BENNET SHOWN DOOR
Brisbane Broncos bite the bullet and sack supercoach Bennett
RUGBY LEAGUE: Wayne Bennett has been sensationally terminated from the Brisbane Broncos, ending his 25-year tenure with the club.
In a bitter final chapter to one of rugby league’s greatest eras, the Broncos board deemed Bennett’s position at the club had become “untenable” and the 68-year-old agreed to leave the club on Sunday.
It paves the way for Bennett to be part of an immediate swap with South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold, after the pair initially agreed deals to switch clubs in 2020.
The toxic stand-off between Bennett has Brisbane came to a head following explosive allegations in The Sunday Telegraph revealing the coach had already been contacting Rabbitohs players and organising offseason training camps, despite still being contracted to the Broncos.
Those actions were seen as a clear breach of his contract which left Bennett with an ultimatum to either leave the club or have his Brisbane contract terminated. It will likely cost Bennett a reported $900,000 payout for the final year of his deal.
“The Brisbane Broncos Board has terminated coach Wayne Bennett’s contract with immediate effect,” the Broncos said in a statement on Sunday.
“The terms of this termination are confidential.
“The Broncos thank him for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best in the future.
“An announcement about the club’s coach for the 2019 season will be made soon.”
Seibold was unaware of Bennett’s termination on Sunday afternoon. He was at the movies with his wife and three daughters in Sydney and emerged afterwards to discover the news.
He said he was not in a position to speak until his termination at South Sydney had been made official.
“I’ve tried to be respectful to all parties since this began,” Seibold said. “So I’ll wait and talk at the appropriate time.”
Seibold told The Sunday Telegraph that Bennett had been contacting Rabbitohs players, including Alex Johnston, telling him he would be playing wing if Greg Inglis wanted to play fullback.
Bennett also wanted Souths to cancel an off-season AIS trip for an Army camp — providing an example of how he was coaching both clubs.