Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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WAYNE Bennett has taken a swipe at his coaching peers after the code’s leading mentors sacked him from the NRL’s competition committee over the golden-point issue.
In a remarkable display of hypocrisy, Bennett was voted off the panel by rival NRL coaches due partly to his incessant criticism of the extra-time concept.
But four weeks after Bennett’s demise, many of his contemporaries are now backing the Broncos super coach’s calls for an overhaul of the golden-point rule which sank Brisbane in last season’s NRL grand final.
Speaking for the first time since his axing from the competition committee, Bennett hit back at his NRL colleagues and vowed to continue his strong views on the code.
“If I’ve made some other coaches unhappy doing the right thing, then that’s the price you pay,” Bennett told The Courier-Mail.
“I’ve been paying the price for a long time so I couldn’t care what they think of me, it’s water off a duck’s back.
“It’s never bothered me in the past (what his NRL coaching rivals think of him) and I don’t know why it would bother me now.
“I have to live with me, the only person I have to make happy in my life is me, that’s my No. 1 priority.
“I was on the committee because I care about the game enormously, I always have and always will. I can’t complain about the process but hopefully one day I will be part of it again.”
Bennett was one of six NRL coaches who expressed an interest in being appointed to the 11-person competition committee.
The 65-year-old and Roosters coach Trent Robinson were the NRL coaches’ delegates last season, but Souths’ Michael Maguire will join Robinson in 2016 following the removal of Bennett.
The seven-time premiership-winning coach has been a strident critic of the NRL in recent years but is adamant the governing body played no role in his dumping.
“The NRL had nothing to do with what happened,” he said.
“The coaches voted on this, my own peers, so you’d have to ask them why I’m no longer on it. I have no theory.
“Nobody was guaranteed a position. Trent and Michael (Maguire) nominated themselves, as I did.
“There were six of us who nominated for two jobs and then we went to a vote on who they wanted on the committee.
“I’m not on there because not enough people voted for me. But I knew it would go to a vote, so it’s all good, I’ll cop it.”
Ironically, Bennett believes the NRL coaching fraternity will push for reform to golden point in time for the 2017 season.
“The general consensus from the coaches is that it needs to be reviewed and needs to be changed,” he said.
“What that change will be, nobody has got around to any detailed discussion about it.
“I don’t think the discussions are advanced enough to make changes to golden-point for 2016, but I think it will happen down the track.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...e/news-story/4b919de0ee8ab432ebb0716ac621f14f
In a remarkable display of hypocrisy, Bennett was voted off the panel by rival NRL coaches due partly to his incessant criticism of the extra-time concept.
But four weeks after Bennett’s demise, many of his contemporaries are now backing the Broncos super coach’s calls for an overhaul of the golden-point rule which sank Brisbane in last season’s NRL grand final.
Speaking for the first time since his axing from the competition committee, Bennett hit back at his NRL colleagues and vowed to continue his strong views on the code.
“If I’ve made some other coaches unhappy doing the right thing, then that’s the price you pay,” Bennett told The Courier-Mail.
“I’ve been paying the price for a long time so I couldn’t care what they think of me, it’s water off a duck’s back.
“It’s never bothered me in the past (what his NRL coaching rivals think of him) and I don’t know why it would bother me now.
“I have to live with me, the only person I have to make happy in my life is me, that’s my No. 1 priority.
“I was on the committee because I care about the game enormously, I always have and always will. I can’t complain about the process but hopefully one day I will be part of it again.”
Bennett was one of six NRL coaches who expressed an interest in being appointed to the 11-person competition committee.
The 65-year-old and Roosters coach Trent Robinson were the NRL coaches’ delegates last season, but Souths’ Michael Maguire will join Robinson in 2016 following the removal of Bennett.
The seven-time premiership-winning coach has been a strident critic of the NRL in recent years but is adamant the governing body played no role in his dumping.
“The NRL had nothing to do with what happened,” he said.
“The coaches voted on this, my own peers, so you’d have to ask them why I’m no longer on it. I have no theory.
“Nobody was guaranteed a position. Trent and Michael (Maguire) nominated themselves, as I did.
“There were six of us who nominated for two jobs and then we went to a vote on who they wanted on the committee.
“I’m not on there because not enough people voted for me. But I knew it would go to a vote, so it’s all good, I’ll cop it.”
Ironically, Bennett believes the NRL coaching fraternity will push for reform to golden point in time for the 2017 season.
“The general consensus from the coaches is that it needs to be reviewed and needs to be changed,” he said.
“What that change will be, nobody has got around to any detailed discussion about it.
“I don’t think the discussions are advanced enough to make changes to golden-point for 2016, but I think it will happen down the track.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...e/news-story/4b919de0ee8ab432ebb0716ac621f14f
