In Wayne’s world a coach remains top
WAYNE Bennett has warned the Titans risk self-destructing as a club if Gold Coast hierarchy bow to player power and sack besieged coach Neil Henry.
Bennett is the code’s longest-serving mentor and 40 years at the coaching coalface has given the seven-time premiership winner a rare perspective on the crisis enveloping Brisbane’s neighbours.
On the eve of tonight’s Broncos-Dragons clash at Suncorp Stadium, Bennett was reluctant to get involved in the Titans saga but he offered some sage advice to Gold Coast powerbrokers.
The Titans’ seven-person board is scheduled to convene next week for a meeting likely to herald the axing of Henry but Bennett flagged the perils of giving NRL players too much of a voice.
Interviews with 12 Titans players, conducted last week by CEO Graham Annesley, spotlighted a number of issues with Henry, chiefly his communication style, team selections and training methods.
“Every time you give players a headline, you give them more power,” Bennett said.
“Players can have their say, but if the club starts listening ... well they will be in a fair bit of trouble.
“It’s not for me to sit back in Brisbane and judge what other clubs are doing, I don’t spend time thinking about it at all.
“It (the scrutiny on Henry) goes with the territory.
“He is a seasoned coach, he has been around a long time now ... he has handled himself pretty well actually through this.”
Henry’s tense relationship with star recruit Jarryd Hayne is threatening to tear the Titans apart and the key to Bennett’s longevity lies in having the courage to make tough calls with big-name stars.
Bennett famously sacked Queensland legend Wally Lewis as Broncos captain in 1990. Last month, he said that Broncos forward Sam Thaiday had been informed he would not be handed another deal beyond next year.
Parramatta halfback legend Peter Sterling admits the Titans face a political headache with Hayne, lashing the $1 million recruit’s week-to-week performances.
“His performances have been poor in relation to the player that he was and I don’t know whether his best days are behind him,” he said on his Sterlo program on Fox League.
Broncos skipper Darius Boyd, a Gold Coast product from Palm Beach Currumbin, worked with Henry during their time together in the Queensland Origin set-up.
“I had Neil when he was an assistant at the Maroons. It was only a short time and it’s three games, but I liked Neil,” Boyd said.
“I thought he was a good coach, very tactical and he knew his stuff.
“But a club is bigger than one person. At the end of the day, it comes down to the team and their performances and having ownership of their individual performance. We’ve had games where we’ve been touched up but you need a strong mentality.”
PLAYERS CAN HAVE THEIR SAY, BUT IF THE CLUB STARTS LISTENING ... WELL THEY WILL BE IN A FAIR BIT OF TROUBLE BENNETT ON THE TITANS’ ISSUES