Wayne Bennett (rugby league)

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Wayne Bennett
Bennett in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Wayne James Bennett
Born	1 January 1950 (1950-01-01) (age 59)
	Warwick, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Position	Wing
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
	Warwick
	Toowoomba
	Brothers (Bris.)
1976	Ipswich
1977–79	Souths (Bris.)
	Total	0	0	0	0	0
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1971–72	Australia	0	0	0	0	0
1971–73	Queensland	8				8
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1976	Ipswich
1977–79	Southern Suburbs
1980–82	Brothers (Brisbane)
1984–85	Southern Suburbs
1987	Canberra Raiders	28	17	0	11	61
1988–08	Brisbane Broncos	532	339	12	181	64
2009–	St. George Illawarra	26	17	0	9	65
	Total	586	373	12	201	64
Representative
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1986–88	Queensland	9	5	0	4	56
1998	Australia	2	2	0	0	100
1998	Queensland	3	2	0	1	67
2001–03	Queensland	9	5	0	4	56
2004–05	Australia	14	10	1	3	71

Wayne James Bennett AM (born 1 January 1950) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach, and former player. He is the current head coach for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the NRL. A former Australian Kangaroos player and Queensland Police officer, he became a Brisbane Rugby League premiership-winning coach in the 1970s and 80s, and earned selection as Queensland's State of Origin team coach. In 1988 Bennett was appointed the first ever coach of the new Brisbane Broncos club, later winning several premierships with them, and in 1998 was first selected to coach the Australian national team. He has since set coaching records for the most grand final wins (six with the Broncos)^[1] and most seasons with a single club (21) in Australian rugby league history.

[edit] Early life

Wayne Bennett grew up in a working class family in Warwick, Queensland with an alcoholic father who deserted the family when he was eleven years old, forcing Wayne to enter the workforce at an early age. He has two sisters, Michelle and Gretta and a brother, Robert. In spite of his upbringing he remains an avowed non-smoker, non-drinker and non-gambler. Before becoming involved with the Queensland Rugby League on a full-time basis, Bennett worked as a police officer.

[edit] Playing career

From 1970, Bennett played football for Warwick, and also in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Past Brothers, Ipswich and Souths. He was a talented winger and represented Queensland 7 times between 1971 and 1972. Bennett also played two tour matches for Australia on the 1972 tour of New Zealand.

[edit] Coaching career

Wayne Bennett has been one of the most successful coaches in Australian Rugby League history and has experienced success with the last three teams he has coached.

[edit] Early years

Bennett began coaching in Ipswich in 1976, before moving to Souths and Brothers. After the births of his 3 children, Bennett had a break from coaching. He returned in 1983 as coach of Souths Acacia Ridge under 16's as well as the Queensland Police Academy under 18's team which he took to a premiership. He used this time to implement his trademark extensive basic skills and slide defence drills^{[citation needed]}. He then took over the Souths job and took them to the 1984 grand final, which they lost to the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. Revenge was to come a year later when the Bennett-coached Magpies defeated the Seagulls 10-8 to take the premiership. This was against a Seagulls line-up featuring Wally Lewis and Gene Miles, and he regards this as one of his greatest ever wins^{[citation needed]}. In 1986 Bennett made his coaching debut for the Queensland State of Origin team. The Maroons were beaten 3-0 in a series whitewash in 1986, however Bennett was retained as Queensland's coach for two more years.

In 1987 Bennett moved south to join the NSWRL's Winfield Cup Premiership when he was appointed co-coach of the Canberra Raiders with Don Furner. With the Queensland side, Bennett won the 1987 State of Origin series. He and Furner guided the Raiders to their first Grand Final which was lost to Manly 18-8.

[edit] Brisbane Broncos

Bennett was appointed to be the first coach of the Brisbane Broncos when the club was formed in 1988. That season with the Maroons he defeated New South Wales in a 3 nil whitewash in the State of Origin, but Bennett discontinued his representative coaching to focus on the Broncos.

Bennett's reputation for being able to make tough and even unpopular decisions was characterised by his sacking of Wally Lewis as club captain in 1990. At the end of the season the King was not made an offer large enough to retain him, with Bennett citing salary cap restrictions and the need to keep Sydney clubs away from more junior talent coming though.^[2]

The Broncos won back-to-back premierships in 1992-93 under Bennett. In 1994 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the sport of Rugby League, particularly as coach of the Brisbane Broncos".

Bennett was appointed as Queensland coach again for the 1995 series but pulled out of the position after players aligned with the breakaway Super League organisation (including the majority of his club team, the Brisbane Broncos) were refused selection.

In 1997's Super League half of the football season, the Broncos under Bennett dominated, winning the World Club Championship as well as the Telstra Cup grand final.

Bennett resumed representative coaching duties in 1998 with Queensland and was also given the honour of coaching Australia when he was appointed to replace Bob Fulton as Kangaroos coach. Australia was undefeated in two test matches against the Kiwis. Bennett won his fourth premiership with the Broncos in 1998 and he was also named "Coach of the Year" at the Queensland Sport Awards.^[3] He won this award again in 2000 and also received the Australian Sports Medal for "significant contribution to the development of sport". That year Bennett won his fifth premiership with the Broncos.

Bennett would again coach Queensland in 2001, gaining widespread attention after his decision to recall Allan Langer to the Maroons from the European Super League for the deciding third game of the 2001 State of Origin series. Queensland won the series and the decision was hailed as a "master stroke".^[who?] Bennett remained Queensland's coach for the 2002 and 2003 series before stepping down again. He continued his involvement with coaching for Queensland through the Queensland Academy of Sport and in an off-field role with the Queensland Rugby League

Bennett is a passionate advocate of international Rugby League, and was instrumental in the revival of the Tri-Nations series in 2004. In that year he was again appointed Australian coach, and took Australia to reclaim the Trans-Tasman Trophy (lost to New Zealand in 2003) and win the second Rugby League Tri-Nations Series.

At the end of the 2005 season, after five successive years without a grand final appearance, Bennett decided to have a cleanout of the coaching staff, removing such long-time allies as Gary Belcher, Glenn Lazarus and Kevin Walters.^[4] On 9 December 2005, it was announced that Bennett had resigned as Australia's coach, after the Kangaroos lost an international series for the first time in 32 years, and equalled their biggest loss in 98 years, going down 24-0 to New Zealand in the Tri-Nations final.

Bennett after the 2006 Grand Final win.

During the 2006 finals series, he became only the second person (after Tim Sheens) to coach 500 premiership games. He also signed on to continue coaching the Broncos for a further two years.^[5] The sixth premiership final won by Brisbane against Melbourne have made Wayne Bennett the most successful Grand Finals coach in history.^[6] He again was named Queensland's Sport Coach of the Year.

Bennett coached the 2007 All Golds.^[7] In doing so, he introduced the New Zealand players to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.^[8]

Bennett was originally contracted to the Broncos until the end of 2009[1], but on the night of 4 February 2008 at a Broncos board meeting, he submitted his letter of resignation and sought an early release at the end of the 2008 season.

Bennett's coaching future was confirmed on March 31, 2008, when he signed a three-year contract to coach the St George Illawarra Dragons from season 2009.^[9]

After much speculation, Bennett became assistant coach and advisor to New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney in 2008. This was in preparation for the Centenary test against the Kangaroos. Bennett was retained in the same role for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, which the Kiwis won. Former New Zealand coach Graeme Lowe has credited Bennett with the victory.^[10]

[edit] St George Illawarra Dragons

In Bennett's first year as the Dragons Head Coach, St George Illawarra took out the 2009 NRL Minor Premiership in style beating the Parramatta Eels 37-0. Across town at the Sydney Football Stadium, the Wests Tigers defeated the Bulldogs, who had been expected to win their final game. The J J Giltinan Shield started the evening at the Sydney Football Stadium, but by the end of the evening had been transported by road to WIN Jubilee Oval, and presented to the Dragons at the completion of the game. This was the first time the Joint Venture had won the Minor Premiership. In a wonderful year of Rugby League, under the tutelage of Bennett, the Dragons were strong favorites to take out the 2009 NRL Premiership. Unfortunately, the Dragons' wonderful 2009 campaign came to a surprising halt in Week 2 of the NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series, via back-to-back losses to both the Parramatta Eels at WIN Jubilee Oval and the Brisbane Broncos up at Suncorp Stadium.

The Bennett era at St George Illawarra began with high turnover of staff and players. High performance director Jeremy Hickmans, conditioner Scott Campbell and manager/assistant Paul Massey were recruited to replace the existing staff, while the playing roster had recently lost high profile stars Mark Gasnier and Jason Ryles. The club's player recruiting however was extensive: Jeremy Smith, Darius Boyd, Neville Costigan, Luke Priddis, Michael Weyman, Mathew Head and Mickey Paea^[11]. At the Dragons Bennett was to be re-united with former Broncos Wendell Sailor and Luke Priddis, both of whom had won premierships with him at Brisbane. Neville Costigan, who also played under Bennett at the Broncos joined the Dragons that year in addition to Darius Boyd and Nick Emmett who also moved from Brisbane to St. George Illawarra at the same time as Bennett.

In round 4 of the 2009 NRL season Bennett returned to Suncorp Stadium with the Dragons and for the first time coached against the club he helped build. St. George Illawarra defeated the Broncos convincingly as the Dragons continued to lead the competition in defence. However, after winning the minor premiership in his first season at the club, it was the Brisbane Broncos who knocked the Dragons out of finals contention at the end of the 2009 season.

[edit] Coaching Awards

• 1997 Super League Coach of the Year
• 2000 NRL Coach of the Year

[edit] Public persona

Bennett is known for a number of unusual and distinguishable behaviours which have on occasion been the subject of media attention, both positive and negative. These include Bennett's taciturn nature and reputation for almost never smiling^[12] and appearing outwardly "unemotional".^[13] Television coverage of NRL matches typically involves some footage of the coaches box at crucial points of the match whereby the coaches more often than not will reflect the on field status quo. Bennett however will normally be shown sternly watching the game intensely without any real signs of emotion irrespective of the events unfolding. In 2004 Ray Warren drew attention to this, stating that "Nathan Hindmarsh will get a haircut the next time Wayne Bennett smiles". Hindmarsh, a Parramatta forward, had long and untamed hair. Since the Broncos won the 2006 premiership Hindmarsh has sported a neat, short head of hair. After the Broncos 1993 Grand Final Victory captain Alan Langer also drew attention to it by indicating in his victory address that seeing Bennett smile would be a great reward in itself.

Bennett has stated openly that he detests the media commitments required as head coach of a high-profile football team^[14]. Although on occasions he will happilly give in depth interviews he has also been known to act with hostility towards the press, avoiding questions, starting press conferences early and at times simply refusing to answer. This behaviour has in some parts attracted sharp criticism although has been defended in other parts of the Rugby League community, in particular by former NSW coach and channell nine personality Phil Gould.

Wayne Bennett coached the Brisbane Broncos for twenty one consecutive years, since their first season. Under his leadership they were the most successful side, winning six premierships and never losing a grand final. It is unusual for a coach to remain at one club for so long and indeed maintain its success. The salary cap system in Australian rugby league makes it difficult to maintain a strong squad for long periods.

[edit] Personal life

Wayne Bennett's brother Bob Bennett has also coached rugby league at international level with the Papua New Guinea team^[15].

Bennett's wife, Trish, is the sister of former Australian test player Greg Veivers & English Rugby League stalwart Phillip Veivers. Wayne has won a Queensland Father of the Year award for helping to raise two of his children with disabilities.^{[citation needed]} He appeared on Australian Story on ABC TV in 2001 to tell the story of his family life. This was one of the most popular programs in the history of that show.^{[citation needed]}

With journalist Steve Crawley he wrote Don't Die with the Music in You whose title refers to a quote from the American intellectual Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. regarding failure to meet one's potential. The likes of Steve Waugh, Lachlan Murdoch, David Gallop, John Singleton and Jack Gibson attended the book's launch at the Australian Museum in Sydney on 7 May, 2002.^[16][17] It has become one of the best selling books about rugby league in Australia's history (ISBN 0-7333-1107-5, ABC Books Australia). He also writes a weekly column in The Australian.

Ben Ikin is Wayne Bennett's son-in-law. He is married to Bennett's daughter Elizabeth.

Bennett's second book, The man in the mirror was released in November, 2008, soon after the New Zealand Kiwis' World Cup victory.

[edit] Quotations

• If you want to be mentally tough, do as Wayne Bennett says: follow your beliefs and don't give in to yourself. — Steve Waugh

• I believe that Bennett stands somewhere below Jack Gibson, which is somewhere just above God. — Roy Masters

• Wayne is a man whose success is built on loyalty, discipline and an innate recognition of individual worth. — Lachlan Murdoch

• Will I miss him? I miss coaching against them all. I will say that it is a shame that Wayne won't be there. With all due respect to Michael Hagan, Wayne Bennett and Queensland go hand in hand... I enjoy coaching against quality coaches, and Wayne Bennett is that. I have really enjoyed coaching against Wayne for the last two years. — Phil Gould

• I don't know how he does it. He's like a father to all the players and anyone's got problems on or off the field he'll fix them if he can. But he's not only a father figure I think I class him as one of my best friends. — Allan Langer

• Wayne Bennett believes in himself and his players, and he always will. — Darren Lockyer

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Bennett, Wayne (1996). League's a lot like life. HarperCollins. ISBN 0732257255, 9780732257255. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=M3KJGwAACAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
• Bennett, Wayne; Steve Crawley (2003). Don't die with the music in you. ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ISBN 0733322190, 9780733322198. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UH9DGgAACAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
• Bennett, Wayne; Steve Crawley (2008). Wayne Bennett: The Man in the Mirror. ABC Books. ISBN 0733324282, 9780733324284. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GNtpNwAACAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 

[edit] External links

• Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos official website.
• Man for All Seasons - Australian Story Transcript
• Wayne Bennett at celebrityspeakers.com.au
• Queensland Team of the Century named - article at nz.leagueunlimited.com
• Wayne's Way - article at thebriefingroom.com
• Wayne Bennett at icmi.com.au
• Queensland Representatives at qrl.com.au