Bennett sees his vision splendid
Steve Mascord | February 16, 2009
On the eve of Wayne Bennett's remarkable first day in office as St George Illawarra's commander-in-chief, the coach elect gave his inauguration speech.
South Perth Rugby League Club was the venue as Bennett dispensed wisdom to a room full of coaches. Words were thin on the ground but the message gained resonance a day later as the Dragons crushed Sydney Roosters 54-6 at Members Equity Stadium.
A junior coach had asked Bennett what he looked for in a player. Bennett paused then gave the Dragons' marketing department the perfect slogan for what is supposed to be so different this year in Wollongong and Kogarah. "Discipline and no excuses," he said.
Against a Roosters line-up that was well below strength, a team that has handed points to the opposition with frustrating frequency over the past 11 years and so often seemed uncontrollably in love with its own attacking potency seemed to have found the ability to get the job done.
Rooster Frank-Paul Nuuausala knocks on from the kick-off, Michael Lett scores after 52 seconds. The Tricolours' restart sails out on the full, Chase Stanley gets the first of his two tries. Another Roosters fumble to start the second quarter, Stanley picks up his second.
So measured were even the most ambitious passes on Saturday that when Jason Nightingale tried a 2008-style flick while in the clear just after half-time, it was as if a wizard's spell had been broken.
Opposing coach Brad Fittler said: "You could tell they were out to impress. You could see the respect he gets. He got a really good performance out of them."
But 59-year-old Bennett claimed the best thing about the performance was "no injuries", reckoned the result was "no drama, just a trial, you've got to keep things in perspective" and completed his scene-stealing cameo by boarding the red-eye flight to Brisbane.
Asked if his debut in the red polo could have been better, Bennett responded: "They could have kept the scoreboard to zero." He added: "I just needed to see these guys play. Things have changed for them a little bit. Just watching individuals play, whether they've adjusted to things I want them to do
whether old habits are still there
that gave me a better indication."
Bennett described his new team's ball control as "really good" - yet recruit Luke Priddis later revealed their first ballwork session as a team for the entire pre-season had been on Friday, just a few hours after Bennett's visit to South Perth.
Discipline and no excuses. Another slogan, says centre Matt Cooper: we won't beat ourselves.
"That's the plan for the year," Cooper said. "Everyone knew what they had to do. Everyone wasn't worried about what plays to put on, [just] about themselves."
Another catchphrase for the supercoach? Stanley, speaking to the Herald at Perth Airport yesterday after his 14-point haul, offered this: "No heroes. He wants everyone to work as a team. No individuals. He's not really big on the gameplan - it's just working for each other."
In modern sport a team is a "brand" and a good coach doesn't bring wins, he brings "consumer confidence".
"I wouldn't like anyone to think Nathan [Brown] wasn't capable and/or professional," said Dragons chief executive Peter Doust. "It just got to the stage, after a time, with perception being a significant part of reality, that people perceived the success wasn't enough. It was undermining our business model.
"It comes to a time where you think 'we need to re-invest in people's confidence in the brand' and I think Wayne Bennett ticks a lot of boxes in that respect."
Priddis, who had played at Brisbane, remains unmoved by such business speak. "He's stayed pretty much the same," he said. "He's changed when he had to in regards to footy. That's why he's stayed at the top for so long."
Long enough, perhaps, to ensure that he disproves one of his own mantras. If St George Illawarra are to win the premiership in 2009, there needs to be at least one hero.
