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Broncos laugh off Roosters Bennett 'bid'
Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 5:20 PM
Bruno Cullen isn't sure which is the more amusing: Wayne Bennett being targeted by the Roosters or the Broncos coach receiving a $2.4 million offer weeks after critics called for his head.
Brisbane managing director Cullen has laughed off a News Ltd report the Roosters were sizing up Bennett to replace the axed Ricky Stuart on a huge three-year deal.
Roosters officials were also laughing at the figures bandied around but wouldn't confirm or deny the interest that made back-page news in Sydney and Brisbane.
Enjoying his weekly day off on his Warwick farm, Bennett was unavailable for comment but Cullen did the speaking for him, believing the story came "out of thin air".
"It came completely out of the blue," he said. "I was a little bit surprised when I was having my wheat bikkies this morning and opened up the back page of the paper.
"I enjoyed it. I had a laugh.
"It's not a bad back-page fish and chip wrapper tomorrow."
Cullen listed a string of reasons why he was confident Bennett would see out a four-year contract ending in 2009 rather than move to a club that has been a bitter rival under the coaching of Stuart and Phil Gould.
"His love of the place, his desire to make the Broncos successful again, to celebrate 20 years as a coach here next year, the list goes on," he said.
"He's been (at the Broncos) from the birth of the club right through to where it is today and 20 years has been so successful for him."
Cullen admitted the reported contract was well above his salary at the Broncos, but also indicated Bennett was a man who would be unwilling to uproot his family, which includes two children with disabilities.
The news comes when the five-time premiership coach's reputation has been restored through three straight convincing wins leading into the NRL finals.
"We've just got to keep reminding people we've just got to our 15th finals series in a row which no other club has even got close to doing," he said.
"Three or four weeks ago everyone was calling for his head and now he's got a multi-million dollar contract supposedly thrown in front of him - so funny world.
"Like any good employer or any good performer they might be on somebody's wish list but a lot of those times those wish lists don't go any further than a name on paper."
Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan wouldn't comment about interest in Bennett, the latest in a string of coaches linked to the Bondi Junction club.
"The information will be kept in-house and we will neither confirm or deny speculation regarding the coaching position," Canavan said.
The Broncos expect Saturday night's qualifying final against St George Illawarra to be a sell-out with almost 50,000 Suncorp Stadium seats already taken
Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 5:20 PM
Bruno Cullen isn't sure which is the more amusing: Wayne Bennett being targeted by the Roosters or the Broncos coach receiving a $2.4 million offer weeks after critics called for his head.
Brisbane managing director Cullen has laughed off a News Ltd report the Roosters were sizing up Bennett to replace the axed Ricky Stuart on a huge three-year deal.
Roosters officials were also laughing at the figures bandied around but wouldn't confirm or deny the interest that made back-page news in Sydney and Brisbane.
Enjoying his weekly day off on his Warwick farm, Bennett was unavailable for comment but Cullen did the speaking for him, believing the story came "out of thin air".
"It came completely out of the blue," he said. "I was a little bit surprised when I was having my wheat bikkies this morning and opened up the back page of the paper.
"I enjoyed it. I had a laugh.
"It's not a bad back-page fish and chip wrapper tomorrow."
Cullen listed a string of reasons why he was confident Bennett would see out a four-year contract ending in 2009 rather than move to a club that has been a bitter rival under the coaching of Stuart and Phil Gould.
"His love of the place, his desire to make the Broncos successful again, to celebrate 20 years as a coach here next year, the list goes on," he said.
"He's been (at the Broncos) from the birth of the club right through to where it is today and 20 years has been so successful for him."
Cullen admitted the reported contract was well above his salary at the Broncos, but also indicated Bennett was a man who would be unwilling to uproot his family, which includes two children with disabilities.
The news comes when the five-time premiership coach's reputation has been restored through three straight convincing wins leading into the NRL finals.
"We've just got to keep reminding people we've just got to our 15th finals series in a row which no other club has even got close to doing," he said.
"Three or four weeks ago everyone was calling for his head and now he's got a multi-million dollar contract supposedly thrown in front of him - so funny world.
"Like any good employer or any good performer they might be on somebody's wish list but a lot of those times those wish lists don't go any further than a name on paper."
Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan wouldn't comment about interest in Bennett, the latest in a string of coaches linked to the Bondi Junction club.
"The information will be kept in-house and we will neither confirm or deny speculation regarding the coaching position," Canavan said.
The Broncos expect Saturday night's qualifying final against St George Illawarra to be a sell-out with almost 50,000 Suncorp Stadium seats already taken
