Foordy
International Captain
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- Mar 4, 2008
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By Phil Lutton
17 March 2018
Awkward silences are nothing new in Wayne Bennett press conferences. His clipped responses often lead to copious amounts of dead air as reporters try to think of a follow up, or whether to move onto the next subject.
On Friday night, after his team's 24-20 upset of North Queensland, the press conference room fell silent as Bennett appeared to have addressed all the relevant queries. But he wasn't finished by any stretch.
"There is no other club in any sport in this country," Bennett proclaimed, "who would have pulled together in the last couple of weeks after all the adversity that we have been through.
"That's what I am most proud of. You will never divide us, guys (the media), so stay out of it. Our strength is the club and the people."
And with that Churchillian offering, he left the room, ready to fight the critics on the beaches again next week, never surrendering to the barrages from the disgruntled masses.
Bennett would probably like the historical comparison. Like his chief executive Paul White, he's particularly fond of the famous Theodore Roosevelt passage about failing valiantly:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...."
In this instance, the 'cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat' belong to the rugby league writers and panel hosts that declared Brisbane a spent force after losing to the Dragons in round one of the NRL season.
Bennett's parting shot was peak Broncos. The arrogance that they and they alone, not any other sporting franchise in the nation, could handle a few weeks of controversy about Matt Lodge and some poor football was staggering.
It was the kind of moment that gave ample fodder for those that can't stand the game's richest club, one perceived by Sydneysiders as an overly entitled one-city goliath getting every advantage under the sun.
It was also the kind of moment that rallied Broncos fans into a frenzy. Bennett had done it again, lifting Brisbane off the floor after the club was hammered for its handling of the Lodge scenario, then dismissed as a premiership force by virtually everyone with a platform.
It wasn't contrived, either. More like a peek inside the citadel. Behind the scenes, from the chief executive down, Brisbane believed that had been wronged and hurt. The wagons were circled and generous lashings of Kool-Aid were handed around.
When the win was finally secured, helped in part by the intervention of the goal post that stopped the try-bound Scott Bolton, it was Brisbane's chance to raise the finger to those that had dismissed the with such glee. And yes, despite Bennett's offerings to the contrary, they take it personally.
There's rarely an even keel at Red Hill. When they lose, it's the start of the apocolypse. When they win, it's a triumph of the human spirit. The expectations are immense, which is why no premierships since 2006 remains well below par for what is essentially the Manchester United of the NRL.
The players know the deal and have learned to live with the extreme nature of the reactions. Anthony Milford, who was hammered from all corners after round one, was a surprise inclusion in the post-game media roster and spoke of the pressure to perform, especially on his salary.
"It comes as part and parcel of playing at the Broncos. Big club, they demand success. We go out there and do our best every week and try to put on a good performance for our fans and ourselves," Milford said.
"You do (get better at dealing with it). We're going in the right direction."
And on the post-round one hysteria: "It was only round one. People were showing us the backdoor. He (halves partner Kodi Nikorimia) really stepped up."
Even Brisbane's young players have learned to channel the negative vibes. It may as well be part of the induction tour around the club's shiny new high-performance and training facility.
"You guys bagged us so you can take the credit for that. Keep bagging us every week and we'll play harder to win," said boom young prop Tevita Pangai Jnr, who bucked the modern trend and said he in fact does 'read the papers', including the Sydney Morning Herald.
He would go on to say he's driven to become one of the best forwards in the game and was going to sacrifice whatever it takes to get there. Aspirational, devoted and besotted by the Broncos; he's Bennett's kind of guy.
"I was in the World Cup with Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita. They've got what I want... premierships, prop fo the year, lock of the year, Dally M... I'm just working hard and be a Broncos for life.
"I want those accolades. But I'm at the bottom of the food chain at the moment."
source: Sydney Morning Herald
