South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett staying calm despite mounting pressure
Bennett insists he has seen signs the Rabbitohs are on the right track despite a horror year of injuries and on-field results that threatens to end with the club's first wooden spoon since 2006.
Missing eight players to injury, Souths could drop to the bottom of the ladder this weekend if they lose to resurgent Penrith on Friday and Gold Coast beat Wests Tigers on Sunday.
It's been a far cry from Bennett's first stint in charge, which ended with a grand-final appearance in 2021.
The results have been enough for media coverage to begin questioning veteran mentor Bennett.
'I've spent 40 years under pressure, mate. I don't feel it. It doesn't worry me,' he said.
It's not all doom and gloom from where Bennett is standing, though the coach felt it was inevitable lifting the Rabbitohs up the ladder would take time.
'You can't click your fingers and think it's all going to work tomorrow for you. You've got to stay true to it and you've got to get the players to buy into it. I believe that's happening,' he said.
'I know we're doing the right things and I know we're on the right track. But we're not where the top teams are.'
Bennett said Souths' attitude and their attack had impressed him.
'They've been pretty brave, there's pretty good morale in the place still. We've had no crisis meetings, which I'm very pleased about,' he said sardonically.
'Their ball control has improved a great deal, there's a lot of energy in their games.'
Souths received some rare good news this week with mid-season recruit Brandon Smith likely to miss only two or three more weeks with what had been feared a long-term knee issue.
Veteran playmaker Cody Walker, meanwhile, is four to six weeks away after tearing a calf muscle during his rehabilitation for a hamstring injury.
Campbell Graham, Cameron Murray, Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston and Jamie Humphreys are among other key men to have been sidelined in a diabolical season of injuries.
Of the top-30 squad, only Jai Arrow and Keaon Koloamatangi have featured in every game but Bennett shrugged at suggestions Souths may need to review their strength and conditioning or training practices.
'A lot of them have been on the field, they haven't been training injuries,' he said.
'Cody's is coming on a rehab run which he's got to do to get himself back from the hamstring injury and he tears a calf muscle. You can't blame anybody for that.'
Friday's clash with Penrith will mark only the fourth NRL game for Englishman Lewis Dodd, recruited on big money to become the Rabbitohs' new halfback but largely overlooked by Bennett this season.
The coach wants to see some physicality from Dodd when he comes on from the bench for his first NRL game since round nine.
'(He needs to) put his body on the line, he's a small guy and a lot of big players out there playing against him,' he said.
'You've got to be committed to stopping them and taking them on with the ball. If he does that, I'll be pleased with him.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
28 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Bennett not keen on spoon talk as Bunnies fall to last
Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night. Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night. Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Scary': Nathan Cleary move puts NRL on notice as Panthers purr to seven straight
Nathan Cleary is back and in a big way. Everything Cleary touched turned to gold on Saturday as Penrith leapfrogged the Broncos into fifth spot on the NRL ladder with a dominant 36-2 win at home over the Tigers. The Panthers have now won seven in a row and are in the hunt for the all-important top four place, an incredible feat considering they were languishing in last spot only two months ago. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. But it was seeing their No. 7 back with the kicking tee in hand and without strapping that had Panthers fans believing a fifth straight premiership is a real possibility. Cleary was at his masterful best in Saturday's win, setting up three tries while he returned to the goalkicking duties and didn't miss any of his six attempts. The halfback hasn't kicked goals for Penrith since the round 14 win over the Tigers due to a groin injury, but being back with the tee suggests that niggling injury is now in a rear-view mirror. The 27-year-old moved freely as he tore the Tigers to shreds, creating line breaks at will with his acceleration and ball-playing mastery. 'There are a few teams in the NRL getting nervous watching that,' Andrew Voss said in Fox commentary as Cleary rang rings around the hapless Tigers. While the reigning premiers now set their sights on a top-four finish, rivals should be worried because next week, for the first time in 2025, they will be at full strength. And their form turnaround has many wondering, they can't do it again, can they? 'Penrith are travelling better than anyone in the competition other than maybe the Raiders,' Greg Alexander said in Fox commentary. Voss added: 'Rivals should be worried, very worried'. Tigers back to the drawing board The Tigers aren't the first team to have been strangled out of the contest by Penrith, but Benji Marshall will be disappointed with his side's inability to conjure anything in attack. Taylan May was held up early, and Starford Toa scooped up a loose ball, but he had no support on a night they failed to register a single line break. Their only points came from a penalty goal to open the scoring, with halfback Latu Fainu only running once before he was taken off as Sunia Turuva carted it up 25 times from the back. They don't have the squad to match it with Penrith's grinding tactics, which is why fans will be hoping they return to the free-flowing footy that works so well for them. Last week's win over the Titans gave them some breathing space in a bid to avoid the wooden spoon, but Gold Coast's win across the ditch means the Tigers are just two points clear of bottom spot.
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘We'll lose the fans': Bennett's solution to Origin debate as UK recruit prepares for $2m acid test
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has weighed in on proposed changes to State of Origin eligibility while also calling for calm as English recruit Lewis Dodd prepares to make his first start at halfback after a rough first year in Australia. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > Dodd was signed for three years on a lucrative deal but has played just four games off the bench this season despite the Rabbitohs going through a horror injury run in 2025. He'll finally start in the No.7 jersey against the Sharks with Jamie Humphreys in concussion protocols, with Bennett refusing to make any comments about Dodd's future before he sees how he performs. 'We're all going to be a lot smarter after tomorrow night, so let's wait until tomorrow night and answer some questions then,' he said, with suggestions the club could try to move him on at the end of the year. 'He's been good since he's been here. He's trained well, is well-mannered and has been highly respectful of the other players and his teammates. Nothing has changed for him. 'It could be a big month for him.' While Bennett didn't want to comment on Dodd's future, he was strong on Origin eligibility rules after it emerged that the Australian Rugby League Commission was considering making changes to stop players from having to choose between the Blues or Maroons and international sides England and New Zealand. As it stands, Origin stars like Stephen Crichton, Payne Haas and Jarome Luai can represent the Blues and then play for Samoa at the end of the year because of their tier 2 status. That loophole isn't available to guys like Victor Radley, who chose England over NSW, while there have been plenty of Kiwis who have been blocked from representing their state, while others have chosen to represent Tonga or Samoa so they can also play Origin. Bennett, who was in the mix to coach Australia in this year's Ashes series, has no issue with guys playing both formats but wants players to pick a country and stick with that choice for the rest of their careers. 'I don't believe they're going to play with the rules of Origin itself, and that's really important because the minute the fans realise it's not the genuine Queensland v NSW that it is, then we'll lose the fans,' Bennett warned. 'That's the great thing about it, the rivalry is real and it's not false, so we need to maintain that. 'The off side of that is players leaving that arena to then go and play for Tonga, Samoa, England, whatever. 'I'm happy for them to do that, but they can't do it as they're doing at the moment where you play for Tonga because they're second tier. If you play for England, it's first tier, so you can't swap nations. 'My point with it is that Origin eligibility won't change, and after that if you want to play for England and you qualify for England, then you do that. 'I'm happy for that because it makes the international game stronger, but I just don't want to see them playing for England and then coming back to play for Tonga because they're a second-tier nation. 'It's served its purpose and it's time to move on from that situation.' Fans would have loved to have seen Kiwis legend Benji Marshall play Origin, but he still wouldn't have been eligible even under the proposed changes given he moved to Australia after his 13th birthday. Regardless, he said he was never jealous given he's proud of his heritage. 'I always found it to be an Australian thing,' the Wests Tigers coach said. 'I just thought it was respectful to what it was that players from Australia played in that. 'We were always fans growing up in New Zealand. There was NSW and Queensland, but there was no wanting to play for them. I always wanted to play for New Zealand.'
