, and (2) lying about it.

On (1), he had a contract for 2019, and he had made it clear that his preference was to stay. He had also made it clear that he would not step down. In choosing to stay, you may perceive that as "torpedoing" it, but for mine, with a contract, and after literally being asked by the Broncos what his decision was, he had absolutely every right to state his preference - which is something he never once wavered from.

And (2), ideally, yes, he should have made the obligatory "no comment" when questioned. Because there was no answer that would have satisfied people. My issue is that the blowtorch that was applied to Bennett was never applied elsewhere. Why weren't the Broncos officials ever hounded multiple times a day about whether they were working behind the scenes for an immediate switch? The answer is they likely were, but never fielded the calls or refused to answer the questions. But had they answered the questions, you can bet your life they would have stuck to the official story, exactly like Bennett did.

One final thing - the terms of Bennett's sacking is "confidential". Some details have been leaked. But I highly doubt the outcome was a surprise to Bennett. In fact I have serious doubts that he was not actually consulted. His one requirement would have been that he doesn't go willingly, that they'd have to sack him. Deliberately being out of contact for an extended period of time would be a great way to sell it. His own words allude to exactly that:

"I’m pleased to be here and I’m pleased I came on my terms in the sense that I didn’t ask to leave the the Broncos, I was sacked or asked to leave.”
I am agreeing he was in his rights to plan ahead, but only if his intention was to indeed move to Souths, which appears to be what everyone believed, given even his ancillary staff arrangements were being undertaken. You don't do that without his tacit approval.
However, if his intention was to remain at the Broncos, he was not in his rights to plan ahead. Can't have the cake and eat it too. It is pretty clear that he was playing both sides, and burned himself.

Of course the terms are confidential. Those things are never public. His image rights can't be taken away of course, but it appears he won't get a cent from the rest of his contract as head coach. That is a clear sign the sacking was totally justified.

Btw, how do you reckon he was consulted about his sacking, via smoke signals?
 
Is Wayne Bennett the man to deliver the Rabbitohs a premiership or are his powers fading?
Have the Rabbitohs got the master coach or is he past his used by date?
That is the question on everyone’s lips, after Bennett began his tenure at Redfern two days after being sacked by the Broncos.
Bennett may have won seven premierships, but he has only averages one every nine years since 2000 and veteran journalist Dean Ritchie believes he should have done more.
“Wayne hasn’t won a premiership with Brisbane since 2006 and overall since 2010 and that is a dry spell for a super coach,” Ritchie told The Big Sports Breakfast.

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“They should have won more premierships at the Broncos. There is a coach out there who I won’t name and he said the Broncos and Bennett are the greatest underachievers in rugby league.
“They could have won at least three or four more with the roster they have got and the fact they are one team, one town.
“The pressure is going to be on Wayne from the start because South’s finished third this year.
“So among all rugby league fans where do they finish next season for it to be deemed a success? I say a grand final.
“If he finishes fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh they have actually gone backwards.”

However Bennett found an ally in three time premiership winner Laurie Daley, who pointed to the closeness of the 2018 competition as a barometer for success in 2019.
“There was only two points separating the Rabbitohs and the Broncos last season,” Daley said.
“If Wayne makes the finals and top four in particular, he’s done a good job.
“If Wayne wins as many games as last year and gets the team in the top four, that is a successful year.”
Despite his record seven NRL titles, many experts feel the 68-year-old should have done even better, especially in a one team town like Brisbane.
As a whole Bennett’s record looks formidable, but his success rate since he turned 60 has been on the slide.
Since he left the Dragons in 2011, which were the last team he took to a premiership, Bennett ranks a lowly seventh among current NRL coaches for win percentage.

During the period from 2012 to 2018, Craig Bellamy has the best record among active coaches, with 127 wins from 185 games for a 68.6 win percentage.
Trent Robinson is second on the list (63.3 from 158 games) and the man Bennett replaced at Redfern, Anthony Seibold is third (63.0 from 27 games), although granted he has only had one season in first grade.
Shane Flanagan (60.4 from 154 games), Paul Green (56.4 from 133 games) and Des Hasler 56.4 from 155 games) round out the top six.
During this period Craig Bellamy has coached the most grand finals, taking Melbourne to the 2012 decider and the past three grand finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018, winning two.
Hasler (2012, 2014) ranks equal second with Paul Green (2015, 2017) and Trent Robinson (2013, 2018) for active coaches in terms of grand finals made through this period.
Robinson has two premierships and Green has one.
Bennett made just one premiership decider with the Broncos in 2015, which he lost to the Cowboys.

Ritchie believes Bennett’s lack of premiership success in the last eight years is evidence his powers are waning.
“If they go out in week one they have gone backwards,” Ritchie said of the Rabbitohs’ 2019 premiership charge.
“It’s a hig pressure job and I’m not here to deathride Wayne, but the expectations are going to be high from day one.”
However Daley pointed to Bennett’s history of bringing clubs early success, as evidence that he can deliver at the Rabbitohs.
However he stressed that South Sydney’s premiership window is closing, so if Bennett wants to add to his seven titles before his contract ends in 2021, he has to move fast.
“People forget he took the Knights to within a game of a grand final in 2014 in his second year,” Daley said.
“He won a premiership with the Dragons in 2010 in his second year in charge. He took the Raiders to a grand final in his first year in charge.
“He set up the Brisbane Broncos and won six premierships and I think he can do good things with this Rabbitohs’ roster in the next 12 to 18 months.
“The big challenge he is going to face is that a lot of these players are getting on and how does he transition them from being a part of the team to being out of the team?”
Bennett has three years to add to his premiership resume before his deal expires in 2021, when he will be 71 years old.
This Rabbitohs’ deal is expected to be Bennett’s last in rugby league.
Can he add to his impressive tally of premierships before his time is done or is his premiership window closed?
Time will tell.

FWIW, I genuinely believe the Rabbitohs will be a threat next season.
 
IMG 7884
Bold moves from Seibold.

Good to see from Seibold.
 
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the offices that have been cleared out were probably JD and Hickmans who we already knew about and who are likely to follow Bennett

Open the windows..get some fresh air flowing through to blow out the cobwebs.. It was getting awfully stuffy in HQ
 
I was starting to find it mildly irritating some of the absolute BS that WB sprouts on occasions and that no one seems to call him on. An example was the press conference today, where he raved on about how sorry he felt for the support staff at the Broncos that had been stood down etc etc and that has not happened here with what I took to be the implied criticism of the Broncos. Well, from my perspective:
1. The club was trying to negotiate an amicable transition of coaches that was going to involve the support staff as well, but that got torpedoed on Friday by Bennett's own actions. If the support staff have been left out to dry, guess what, I am looking at you Mr Bennett.
2. The reason that it has not happened at Souths is that Furner took up a position in England and Seibold brought three of his assistants with him. That would appear to me that there are four vacancies available at Souths, if you care so much about their predicament go knock on Shane Richardson's door and tell him you want them as your staff.

[HASHTAG]#rant[/HASHTAG] over#

Richardson told Bennett that he was happy with what they had even minus the staff that went to Brisbane. The four Broncos staff that are on leave are on leave until it can be decided if they're needed.

Seibold is being thorough in deciding but he needs time to investigate but had to start straight away with people that know how to do the job how he wants it done.
 
FWIW, I genuinely believe the Rabbitohs will be a threat next season.
They’ll finish anywhere from 6th to 10th next season. We’ll probably finish anywhere from 2nd to 8th. I don’t know if our young forwards are ready to produce consistent footy yet. It could be a couple of more seasons yet before they mature.
 

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