MELTDOWN Wayne Bennett - Moves to Souths

[Gaz]

Would it make any sense for the Rabbits to leak it though? By doing that they are going to proper piss Bennett off, the guy who will be their coach for 3 years.

We can only speculate because I doubt the truth of who leaked it will ever come out, but the only person I can see who would have motivation to leak it is Seibold himself. He was fucking furious, he lost his shit, it's not a huge leap to think he went home and said **** this bullshit and leaked it to the media. It is after all, his words that were leaked.

What motivation would a random staffer at the Rabbits have to do it unless they seriously dislike Seibold and wanted him out ASAP, or unless they seriously dislike WB but then by doing that they're getting him a year early.

I don't know, it's a mess. The end result better be worthwhile.

Who gives a stuff. Whoever did it deserves a gold medal.

 

[Gaz]

Have to agree with what somebody has posted earlier, If indeed Seibold has leaked this email, its a pretty appaling thing to do and nobody who has bagged Bennett can have a good opinion of Seibold. This whole situation is a complete mess.

Crap. The mess is fixed.

 

[Gaz]

So why do we give a shit if Seibold leaked the email?

Exactly.

 

[Gaz]

What a way to tarnish your reputation.

And legacy which will resemble Changa's white boots if he keeps this up.

 

[Gaz]

then he has got what he wants.

No he hasn’t. Money?

 

[Foordy]

Who is/isn’t satisfied with Paul White?

On the decision and their execution of finding a new coach, they did 100% the right thing ...

On the potential coach swap, it's a bit hard to know, since things from the clubs perspective were behind closed doors.

 

[Splinter]

You make some good points, and while he’s a clever bloke, I feel the Board knew he’s driven by ego, and were waiting for him to misstep before pulling the trigger, avoiding the payout.

They knew he’d try and work out his squad for 2020 (and to be fair, who wouldn’t), and all they had to do was wait and continually back him until he forced their hand.

I disagree with this. I believe the board were giving him the opportunity to leave with dignity but he chose to dig his heels in and force the issue.
I’m glad he is gone because I thought they should have gone through this process when Griffin got the sack rather than bring WB back. He lost me with his crap in 2005 involving the Roosters.

 

[Splinter]

That's what it looks like to me, they essentially waited it out to get him sacked without pay, because any coach in the world is going to be making some decisions for the following year.

Smart move to save money, shit move for the fans.

I'm a huge WB fan but I'm a Broncos fan first, and I really couldn't care less if he's sacked as long as Seibold comes through and is actually an improvement. The way Souths faded out last year is hugely concerning, and we've signed him on huge money for 5 years, so for all our sake he better be a genuinely good coach or it's going to be a long few years.

He won’t go empty handed. You honestly don’t think a settlement will be worked out through the legal process.

 

[Wolfie]

Crap. The mess is fixed.

That remains to be seen.

 

[teampjta]

Wayne is like the crazy ex. While you’re together, you’re blinded by the good, even great, times.

When it inevitably ends badly, they show their true narcissistic, victim-playing colours and you wonder how you never saw it. Or maybe you did and thought ‘nah that won’t happen to me’.

We still talking about Wayne or have you been dumped recently bud?

 

[Allo]

I disagree with this. I believe the board were giving him the opportunity to leave with dignity but he chose to dig his heels in and force the issue.
I’m glad he is gone because I thought they should have gone through this process when Griffin got the sack rather than bring WB back. He lost me with his crap in 2005 involving the Roosters.

It’s two sides of the same coin what you’re saying. The club were doing both, knowing both were possible and covering their bases

 

[Splinter]

Oh the irony
Wonder if Gordie will cut us some slack and give Souths a pizzling now

 

[heartly87]

Sounds pretty legit, no one has done the right thing. And our apparent saviour has been exposed , and he hasn't even started yet.

Calling Seibs shamelessly ambitious is a joke. The guy had a job interview for his dream job and got it. Good on him for that. From my understanding the club and the players wanted him gone ASAP. The Burgi were in England camp with Wayne and for sure those boys would be very happy for him to be with Souths next year. Wayne seemed to be the only factor holding this thing up, he either really wanted to be here or he was just playing a game to save face and a payout or number three stay with a young group of players who he could stop another coach influencing before he talked them into coming with him in 2020. Seibs did play his cards over the weekend and from the fallout finished this debacle.

Also from what happened here I don't think we could have ever let Wayne stay on in any role. The board shot down that Gould type deal he had presented late last year and I am now thankful they did. We could have really been in a shit show for years.

 

[Cult]

I disagree with this. I believe the board were giving him the opportunity to leave with dignity but he chose to dig his heels in and force the issue.
I’m glad he is gone because I thought they should have gone through this process when Griffin got the sack rather than bring WB back. He lost me with his crap in 2005 involving the Roosters.

Yeah, I'm sure the blokes who had secret conversations with his biggest rival Bellamy wanted Bennett to leave with dignity. I wonder who leaked the BBQ story. There's been some shady shit going on at the Broncos all year and just because they finally made the right decision doesn't mean the board deserve any praise. This was a monumental **** up from the get go and continued to snowball to the point where it ruined our season. The club sided with the media. The same media who shit on the club every single day. Bennett was never the real enemy. Some of the jokes on here have been disgusting but I'm not sure what I expected from a few of you

 

[Lebbo73]

The real question is, after all this mess, how much energy and fire does Wayne Bennett have to coach a club like the Rabbitohs? I think the 2015 gf loss and now a sacking, he is well and truly done. The Rabbitoh fans should be very nervous whereas us broncos fans should be excited.

My cousin is a mad South Sydney supporter (aren’t they all?) and he does want Bennett.

 

[Porthoz]

Long post ahead... people with short attention span (@Nashy :p) and WB sycophants may want to skip this.

Based on everything that transpired until today... this is the alleged chronological chain of events:

- The CEO/Board presented Bennett with a proposal to continue his career at the Broncos in a high administrative function, as a recognition of his value and tenure at the club. Bennett wanted to keep coaching, and asked instead for an extension, which was not granted. This probably didn't go down well on both sides and explains White's assessment about things starting to sour 6 months ago.

- The Broncos went on to look for Bennett's successor and obviously tried to snare the current best in the business. According to the Broncos board, this had been communicated to Bennett (by his own admission as well). We'll probably never know who sabotaged the negotiations by leaking them, with rumours pointing to Bennett being the originator, either directly to the press or via the Storm. It's certainly a possibility as well that Bellamy used the Broncos to get a better deal from the Storm...

- Relationship between Broncos CEO and Head Coach are at an all time low when BBQ gate happens, making Bennett look quite smug and egotistical.

- Broncos publicly interview candidates to take over the reigns at the Broncos for 2020. Seibold is the chosen one, over Bennett's crown prince (JD) and many people's favourite (Kevvie).

- Shane Richardson approaches WB for the Rabbitohs job once he realises he was probably going to lose Seibold to the Broncos. Bennett, already being courted by the Wests Tigers, agrees to terms with Souths for 2020.

So far, it's kinda business as usual in the cutthroat world of professional sports, especially Rugby League, and it would make sense to expedite the coach swap, except...

- Broncos and Bennett maintain that he will be the coach for the 2019 season, although Souths appears to be pushing for an early trade, and many indicators point to Bennett moving south before pre-season training starts. Everyone looks set for the coach exchange...

- However, after a meeting between the Broncos Chairman and WB just over a week ago, both announce WB will remain in place for 2019. Negotiations for the coach swap between clubs however was still occurring in the background, as confirmed by Paul White today.

- Judging by the email released today, Bennett and Souths were after all, definitely planning to go ahead with the move. Wayne was actively making decisions about roster, training camp, etc... while Souths tell Seibold he could empty his desk on Thursday, as Bennett would be at Redfern by the 3rd of December.

- Bennett catches everyone by surprise, showing up unexpectedly at training on Friday, and scheduling a surprise Press Conference without management's knowledge. Paul White catches wind of it, and has a less than pleasant chat with WB before said presser, in which Bennett announces again that he plans to honour his contract at the Broncos.

- Seibold, in Brisbane for a different event, but according to rumours, scheduled to appear at a Broncos presser, reacts angrily to the latest development.

- In a tell all interview, Seibold takes aim at Bennett and Souths, while a leaked email confirms what many suspected. WB has lied about never discussing the 2019 season with Souths, when he categorically denied it on Friday.

- Broncos announce Bennett's sacking via a short press release. In the latter presser, Paul White confirms he had to do this via voicemail and email, as he couldn't reach Wayne despite multiple attempts.

- Both clubs shortly after announce their new coaches for 2019 officially, with Wayne's sudden availability and surreal comments making a lot of people drop their jaw...

“I’m really pleased it’s all resolved and that I can join this great club with a free mind, knowing I did the right thing by the fans, staff and players,” Bennett said.
“I’m really looking forward to being at South Sydney and working with the players, staff, board and all of the members.
“It’s a wonderful club, South Sydney, and I feel privileged to have the chance to coach this team.”

All of the above is pretty much what is known publicly. Of course, the question is what happened behind the scenes, and the reason behind Wayne's stubbornness...

Everyone can take their own conclusions from the above, and many have already.

To me, although no one comes smelling like roses out of this, Bennett definitely appears to be the central figure in all the twists and reversals, lying to people on both sides (judging by the leaked email about his dealings with Souths, as well as White/Morris' statements about arrangements being made for ancillary personnel), being manipulative and creating insurmountable issues for everyone.
Whether he did force his sacking for ego, money or both, the situation had indeed become untenable (yep, I went there). I fully support the Broncos decision to sack him, and I hope they do not pay him a cent.
They appear to have tried to do the right thing by Wayne, first by offering him a long term position at the club, commensurate with his stand in the game and the club, then by accepting he get a deserved farewell from the club he helped build, when common sense would dictate coaches be swapped earlier.

Bennett was definitely trying to double dip, meddling into Souths as well as Broncos player recruitment/retention, and I have no doubt he would have tried to have the best of both worlds at Redfern in 2020. While ethically questionable at best, I can't really blame him for attempting this, but I am glad the White and Morris have cut the chord and put the club first.
It will give Seibold a chance to make the Broncos players want to stick with him at the club. Likewise with Bennett at Souths, although it appears he had already started that game. I guess we'll find out which players go where in 2020...

I really hope Seibold's reactions were not a result of him cracking under pressure, as it would not bode well for him at the highest pressure coaching job in Australia, but merely a big **** you to Wayne after being stuffed around multiple times. He certainly gave the Broncos all the ammo they needed to boot Bennett.
They now definitely have a basis for a justifiable termination with everything that has come to light, although it is quite likely a settlement will be reached, as is often the case in these situations. I highly doubt it will be in full or even close to it though.

P.S. What I also found interesting about all this, is how some people are shooting the messenger (Seibold, if rumours are true), and ignoring the message (Bennett's backhanded dealings with Souffs), just to avoid painting WB in a bad light.

 

[Alec]

I guess the only thing that really matters is "just win ffs".

 

[Huge]

Did we?

Yeah, you didn't know, nobody did. Like if you or anyone else had written 'WB will sacked on Dec 2nd, 2018' I'd say, wow, you really knew what was coming but nobody did that. Nobody KNEW anything but many guessed after they were told what to guess. Yippee, you jointly win the Internet for Dec2nd.