South Sydney are preparing to offer Wayne Bennett a three-year deal as early as next week as the veteran coach weighs up a return to the Rabbitohs.
It comes as Parramatta held a scheduled board meeting on Wednesday night at which it was decided not to follow up on approaches from third parties allegedly acting on behalf of Bennett.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, told the Herald the Eels had been made aware that Bennett had interest in exploring the possibility of joining Parramatta if they moved on from coach Brad Arthur.
The Eels, however, won’t rush into a decision on Arthur’s future despite the Rabbitohs pushing hard for Bennett’s services after terminating the contract of Jason Demetriou on Tuesday.
Parramatta powerbrokers are conscious of the injury predicament that has hampered Arthur’s ability to get the best out of his football team, with Mitchell Moses’ long-term foot injury this week compounded by a knee injury to skipper Clint Gutherson. Eels chairman Sean McElduff declined to comment.
The Eels board want to give Arthur more time to prove he can dig the club out of the hole it currently finds itself in and won’t be pressured into a decision by South Sydney’s urgency to appoint a new coach.
The Rabbitohs are having internal discussions about Bennett’s return to the club and are willing to give him the three-year deal he has indicated he desires.
Sources told the Herald that the Rabbitohs board and owners have endorsed the pursuit of Bennett.
In his previous stint at South Sydney, former head of football Shane Richardson secured Bennett’s services knowing his assistant Jason Demetriou would take over after three seasons. The club made two preliminary finals and one grand final in those three seasons before he left the club.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said Bennett does not want to be restricted, as has been the case in his last two deals with South Sydney and the Dolphins, and wants a minimum three-year deal. The Rabbitohs are open to such a deal.
South Sydney have also shut down any chance of luring Bennett back to the club immediately in a bid to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
Bennett is the short-priced favourite to return for a second stint at Souths, with the club hopeful they can broker a deal in the next fortnight.
The Dolphins already have Bennett’s successor, Kristian Woolf, at the club, while an early exit for Bennett would allow him to start rebuilding the roster.
But Souths do not have the money in their $5.5m football department cap to accommodate Bennett this year – they just paid out $375,000 to Jason Demetriou – and are mindful not to undo all the hard work the Dolphins have done in establishing themselves in the top grade.
“We just won’t do it because we have too much respect for [chief executive] Terry Reader and the team at the Dolphins and what they’ve achieved the past few years – they’ve worked so hard to get to where they are now,” Souths chief executive Blake Solly said.
“We’re not that sort of club. We plan to sign a new coach, and we hope it is a matter of weeks rather than months … but it will be for next year.
“We’re more than happy with Ben and the coaching group we have for the remainder of this year.”
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson welcomed the return of Bennett to the club’s arch rivals.
“It’s always good for the game to have Wayne coaching, the legend that he is, and I think it sounds like it’s already been done, doesn’t it? If Wayne says it’s, it’s done - I think that’s how it works,” Robinson said.
“I think they’ve rolled out the red carpet and said, ‘please say yes’, so I think if that’s the case then if Wayne wants it, and it was a great rivalry a few years ago. He’s the best coach that’s ever been, so it’s a pretty clear choice of his if he wants it.”
Replies
Mate, Bennett could wait and see for another 5 years and this mob would still say BA needs more time.
The fraudster lives on. He's a real smooth talker. 10 years of failure and still gets chances. There's a book deal in there for BA - how to bullshit your way to the top.
"Let me bring these juniors through. If i go, Matt will come with me, do you want to lose a good Hooker?" "Look at the injuries, how can i win with that?" That's what he will be saying.
Exactly
anyone would think Matt is the next Cameron smith or Buderus ffs
That's gold
Being able to move on from BA, who now just defines stale and past used-by, while at the same time secure the services of Clint Eastwood... our Board was just handed a winning Powerball ticket but guess what... they are just too lazy and too stupid to go and collect the winnings. Gross incompetence.
This fuckin' Board would turn their nose up and not proceed with a coaching combo of Bennett / Bellamy and a friggin' modern day Gibson while at the same time being offered a first grade side with the ability of a Eels / Dogs 80's hybrid side. They will no doubt double down and extend BA next.
People are going get very over supporting the Parramatta Arthurs before long.
Already there.
I wouldn't say they are lazy. More so i believe the reason Bennett might not interest them is he will deliver some hard truths to them. Plus they have power that BA might not have 100% power of in some aspects, that Bennett would want 100% of. BA might bite his tongue in some aspects, Bennett will say what he feels. They do not want someone like that.
Though it is incompetent. Many journalists say they are conservative, too conservative if anything. But they say if they miss the 8, BA is more likely gone. I do not think so. I am telling you now, with the injuries and supposedly good juniors coming through, they will give BA time if they win a few games late. If they finish 9-12 he will survive. As i also said, even though i disagree in context i agree in realism that if he is here in 2025, BA must be extended due to so many players being off-contract. 2025 you either extend or sack.
Well they deserve everything they get. BA has only had 11 years.
This will probably be Bennetts last coaching appointment.
This club can go fruck itself.
Fucking hard with a cactus and a bag of sand thrown in.....
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