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 Policeofficer, he became a Brisbane Rugby League premiership-winning coach in the 1970s and 80s, and earned selection as Queensland'sState 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 and one with St. George Illawarra) as well as winning a grand final with two teams (the Broncos and the Dragons)[2] and most seasons with a single club (21) in Australian rugby league history.
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 theQueensland Rugby League on a full-time basis, Bennett started to work as a police officer at the age of 15.[edit]Early life
[edit]Playing career
From 1970, Bennett played football for Warwick, and also in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Past Brothers, Ipswich andSouths. He was a talented winger and goal-kicker and represented Queensland 7 times between 1971 and 1972. Bennett also played two tour matches for Australia on the 1972 tour of New Zealand. After that he had a spell playing for Huddersfield in England alongside fellow Queenslander and future brother-in-law Greg Vievers.[3]
[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,[4] 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 took over from Des Morris as coach of the Queensland State of Origin team.[5] The Maroons were beaten 3-0 in a series whitewash that year, 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 Raiderswith 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-Warringah 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.[6]
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 asKangaroos 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.[7]
Wayne Bennett ceased in his role as coach of the Australian national team in March 1999, being replaced by Chris Anderson.[8]
In 2000 Bennett received the Australian Sports Medal for "significant contribution to the development of sport". That year he also 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 theQueensland 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 asGary Belcher, Glenn Lazarus and Kevin Walters.[9] 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 27 years,[10] and equalled their biggest loss in 98 years, going down 24-0 to New Zealand in the final of the 2005 Tri-nations series.
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In 2006 a secret deal being brokered between Bennett and the Sydney Roosters club for him to become their coach was made public. this is said to have caused the deterioration in his relationship with the Broncos management which eventually led to his resignation.[11]
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.[12] The sixth premiership final won by Brisbane against Melbourne have made Wayne Bennett the most successful Grand Finals coach in history.[13] He again was named Queensland's Sport Coach of the Year for 2007 and was made a life member of the Broncos club. His refusal to make an acceptance speech at the club's presentation ball showed the strain in his relationship with the Broncos.[14]
Bennett coached the 2007 All Golds.[15] In doing so, he introduced the New Zealand players to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
[edit]St George Illawarra Dragons
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[19]. 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. It was the Broncos' first ever finals win at the venue, whilst Bennett's winless finals record continued at the same venue.
[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[20][21] and appearing outwardly "unemotional".[22] 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[23]. 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 Nine Network 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[24].
Bennett's wife, Trish, is the sister of his former teammate and one-time Kangaroo captain Greg Veivers and 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 1999 to tell the story of his family life. Given Bennett's usual reticence, this deeply personal documentary was one of the most popular programmes 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.[25][26] 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.
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