Bennett’s days atop the pile are finished

WAYNE Bennett’s reign as the Big Boss is over with Souths hierarchy instructing the Broncos super coach to adhere to “The Rabbitoh Way’’ if he is to succeed at Redfern.

The inside story on Bennett’s signing with Souths was so secretive it was brokered at an airport without the knowledge of Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe.

Crowe spoke to Bennett just once – a congratulatory phone call from New York 24 hours before the 68-year-old was formally unveiled last Thursday as South Sydney’s coach from 2020 in a virtual swap for Anthony Seibold.

While Hollywood megastar Crowe and Souths bosses are delighted to have Bennett on board, the NRL’s greatest coach is under no illusions about the decision-making structure at Redfern.

At the Brisbane Broncos, Bennett had the final say on hiring and firing players and enjoyed enormous clout.

At the Rabbitohs, the veteran coach will have a clearly defined role.

“Wayne will only have to worry about coaching,” Souths boss Shane Richardson said.

“The Rabbitoh Way is not for one coach to come in and change the whole club.

“If that happens, a club can be destroyed by a coach leaving.

“We have an outstanding board which allows me to do my job and from my discussions Wayne is happy to come in and just be the coach, just as ‘Seibs’ (Seibold) was.

“Wayne will coach and select the side but, the recruitment and the other decisions, we will run the club as we run it now.

“Seibs didn’t recruit the side, the club did, and when ‘Madge’ (Michael Maguire) won the comp (in 2014), he didn’t recruit the side, we did.

“Obviously we will consult Wayne on some things but like our previous coaches, who did a great job, we just want him to worry about coaching.”