Bennett to stoke strife
SOUTH Sydney prop Thomas Burgess expects master coach Wayne Bennett to add fuel to the fire ahead of Friday’s grudge match against Brisbane and besieged former Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold.
Bennett holds a 2-1 advantage over Seibold since both coaches swapped between Redfern and Red Hill prior to the 2019 season.
This includes a 38-6 hammering in Souths’ favour in their first match-up in round 8 last year.
In the lead-up to that win, Bennett played Seibold off a break with his calculated comments in the media in a bid to rattle the ex-Rabbitohs mentor.
Since then, the pair have exchanged a series of sledges every time they come up against each other. Burgess believes Bennett will add another chapter to the coach’s budding rivalry this week.
“Wayne will probably take it on himself to make a bit of a thing about it,” Burgess said. “But it is what it is. “We’ve played them already this year, and we have to put our best foot forward to try and get a bit of a roll on this season.”
The Rabbitohs’ finals aspirations go on the line when they host the battling Broncos.
Brisbane beat Souths back in round 2, but since then have lost nine of their past 10 matches to slump to 15th position on the ladder.
The Broncos’ slide has cast doubt over Seibold’s coaching future beyond this season.
Burgess will be hunting down Brisbane’s pack on Friday, but for now he is happy to throw his support behind under-fire Seibold.
“I wouldn’t say that I feel sorry for him — it is his job and he is handling it the way he is
— he has just got to get on with it,” he said. “It’s the business we are in — you win and lose — and I think he has handled himself well.
“He has just got to keep going with it. I wish him all the best. I always got along well with Seibs.
“But I wouldn’t say I feel sorry for him because that would indicate that he needs my support, but I think he can’t lose faith.”
Brisbane have been playing well below their best, but they will be boosted by the return of Gold Coast-bound forward
David Fifita from a knee injury. Fifita hasn’t played since round 2 when the Broncos defeated Souths 22-18 at Suncorp Stadium, and Burgess is wary of the Maroons enforcer.
“There is no denying that they (Brisbane) have got a great team,” he said.
“I think they have just struggled with confidence, but that is something that can be brought back pretty easily with the mindset.
“There is not a chance that we will be taking them lightly. They beat us in round 2 up there.”