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Wayne Bennett quitting the Knights

Knightmare

Coach
Messages
10,716
He should have stepped down yesterday.

The Knights won't sack him after the events of the last week and the goodwill that has to be displayed for Mckinnon and rugby league's sake.

It's bad enough players are mercenaries and pledge their future allegiance to other clubs a season or two in advance. Coaches have a fair deal of a club's football strategic direction in their control and having a bloke in a senior position announce he's up and off to another club with the season yet to conclude, and yet remain at his incumbent organisation, just reinforces the joke of the way some things work in rugby league.

More a joke on the Broncos though. For a leading sports organisation, they're looking backwards to move into the future. Why not freeze the bloke now so they can have his input in a century's time, because the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club are telling the world that they don't have any ideas other than relying on a coach who was around when they won all the premierships they have. For one of the biggest football clubs in the country, this decision is weak.


Agreed- Wayne might deliver them a Premiership, but once he's gone they're back to where they were in 2009 unless the board start doing now what should have been done 5 years ago- prepare full-scale for an existence where Bennett is not coming back in any way, shape or form- and they can't hedge results on Lockyers' shoulders. Not sour grapes from me- if I were a Broncos fan I'd be concerned that recruiting an old coach getting towards the back end of his career was considered the way of "moving forward".
 

gregstar

Referee
Messages
20,462
It's got everything to do with the next 3 years, not the next 5 or 10. "Long term plans" is code for "get rid if the current coach".

Whether it was saints or the broncos, the same problem will exist when he finishes. Personally I'd want a chance at a title within 3 years as opposed to wanking on about 5 year plans as we'll.
 

Kiwi

First Grade
Messages
9,471
It's got everything to do with the next 3 years, not the next 5 or 10. "Long term plans" is code for "get rid if the current coach".

Whether it was saints or the broncos, the same problem will exist when he finishes. Personally I'd want a chance at a title within 3 years as opposed to wanking on about 5 year plans as we'll.
Why is there going to be a problem? As long as we hire the right coach we'll be fine. Look at who replaced bennett af the Broncos and Dragons... Henjak and Price... enough said really. Maybe if Hook replaces Bennett the first time around we land Inglis and keep Folau and Hooks career takes a very different path.* I would love to see thd Walker brothers involved in our attack.
 

Knightmare

Coach
Messages
10,716
The problem with that scenario is that the Broncos will think they are justified doing the same old same old, oblivious to the fact that after nearly 30 years of existence the club still hasn't learned how to live without Bennett or Lockyer.

I know this first-hand because there are still plenty of Knights fans who think returning to a "jobs for the boys" administration would be ideal over private ownership from a new potential backer with a proven track record managing RL clubs because….well….."We've won 2 Premierships in the last 20 years- that's as good as half the teams in the NRL so we're alright!'"

I mean, a blue collar, traditionally underdog organisation like the Knights could be forgiven for taking a bit longer to rid themselves of this thinking, but a team like the Broncos who for so long were the face of professionalism and on-field strength (by fair means or foul) are kidding if they think it's acceptable for a rich, exclusive, media adored glamour team like them!
 

gregstar

Referee
Messages
20,462
Why is there going to be a problem? As long as we hire the right coach we'll be fine. Look at who replaced bennett af the Broncos and Dragons... Henjak and Price... enough said really. Maybe if Hook replaces Bennett the first time around we land Inglis and keep Folau and Hooks career takes a very different path.* I would love to see thd Walker brothers involved in our attack.
i don't recall henjak being written off when he was handed the job given he was the assistant. i also don't recall any saints supporter lampooning chinless when he was first appointed given he was also the assistant coach.

you can't replace creeping jesus with a belamy or hasler if they're not available. i'm assuming walters will be groomed to replace creeping in the future - will that be a mistake?
 

Dazzat

First Grade
Messages
5,919
He should have stepped down yesterday.

The Knights won't sack him after the events of the last week and the goodwill that has to be displayed for Mckinnon and rugby league's sake.

It's bad enough players are mercenaries and pledge their future allegiance to other clubs a season or two in advance. Coaches have a fair deal of a club's football strategic direction in their control and having a bloke in a senior position announce he's up and off to another club with the season yet to conclude, and yet remain at his incumbent organisation, just reinforces the joke of the way some things work in rugby league.

More a joke on the Broncos though. For a leading sports organisation, they're looking backwards to move into the future. Why not freeze the bloke now so they can have his input in a century's time, because the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club are telling the world that they don't have any ideas other than relying on a coach who was around when they won all the premierships they have. For one of the biggest football clubs in the country, this decision is weak.

Yeah ... who would want the most successful coach in the NRL history come back to coach and to setup a succession plan ... weak!

Who would want the man who masterminded the Queensland dominance at the highest level of the game back coaching ... weak!

Who would want the man who coached the NZ team to win the World Cup back ... weak!

Who would want the man who nurtured some of the greatest talent in the game over the past two decades back (Webke, Alfie, Lockyer, Tallis) back ... weak!
 
Messages
15,545
It's not Bennett's job to worry about a succession plan.

He is there to get his team to win games of football and ultimately a premiership. It is the board and the CEO who should worry about what happens after Bennett. If they have a future coach in mind, they are the ones who need to insist that he has something to do with Bennett's structure from here on in so that he can look and learn.

Considering it is Brisbane that we are talking about and the fact that they basically have an unlimited amount of money to spend on their football department anyway, I reckon they will just wait to Wayne mentions that it's time for him to move on and then they'll just go to market and pinch the best coach available at the time.

I don't think they'll go down the assistant route again any time soon and we've seen with the Dogs and Hasler that a coach doesn't necessarily have to be available for them to be employed.

The Broncos have shown that they don't mind paying overs to land their man. They've just blown the Dragons offer out of the water to get Wayne back.
 

Snappy

Coach
Messages
11,844
It's got everything to do with the next 3 years, not the next 5 or 10.
.

Pretty much this. People keep saying it's a poor decision because what happens when Bennett leaves.

We'll deal with that when the time comes, but IMO we have a better chance for success in the next three years with Bennett as coach than we would have had with hook.

The simple fact is that Griffin had to go. He's been holding us back for too long with his stupid team selections and recruitment. We have a squad that should be achieving more than we have the last two years. I'd much rather Bennett take over then some nuffie or rookie coach.
 

insert.pause

First Grade
Messages
6,446
for all the sympathy and hard done by stories by the media for Griffin, after nearly 4 years most of them still can't spell his name properly or they call him Griffith. I think that says it all, hook just didn't have the big personality that a big club like Brisbane crave.
 

Hutty1986

Immortal
Messages
34,034
Anyone doubting that having Bennett back at the Broncos isn't a brilliant result for them is having a pull.
 

Usain Bolt

Bench
Messages
3,732
Bennett needs to get rid of Barba but I don't know many clubs that would be willing to pick up his salary, absolute dud signing
 

insert.pause

First Grade
Messages
6,446
This will be bennett's last head coaching role and being at Brisbane he will be allowed to basically retire into a plush coaching director role and be able to guide any successor. Its a gig for life in his hometown at the club he helped build, it's not going to be a temporary role like it had been at other clubs, hes settling in for the long run.
 

insert.pause

First Grade
Messages
6,446
Bennett needs to get rid of Barba but I don't know many clubs that would be willing to pick up his salary, absolute dud signing

He may fancy himself at being able to get the best out of barba. Kennedy on the other hand is gone, the Garbutt signing had Bennett all over it.
 

MarkC

Juniors
Messages
446
It will be interesting to see how the Broncos go next year with Bennett at the helm.
From mine some of their older players are the best performers, Parker, Thaiday and Hodges.
I don't know how many years they have got left.

The Broncos have always got as lot of talent and have most positions covered.
So with Bennett at the helm they could be a real contender in 2015.

It is probably too early to totally write them off for this year, but I am not expecting them to get to the last 4.
 

The Chello

Juniors
Messages
98
I feel for Griffin. He seems to be a genuinely principled guy who was maybe just a little bit out of his depth coaching at a club with such (some might say unreasonably) high expectations.

I don't think that any of the above applies to Bennett, who will probably bring the short term success that the club craves.

Nicely put.
 

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