Bennett has the Knights playing a style of football that worked really well for him for a few decades, but his low mistake rate, keep possession, never offload, always kick the goal etc etc style has not worked at the Knights, even though he chose every player in the side.
The only time the team looked even a little bit good was when Danny Buderus came back and got them playing like a non Bennett team for a desperate run at the semis.
His style worked for a long time.
It isn't working now.
He doesn't seem to have another plan.

He hasn't been able to attract the top players because no one wants to live in Newcastle.

He's got a lot of cap space tied up in injury prone overrated locals in pivotal positions. The money Tinkler spent on training facilities brought the club in line with other clubs due to massive under funding, well according to Andrew Johns anyway.

Of course he got rid of some players, the list of the ones he let go is a pretty dismal one. He only got his star centres because they got punted from their previous clubs and can't get another hooker in.

He managed to get one game away from the grand final last year and this one he's had players not getting paid, the nrl having to save the club, Mckinnons tragic accident and his full back struggling with depression.

He'll get a far better squad at Brisbane next season with some high work load, low error fowards, a good half to move them about the pitch and some dynamic running backs. Just the way he likes it.

complete nonsense.
No one told him who to sign.
He was the one who picked each player.
The squad is his - hand picked by him.
No one told him signing 8 players over 30 was the way to go. If he wasn't Wayne Bennett a lot of people would have told him that was crazy in fact.

I've heard all the excuses. He runs them out every press conference.
He got the money. He got the staff. He chose the players. All decisions were his to make, and the club backed him all the way, because he has the reputation.
Everything belongs to him - especially the results and the boring, outdated style of play.

I agree with you roopy its a pity everyone else thinks he's God and can do no wrong

Didn't Tinkler say they wanted to get Newcastle born players playing for the club? Bennett had never wanted to pay over 300k for a prop but demanded Snowden? So he picked Mullen over Thurston, Gidley over Farah, Houston over Burgess? He assembled the best squad willing to play for Newcastle.

You make out that a club backing a coach is something new. If it wasn't for Bennett and Tinkler Newcastle would still be training on amatuer style facilities.

Maybe when the club tries to sign players they can tell targets you can drink what you want, take what you want and do what you want and we'll turn a blind eye as long as your winning. We tried professionalism under Wayne and it got us no where.

I just re-checked the thread and in fact NOBODY else think's he's God and can do no wrong, some have simply disputed your bald statement that he's "finished"! Are you drunk?

Again that is complete nonsense.
Tinkler gave Bennett a complete free hand.
Bennett spent the salary cap as he wanted to, and the players he could attract are the players he could attract. It has nothing to do with any supposed drinking culture in Newcastle under Bennett - or whatever nonsense you are trying to put over.
He had the same salary cap and the same money to spend as every other club.
He gave good money to Mason, Hilder, Newton, Gower, Tahu, Faálogo, Buderus and Anthony Quinn. You'd have to ask him why, because no one else knows.

You didn't dispute my post you basically said I didn't have a clue what I was talking about and Bennett is the greatest coach that ever lived and still is which isn't really true anymore just because you don't agree doesn't mean its not true

Too right he gave him a free hand, he's the coach and Tinkler knows less about RL than your average rlfans poster..

I never said there was a drinking culture under Bennett.

He gave those players good money cause they're the only ones who'd sign for you.

Whoah soldier! Wind yer neck in a bit!

At least you noticed that I didn't dispute your post, so that's a start.

To begin with you said simply:

However, it was only when you repeated that statement for the 4th time that I replied. And I half-assumed you were stirring, so jokingly pointed out that some seriously heavyweight figures back him to succeed.
The basis of the post was, of course, that it is funny when a tiny voice of an internet nobody (like you or me) boldly makes such definitive statements about both legends of the game and those who are ready to pay millions for their "finished" skillset. It's the Black Knight-esque incongruity that I found funny. It's not that you're not entitled to your opinion, on the contrary. I just find such vainglorious bravado funny, that's all.

You complain that I think Bennett "is the greatest coach that ever lived", well inidisputably he is one of the top 2 or 3, but why are complaining when previously you yourself put:


So we're down to your final remark that this "isn't really true anymore". I realise you worded that badly and didn't actually mean to say what you put, of course Bennett will forever remain one of the best coaches of all time as you can't take away his achievements. He will either polish or tarnish his reputation, of course, but his status in the game won't change whatever he does at Brisbane.

I will rephrase what I said then I think Bennett who has been a great coach is coming to the end of his natural life as a coach I don't think the Brisbane job will work out IMO but time will tell

I hope he is released early and comes to finish his coaching career at Bradford

There is a few similarities Bradford and Bennett both were at there peak ten years ago and both have been living on past reputations for the last couple of years

Nah mate, Bradford have been gash for years, and I'd struggle to think of any club with a worse reputation.

But we do have an iconic stadium!

Rugby League week are reporting that Willie Mason will be the first player Bennett signs for Brisbane.
Willie is playing as little as 30 minutes a game and struggles to break 50 metres run some games.
He is a shadow of his former self and a disruptive influence off the field, but Wayne seems to love him.

I was at a fund raiser last Friday and Alfie Langer was one of the guest speakers and he thought Bennett coming home would be a good thing and bring back some magic to the Broncos.

In saying that he is close with Bennett and it may further his career with that Club.

I am not so sure, Coaches can be like players where they have their golden run at their peak and then fade.
I think Benny may be past his best and as you say the game has changed and what worked back in the day does not stay that way forever.

Bennett can only sign players that are willing to play for Newcastle - he will have much more success in persuading players to move to Brisbane. Where would you rather live/bring up your family?

There are many nice parts of Newcastle.
The Beaches are pretty nice.

I can't believe people still have 1980s clichéd views of Newcastle.
The steelworks closed nearly 30 years ago.
It has low unemployment.
High average wages.
Is rated by Lonely Planet in it's top 10 places to visit.
The players all live in a suburb near the city centre that's right on one of the world's great surfing beaches, where a world rated surfing contest happens every year.
Something like 60% of players available to play for NSW come from country areas, mostly either Newcastle or Wollongong, and most of them go back there when they retire, because they love the place.
A hell of a lot of players go to Sydney as young guys and bomb out due to having to live in that armpit of the universe.

It only takes 10 minutes to show players they are wrong if they think Newcastle is still a smokey old steelworks town, because they actually took the steelworks down and sent the scrap off to China some 20 years ago.
Frankly, the area where the players live is pretty similar to the Northern Beaches area in Sydney, and if they are absolutely hanging out to see some dragqueens or the gay mardi gra, Sydney is only 2 1/2 hours away.

Does it matter if you go to brisbane or Newcastle because let's face there is always a chance you are going to get bit by a snake or a spider and if you go into the sea there are killer snails ,sharks snakes etc

Yet no wants to live there? Must be the homophobia.

You have friends!!!!????

Swear filter, but I'm sure you worked that out.

Incidently I have plenty of friends, some even born and bread in Newcastle. None of them live there anymore though, they've moved to the armpit, like Newcastles favourite brothers.

They can't have read Lonely planet.

So how has Newcastle changed since much of it's industry disappeared? Many of those lake areas to the south were there 30 years ago - theyre nothing now.

Newcastle has ridden on the resources boom for the last 15 or 20 years. Coal exports from the port of Newcastle have risen from around 50 million tonnes a year to around 150 million tonnes a year, while the price went from something like $60 a tonne up to over $200 a tonne.
Towns like Muswellbrook have gone from poor little farming villages to being in the top 10 postcodes in the country for average earnings, as coal miners pull in wages over a quarter of a million. A few Knights players have actually quit football to become coal miners because they can earn more.
Lake Macquarie (the area to the South of Newcastle - and the birthplace of Knights players like Willie Mason, Josh Perry, Clint Newton, Paul Harrogan, Brett Kimmorley, Adam Muir and dozens of others) is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia, with the population rising from around 80k to over 200k in the past 40 years or so, and there are now several suburbs in both Lake Macquarie and Newcastle where average house prices are over the million dollar mark.
In short, the city and the district is booming.
Whether it keeps on booming now that the resources boom is running out of steam is another question, but right now the streets are paved in black gold.