RedVDave
First Grade
- Messages
- 5,672
YOU don't win premierships without being able to see things coming. Which will prepare Wayne Bennett for the reaction if St George Illawarra don't win this year's title.
But even if the minor premiers are bundled out of the finals in straight sets - against his old club - enabling the chokers tag to inevitably be pinned to the Red V, Bennett can afford to look back - and maintain that the Dragons have done everything he has asked of them.
''The only plan I really had when I arrived down here was to improve the place, one, and two was to make sure we play with some consistency and get a good start to the season,'' Bennett told Fairfax Media. ''We've achieved all that. Regardless of Saturday night's performance, it's not going to diminish what we've done. I didn't have a three- or four-year plan - the club couldn't have withstood that, I think they've been under too much pressure in the past.
''The key was to try and get some of that off. We've managed to do that. We can now settle back and be a footy club, and next year rolls around - if it doesn't go to plan this year well it has gone to plan. Whatever comes now is just a bonus.''
But whatever comes now may still include accusations that the Dragons have failed to fulfil their potential in a finals series again. This time they were minor premiers and, after losing to Parramatta last Sunday, face a sudden-death clash with Brisbane. Some will argue it will be the Dragons' biggest disappointment in all their finals falls.
''I'm immune to all that rubbish,'' Bennett said when asked about the chokers tag.
And clearly immune to the pressure; immunity that has been built up by many years of being exposed to it.
''There's pressure on every week,'' Bennett said. ''I don't know a year where I haven't been under pressure. I don't know a game where I haven't been under pressure. It's just what you do. It comes with the territory, and you either manage it or it kills you in the end. I hope I've managed it for a long period of time. But it's still there. It's always going to be there.''
It will be there for Jamie Soward, the five-eighth who Bennett has moulded and modelled from an inconsistent enigma into a player to fear. But Bennett admitted he may have felt the pressure last weekend, with the match being his first finals encounter.
''It's important he plays his natural game,'' Bennett said. ''I think he felt a bit of the pressure last week. He'll be better this week. He wasn't bad last week but he's got that behind him and he'll be fine.''
He couldn't have been too concerned about the pressure on Soward, given Bennett continued to compare him with former Broncos halfback Allan Langer - who has since dubbed himself Alfie Soward since Bennett first raised their similarities.
''They're both natural footballers that really enjoy it,'' Bennett said. ''There's a couple of things that Jamie doesn't do quite as well as Alf at this point in his career but not to say he won't further down.
''He's a natural. And Alf was never one for a lot of structure, in the way he played. He just had this wonderful ability to play the game, and read it; the sense that a lot of players don't have. Jamie's in the same boat; he just loves coming to training, he loves competing. It's all easy for him. Both are extremely highly skilled people.''
Bennett admitted it felt ''strange and weird'' to be coaching against the Broncos ''but you're employed somewhere else now, so you want to do a good job for them and I've coached Origin when Broncos players were playing against us.
''There's two rules I have,'' he added. ''One is just to block my mind out about them and the second one is to never say anything adverse about them.''
Which is why he saved one of his greatest compliments for Broncos five-eighth Darren Lockyer, set to be Soward's nemesis at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
''I'm pleased I'm in the coach's box, I wouldn't want to be playing against him,'' Bennett declared.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...-bennett/2009/09/16/1252780358994.html?page=2
But even if the minor premiers are bundled out of the finals in straight sets - against his old club - enabling the chokers tag to inevitably be pinned to the Red V, Bennett can afford to look back - and maintain that the Dragons have done everything he has asked of them.
''The only plan I really had when I arrived down here was to improve the place, one, and two was to make sure we play with some consistency and get a good start to the season,'' Bennett told Fairfax Media. ''We've achieved all that. Regardless of Saturday night's performance, it's not going to diminish what we've done. I didn't have a three- or four-year plan - the club couldn't have withstood that, I think they've been under too much pressure in the past.
''The key was to try and get some of that off. We've managed to do that. We can now settle back and be a footy club, and next year rolls around - if it doesn't go to plan this year well it has gone to plan. Whatever comes now is just a bonus.''
But whatever comes now may still include accusations that the Dragons have failed to fulfil their potential in a finals series again. This time they were minor premiers and, after losing to Parramatta last Sunday, face a sudden-death clash with Brisbane. Some will argue it will be the Dragons' biggest disappointment in all their finals falls.
''I'm immune to all that rubbish,'' Bennett said when asked about the chokers tag.
And clearly immune to the pressure; immunity that has been built up by many years of being exposed to it.
''There's pressure on every week,'' Bennett said. ''I don't know a year where I haven't been under pressure. I don't know a game where I haven't been under pressure. It's just what you do. It comes with the territory, and you either manage it or it kills you in the end. I hope I've managed it for a long period of time. But it's still there. It's always going to be there.''
It will be there for Jamie Soward, the five-eighth who Bennett has moulded and modelled from an inconsistent enigma into a player to fear. But Bennett admitted he may have felt the pressure last weekend, with the match being his first finals encounter.
''It's important he plays his natural game,'' Bennett said. ''I think he felt a bit of the pressure last week. He'll be better this week. He wasn't bad last week but he's got that behind him and he'll be fine.''
He couldn't have been too concerned about the pressure on Soward, given Bennett continued to compare him with former Broncos halfback Allan Langer - who has since dubbed himself Alfie Soward since Bennett first raised their similarities.
''They're both natural footballers that really enjoy it,'' Bennett said. ''There's a couple of things that Jamie doesn't do quite as well as Alf at this point in his career but not to say he won't further down.
''He's a natural. And Alf was never one for a lot of structure, in the way he played. He just had this wonderful ability to play the game, and read it; the sense that a lot of players don't have. Jamie's in the same boat; he just loves coming to training, he loves competing. It's all easy for him. Both are extremely highly skilled people.''
Bennett admitted it felt ''strange and weird'' to be coaching against the Broncos ''but you're employed somewhere else now, so you want to do a good job for them and I've coached Origin when Broncos players were playing against us.
''There's two rules I have,'' he added. ''One is just to block my mind out about them and the second one is to never say anything adverse about them.''
Which is why he saved one of his greatest compliments for Broncos five-eighth Darren Lockyer, set to be Soward's nemesis at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
''I'm pleased I'm in the coach's box, I wouldn't want to be playing against him,'' Bennett declared.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...-bennett/2009/09/16/1252780358994.html?page=2
