Eight late America’s Cup entries
Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett admits there is still a possibility he could be sacked by the Broncos after throwing a curve ball and refusing to stand down from the NRL club.
The on-again, off-again coaching swap with South Sydney’s Anthony Seibold stalled again after Bennett announced yesterday he would remain at Red Hill in 2019 following a meeting with players and staff.
Speculation was rife yesterday that Bennett would end his 25-year association with Brisbane and walk away after South Sydney had aggressively pursued a release for 2019.
Momentum toward what loomed as a swap then gathered when Bennett called in staff and players for a meeting at Broncos headquarters. The Rabbitohs and Broncos were even believed to have thrashed out financial terms for the swap to go ahead.
In another twist, Seibold was reportedly set to be unveiled yesterday afternoon as Broncos coach for 2019 with a press conference apparently planned.
But the wily Bennett had other ideas.
‘‘I have been terribly consistent with it and nothing has changed today,’’ he told a media scrum at Red Hill.
‘‘I have informed players, staff and the CEO that I am staying. I will honour my 2019 contract which was always my plan.’’
Yet Bennett admitted he could still be sacked by the NRL club.
If Bennett is shown the door, it is believed the call will come from Broncos owners News Corp and not the Brisbane club’s hierarchy.
‘‘There is a possibility. There is always a possibility. I am in that type of game – I don’t know, ask them,’’ Bennett said.
The swap had been mooted for months after Bennett confirmed he would coach at South Sydney on a two-year deal from 2020 – the same year Seibold had agreed to mentor Brisbane on a four-season contract.
Asked why he was staying, Bennett said: ‘‘The players, staff I work with, the fans. I just felt I would be letting them down if I left a year before I should.
‘‘The [2019] Souths move was never instigated by me.
‘‘I did a contract with Souths for 2020 and 2021. We never talked about ’19.
‘‘It started when I was overseas [coaching England] and I got drawn into it.’’
Bennett had butted heads with Broncos chairman Karl Morris and chief executive Paul White this season, publicly criticising them over their handling of the club’s coaching transition.
But the Broncos mentor claimed there was no longer any ill feeling with the board and was committed to reporting to his first official preseason training session on Monday.
‘‘I don’t think I have been critical of them publicly. I think I have said things the way they were,’’ he said.
‘‘But that’s all behind us now, we are all moving on, we will be one.
‘‘We will try and be the best team we can be.’’
– AAP Eight additional notices of challenge for the America’s Cup have been made, but some of them are likely to be ruled out.
The cutoff for late entries was 5pm yesterday.
The eight – who have not been named – are in addition to entries already received from Luna Rossa, American Magic and INEOS Team UK to race in the Prada Cup, which will decide who challenges Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug early in 2021.
The Royal New Zealand Yachting Squadron and Team New Zealand said that only one of the eight late entries was capable of immediate acceptance. The other seven carried conditions.
‘‘Some of the entries are likely to be invalid, something which will be determined through a vetting process which will begin immediately,’’ the two bodies said in a statement.
The process of assessing the entries and conditions of the eight new challengers will begin immediately with the RNZYS and Team NZ.
Team New Zealand said it was conscious of the need to advise Auckland Council and the Government on the base infrastructure footprint requirement which has an impact on overall costs.
The first races using the new class of Cup boats will take place off the coast of the island of Sardinia in Italy in October next year.
Cagliari was unveiled as the host town for the first event in the 36th America’s Cup World Series, which will serve as a prelude to the main event in Auckland in early 2021.
The regatta next October will be the first of two in 2019, with three to follow in 2020 before the series ends with a regatta in Auckland starting on December 10 that year.
In 2021, the challengers will contest the Prada Cup to find out who races Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug in March.