Bennett fires up at league bosses

Wayne backs Raiders’ request

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has found an unlikely ally in Wayne Bennett after the Broncos and England coach yesterday slammed the NRL over the Josh Hodgson injury saga.

The Raiders have called for salary-cap dispensation after the English hooker snapped his ACL in their World Cup semi-final defeat of Tonga last Saturday night.

Hodgson is expected to be out for up to nine months, a scenario that will see him miss a large portion of the 2018 NRL premiership, prompting Stuart to seek salary-cap relief to cover for his absence.

With Canberra’s plea likely to fall on deaf ears with NRL hierarchy, a frustrated Bennett launched a stinging attack on the governing body, accusing them of not caring about the clubs and players.

“I have no doubt they (Canberra) should get it (salary-cap dispensation),” Bennett said.

“It defies logic to me that we give our players to the game which we are happy to do, be it the World Cup or Origin, and then an injury happens and the game says you have to suck it as well.

“It’s just, what’s the word, disappointing that the game doesn’t care enough about the contributions we make for them to say it’s going to be a salary-cap issue.

“It shouldn’t be a salarycap issue. Canberra should be compensated by allowing them to have another player (under the salary cap).”

Asked if he would formalise a complaint to the NRL, the Broncos coach continued his attack.

“Why would I talk to them? It’s a waste of time,” he said.

“It’s common sense. I give you something, they use it, they break it, then they don’t want to compensate me for it.

“The game doesn’t have to put the money in anyway, the club still has to put the extra money in, but they just want the right to do that.”

Bennett defended England medicos’ handling of Hodgson’s injury, saying every precaution was taken to assess his knee problem.

“I don’t think Canberra should be disappointed (in England) personally,” he said.

“I would be disappointed as a coach losing my player but we all take that risk, I have eight players from the Broncos all playing in this international stuff.

“But we did everything right. Josh was in control of his own destiny and he felt he could play on.

“I watched him for six or seven minutes and I thought he is over this, he is OK, then his leg went underneath him and we all realised it was more serious than we originally thought.”