Wayne Bennett reveals the one thing he WON’T do when he returns to South Sydney Rabbitohs – and it’s good news for Dolphins fans!
- Wayne Bennett says he won’t raid the Dolphins
- Bennett, 74, is returning to South Sydney
- But he has vowed not to ‘destroy’ the club he built
Wayne Bennett has vowed not to rob the Dolphins by playing shares when he coaches South Sydney next year.
The 74-year-old Dolphins mentor will sign an expected three-year contract in the coming days to return to the club he coached from 2019-2021.
However, the Dolphins have a number of young players coming through who are excelling in the NRL and at lower levels, but Bennett said the club had nothing to fear.
“I won’t take any of their children that they want to keep,” he said.
‘That will not happen. I didn’t build this club to try to destroy it.
Wayne Bennett has vowed not to raid the Dolphins for their talented stars
“If there’s a guy they don’t offer a contract to or he wants to go somewhere else and I think he can play a bit, then that’s another thing, but I want all these players to stay.”
Bennett said he had not spoken to the Rabbitohs about the players he wanted them to re-sign or recruit.
“I haven’t done that because I haven’t signed the contract yet,” he said.
“I have to stay focused here and I think I’ve been pretty good at that.”
Bennett had 18 months to prepare the Dolphins to be NRL ready when he agreed to coach the side at the end of 2021.
In contrast, he will be at Rabbitoh’s pre-season training in six months’ time.
“I’ve moved from a few clubs in my life to the same situation, so it’s not new to me,” he said.
Bennett says he will not destroy the club he helped build when he returns to Souths
‘I have experience with it and know how to tackle it. The most important thing is that everyone knows what is going on. You just go on with life. They have staff there who will take care of everything until I get there.
‘Ben Hornby is doing a great job there now (as caretaker coach) and I will definitely want him on the coaching staff when I get there. It will be an easy transition.”
Bennett negotiates his own deal and does not involve a third party. He said he “now doesn’t have to worry about managers leaking things when you make your own deal.” It is well.’
His transition has been a saga over the past three weeks.
He told reporters on Sunday night that he would put the spectators out of their misery and have the deal signed this week “just for you.”