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
Dark day for the club
No one from the coach up has the ability to get this club to the top . Penrith are 3x defending champs , both Sydney AFL clubs up the top of the ladder .. these guys are guiding us straight to being the bums of western Sydney. Well done .
Tigers and Dogs on the incline.
For one thing, the Eels board are always going to say they are sticking by the current coach. For another where does it say they are passing on Bennett? I read it twice and it doesn't say that we are passing on Bennett. It just says the board aren't in a rush. Apparently Bennett has connections with the Eels board. And is a big admirer of Jack Gibson.
The fact is Bennett won't talk to a club if they currently have a club. Yet "people in the know" say he has talked to our Board. Realistically it's a nothing article with no real details and filled with hearsay. BA won't be here next year if we don't make the 8. And yes by which point we may have missed out on Bennett, but we are closing in on the end of his tenure at this club.
where does it say he has" talked to our board"....."approaches from third parties" was said....that could be anyone and I have heard the rumour independant of this source. People who know Bennett and can act as intermediaries supposely delivered the messages.
So it is not totally dead...yet!
They said on Freddy and the Eighth that he had talked to someone on our board, and I think it was someone else at the club.
This is just the way Wayne would want things to be played out in the media. I think we are in a good position. McElduff declined to comment, that's just the response we should be giving at this stage.
Don't blame BA, why would he leave the gravy train. Pure blame lays on the board who stubbornly don't want to consider better options. Don't want to look at improving.
it's the board that need to be slowly voted out. The quicker we get change, with members that are footy minded, the quicker we get change
Well I hope those board members know they will be fucking PARIAHS now that it's out there Wayne has approached the club
I hope they realise HOW BAD that looks for the club and are following up accordingly
cos if not - like it is this very minute - the socials are exploding w how angry fans are at this news
This leak may well have been put out there to get the board some heat by the Journo's like Buzz.
To now, the board hasn't even been mentioned in the media really, only the coach. But the coach isn't going to sack himself, so the focus needs to be on the board. The media blowtorch needs to be applied to them and now. This really is a great way of doing it don't you think?
Can you imagine the influence that Bennett and all he brings to the club if he came for 3 or 4 years in regards profile, recruitment, standing ?? But no .. it's another few years of fucking mediocrity with Brad Arthur.
I just don't think I can continue to offer my support. I'll certainly be cancelling my membership.
Fucking actually brings me to tears.
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