for what it's worth ...
Bennett and Tigers deny talks as the Panthers circle Cleary
By Christian Nicolussi
3 October 2018 — 8:09pm
Brisbane supercoach Wayne Bennett has reaffirmed his commitment to the Broncos next year as he and Wests Tigers denied the seven-time premiership winner had been approached to replace Ivan Cleary.
It took just three days for the confetti to settle after the NRL grand final before the off-season coaching merry-go-round cranked up with The Australian reporting that Bennett had been shopped to the Tigers for 2020.
While Bennett is happy to entertain any offers from 2020 onwards, Tigers fans will be wanting to know what happens in the short term, especially with Penrith confident they can get Cleary for the start of pre-season training next month.
Bennett first heard about being linked to the Tigers after a morning chat with his sister early on Wednesday. Bennett made a point there was no way he would walk out on Red Hill early.
Cleary still has two years to run on his deal at the Tigers, but he and Penrith are keen to be reunited for next season.
Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated Cleary will honour the final two years of his deal and he maintained that stance last night.
Bennett, who has already been informed that next year will be his last at the Broncos, told the Herald on Wednesday: "I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll repeat it – I intend to continue coaching after 2019 if I can get a job somewhere. Nothing is off the list. We’ll see what happens. The first time I heard about the Wests Tigers [link] was this morning when my sister told me about it."
Regardless of the lack of love from the Broncos hierarchy, Bennett has no desire to pack his bags early. "I’ve never intimated that at any stage, and nothing has changed," Bennett said.
The fact the Broncos roster has a better chance of pushing for the 2019 title than the Tigers would also make it harder for Bennett to entertain the idea of leaving early.
Pascoe, whose club has also been linked to former South Sydney premiership-winning boss Michael Maguire, has become frustrated by the intense speculation.
"Especially when we’re not the ones driving the speculation," he said. "The first I heard about the Wayne speculation was Wednesday. Our position hasn’t changed and we have a coach who will honour his contract the next two years."
The Tigers would be aware they have little to gain by releasing Cleary now. A better option would surely be to wait 12 months when more than half-a-dozen rival coaches come off contract, including Bennett.
As well as the Tigers, Maguire has also been linked to Manly and Bennett’s Broncos. One thing is for sure: he wants to coach in Australia, having already passed on a couple of job offers in the Super League in the hope of returning to the NRL.
The Sea Eagles are also in the mix for assistant John Cartwright, but are not in the position to lock down anyone until they thrash out a proper settlement with Trent Barrett.
If the Sea Eagles or the Tigers did pursue Maguire, they would be forced to start their pre-season without him because the New Zealand coach leaves the country on Friday and won’t return until midway through November, after the three-Test series in England.
Muddying the waters even further is the fact that it is not uncommon for player managers to shop coaches to clubs without their knowledge, such as when the Orr brothers attempted to shop Bennett to the Titans midway through the year, even though he was not one of their clients.
The speculation around Cleary and the Panthers only intensifies with each day Cleary refuses to publicly declare his intentions. He refused to guarantee he would see out his Tigers deal when he fronted his final post-match press conference, and since that time his son, Nathan, has signed a new deal with Penrith until the end of 2024.
Should Cleary not join Penrith for 2019, the club is more than comfortable with Cameron Ciraldo, who took over from Anthony Griffin, the man who loomed as the only stumbling block in retaining their halfback.
Anthony Seibold, meanwhile, has a year to run on his deal with South Sydney and has started talks about extending his stay at Redfern, despite the reported interest from the Broncos.
Like Bennett, Seibold will honour his deal at Souths in 2019, regardless of whether he does sign elsewhere for the following season.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/be...e-panthers-circle-cleary-20181003-p507g1.html
