Broncos chasing Maguire for 2020
Bennett being pushed out
WAYNE Bennett’s 25-year coaching reign at Brisbane is all but over, with Michael Maguire being headhunted by the club.
News Corp can reveal Brisbane is in secret talks with Maguire after offering Bennett a new front-office position for 2020 – effectively ending his career as Broncos head coach.
The bombshell came just hours before Brisbane’s clash with South Sydney last night.
The impending departure of Bennett – who has delivered all six of the Broncos’ premierships – as head coach is one of the most significant chapters in the club’s glittering 30-year history.
Brisbane has discussed a three-year deal with Maguire worth about $2.4 million.
Broncos chief executive Paul White will hold a press conference in the coming days to reiterate the club’s intention to honour Bennett’s deal, which expires at the end of next season.
But Bennett will not be Brisbane’s head coach in 2020. Only an unlikely premiership victory this season could save him.
There remains a possibility Bennett will walk away sooner – possibly joining the Dragons next season – as he digests the reality he is unwanted as head coach at his beloved Broncos beyond next year.
Bennett is aware of the new position being offered to him and it has reportedly gone down like a lead balloon with the veteran coach.
Sources say White and club chairman Karl Morris strongly “disagree” with Bennett’s desire to coach the club in 2020.
Morris and White want to respect Bennett’s status by transitioning him into another role, but the 68-year-old is unlikely to accept that offer.
Queensland Origin coach Kevin Walters has been mentioned as a successor to Bennett by virtue of his status as a Broncos legend and former assistant coach, but Maguire is tipped to clinch the post.
Maguire, who steered the Rabbitohs to the 2014 premiership, was announced as Kiwis Test coach in May, but the New Zealand Rugby League would seem unlikely to stand in the way of him taking charge of the Broncos.
White and Bennett’s friendship dates back 34 years to the Queensland Police Academy, but the pair’s relationship has become strained in recent months over the super coach’s fight to extend his career at the Broncos.
Bennett still has the support of the dressing room but it will not be enough to save him longterm as the Brisbane hierarchy pushes forward with its succession plan.
On Wednesday, Bennett effectively challenged the board to back him or sack him. He was resigned to the fact he would not be at Red Hill next season. “Absolutely,” Bennett said. “I live in the real world. I can only speak for myself... quite realistically I may not be here, that’s exactly it.”
Should Bennett walk away at season’s end, it opens the door for him to join the Dragons, with incumbent coach Paul McGregor under pressure to retain his job.