Not sure I agree 100% on the comment re Saints. He got Boyd at a time where he had to leave Brisbane, and chose to follow Bennett. He became a superstar at St George, he didn't go there as a superstar.
In that first year the pack looked something like Hunt, Weyman, Young, Saffy, Costigan, Poore etc (sorry if I have forgotten some). It was far from being choc-full of stars, Bennett got the best out of them and most became rep players.
They had some good established backs in Cooper & Hornby (who was a fullback for most of his career), and Morris and Nightingale were on the cusp of becoming something (Gasnier did not come until later) . Soward was prob on his last chance at that point in time, which seems a remarkable thing to say today.
In the space of 1 year Bennett was able to turn them into the most consistent side in the league, and it was built on defence, discipline and doing the basics right. Commitment and discipline was the building block on where they are today.
It is very easy with hindsight to say it was all there for Bennett but I remember thinking at the time that Bennett was taking a fairly big risk going there and that he should just retire. Of course hindsight shows he knew exactly what he was doing, so PRAYING it is the same here!!
Yes I'd love and want Boyd (no disagreement with anyone on that), but big call to expect a premiership next year. If he knocks us back, at least we have Bennett's judgement and Tinker's weight (money, not just on the scales) to pick up the superstar(s) we need the following year.
