I’m not trying to play devils advocate, because one of Bennett’s strengths is that he has undoubtedly always looked out for his players, that much simply cannot be debated.
But I also think it’s pretty reasonable to say the notion that he is some sort of selfless martyr has taken a few body blows of late (eg. the Petero saga, his marital split (even though that’s no ones business but those involved) etc.).
With his squeaky clean image a little less glossy, I think some Broncos fans took objection to the way the Roberts signing (by Souths) played out. They took further umbrage to Bennett saying that he would fix him but even more so, suggesting that the Broncos, and Seibold personally, had somehow wronged or ‘broken’ Roberts by dropping him (I know I did, I totally agreed with Seibold dropping him, it was 100% the right call (and still is)).
And TBF, I personally think it came across as a shot at the club as a whole, as well as a fair few of the important individuals at it, by a bitter and jaded man that had become far too accustomed to always getting his way. Only this time he hadn’t, so he decided to take every opportunity he could to criticise them, whether it was warranted or not.
So I’m not sure people are necessarily taking digs at Wayne, maybe he’s just no longer the same old Bennett that could do no wrong in some people’s eyes.
Not sure I’ve been very clear, but I’m struggling to find a better way to say it
Actually, perhaps another way of looking at it is this: Paul White has also played a significant role in Matt Lodge’s rehabilitation (at least as much, if not more than Bennett as he’s still standing behind him), but people still criticise him and quite strongly, yet far less people question those criticisms.