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Debate is swirling that Wayne Bennett could be set for a reunion at South Sydney as part of a new look coaching dream team with his former skipper and assistant Sam Burgess.
Bennett has shown he is a man for succession plans with Jason Demetriou succeeding him at Souths and he would have at the Broncos, while Kristian Woolf will take over at the Dolphins next year.
Souths sit last on the ladder three years after Bennett took them to a Grand Final, but Dean Ritchie isn’t sure Bennett wants to come back to Sydney.
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“I think Souths at the moment, they keep hearing that Wayne doesn’t want to come back to Sydney,” Ritchie said.
“They’re interested, but they are under the understanding that Wayne Bennett will not pack up and move back to Sydney again.”
However, Kent believes Bennett’s decision will be influenced by supply and demand.
“Wayne will come back to Sydney if it’s the only job available,” Kent said.
“And at the moment, it’s looking like it will be.”
Ritchie believes Burgess needs more time as a head coach in England before coming back to Souths.
“With Sam Burgess too, the powerbrokers at Souths are saying that no, Sam, you stay in England,” Ritchie said.
“You need, or he needs to do his apprenticeship. He’s only seven games into his career. He needs a good two years at the moment.”
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Kent warned Souths would need to change some of the club’s powerbrokers before Burgess agreed to return.
“I don’t think Sam will come back,” Kent said.
“I don’t think Sam will come and coach for the powerbrokers at the club at the moment. I think that’s the issue.
“I think that some of those people, the way they treated Sam last year, would need to be moved on for Sam to really entertain it. And that would be then a conversation probably between Sam and Russell Crowe.”
Brent Read agreed now is not the time for Burgess to return, but he could by the end of Bennett’s next deal.
“Sam doesn’t need to come back now, though,” Read said.
“If they get Wayne, Wayne can do it for three years and Sam comes back in the last year.”
Braith Anasta challenged Read on his belief that Souths were right to sack Burgess last year, which sparked a fiery debate.
“Every time we brought up Sam, you would say to me, oh, is that all you’ve heard? Is that the only information you’ve got?” Anasta said.
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“You were right behind the Bunnies and the trajectory that they were on there for a long period of time.
“And every time I’d bring up Sam and what he’d said and the dramas that were there, you’d kind of go, oh, well, mate, is that all I’m hearing different?”
“I don’t know if I said that exactly, Braith,” Read countered.
“OK, what’d you say?” Anasta shot back.
“I don’t know if I said that exactly. Can we get the video out of there? I always miss, I mean, get the video out of there. That was a long time ago Braith.”
“So do you admit that probably he was on the right track?” Anasta said.
“Well, I think he had obviously some valid issues when you look back with the benefit of history,” Read said.
“He clearly had some valid issues that didn’t get ironed out in the off-season and they should have.
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“And I think if Jason had his time over again, I’m sure he’d reflect on that and go, I should have made some changes in the off-season.”
Anasta questioned if the figures that let Burgess go are willing to swallow their pride and let him return.
“It is a tricky one though because even if Sam does want to come back, it’s the same hierarchy there that told him to go,” Anasta said.
“But then the hierarchy… and who didn’t support him?
“But now are they going to kind of swallow their pride and go, well, hang on, we stuffed up. You’re saying they won’t. They don’t want him back now.”
“They feel that he has to do his apprenticeship,” Ritchie said.
“That’s a fact. And there’s no spot right now in the NRL. He’s had seven games as a head coach. He cannot come back with that little experience and try to rectify a problem which is festering.”
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“He could come with Wayne,” Anasta said.
“He could come with Wayne, perhaps,” Ritchie agreed.
“I don’t think anyone’s looking at Sam as a head coach of that club next year,” Ritchie said.
“It’s inevitable he will be back and it’s inevitable he will be head coach at South Sydney.
Kent believes there is no doubt Bennett will return if there is no other place for him to coach in the NRL.
“I think if there’s a job going and Wayne’s got no other options and he won’t have any other options in Queensland he will go back to Souths,” Kent said.
“Wayne threw his head up the other day for the Kiwi job.
“Because that was the only job available at the time. Now, you can’t tell me that in six weeks’ time, if the South Sydney job is the only job that’s available and the only one that’s looking available because not many coaches are really under pressure other than at South Sydney, Wayne will take the job.”
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