We were flat broke and went from one off field scandal to the next year after year. Hardly a bastion of stability and success. Yeah, the players had a bit of a crack more often - they were quite happy running the asylum - but there were still massive attitude problems in the squad and the height of our "achievement" was scraping into the 8 and getting smashed in the face week one. We never, ever would have made it 1 game from the grand final in 2013 without Bennett. We never looked like a really competitive team, and no-one outside our most die-hard supporters considered us any more than a peasant team. Rightfully so.
Bennett didn't make things better here, but our playing squad never got behind him and gave him a chance bar a small run at the back end of 2013. I find it bizarre that every squad Bennett has ever commanded has competed hard and consistently as a baseline - yet he couldn't get us to even have a go. I find it even harder to fathom that you would point the finger at him, when all he has known outside of our club is success.
The club is overhauling the roster and the off-field staff entirely as an admission that there's far more wrong than just the head coach. If it makes you feel better about the club to blame Bennett then I guess that's your prerogative... I just can't see how people could blame him given what has come to pass since. My feeling is that yeah, he didn't make things better... but no coach would have. We were on this course, regardless. I really hope he writes about his time at the Knights one day, it'll be a good read I'm sure.