The Southland Times

Broncos swing axe on Bennett’s team

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Brisbane have sacked Wayne Bennett’s most trusted staffers – including the man who was once shortliste­d to replace the veteran coach – as the fallout from the coaching merry-go-round continues.

Broncos staffers including assistant Jason Demetriou, analyst Scott Barker and performanc­e boss Jeremy Hickmans have been let go as new coach Anthony Seibold begins installing his own men at Red Hill. Trainer Tannath Scott is also likely to be a casualty.

Seibold has brought former Souths staff, including performanc­e coach Paul Devlin and assistants Peter Gentle and Ben Cross north with him, with the club squeezing out a number of staff who still had a year remaining on their contract.

It is a particular­ly bitter pill for Demetriou, who was one of only four candidates interviewe­d to take over from Bennett. Now he finds himself without a job and with little prospect of finding one now that most clubs have made their appointmen­ts for next season.

When Souths signed Bennett from 2020, the deal was done on the proviso that Bennett would not be able to take any of his Broncos lieutenant­s with him. It was one of the reasons he opted to see out the final year of his contract, to ensure the job security of those closest to him. Another was the promise he made to the players to fulfil his commitment, one of the reasons he knocked back a three-year deal to join Wests Tigers.

There could also be some player departures from Red Hill. Canterbury Bulldogs could move to sign a strike centre and have been eyeing Jordan Kahu. It remains to be seen whether Seibold would entertain granting the New Zealand internatio­nal a release if he sought one.

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