| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wayne James Bennett | |
| Date of birth | 1 January 1950 | |
| Place of birth | , Australia | |
| Senior clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (points) |
| Warwick Toowoomba Brothers Ipswich Southern Suburbs |
||
| Representative teams | ||
| 1971-1973 1971 |
Queensland Australia |
7 (8) 0 (0) |
| Professional clubs coached | ||
| 1976 1977-1979 1980-1982 1984-1985 1987 1988-present |
Ipswich Southern Suburbs Brothers Southern Suburbs Canberra Brisbane |
|
| Representative teams coached | ||
| 1986-1988 1998 1998 2001-2003 2004-2005 |
Queensland Queensland Australia Queensland Australia |
|
|
* Professional club appearances and points |
||
Wayne James Bennett AM (born 1 January 1950) is an Australian rugby league football identity. A former Australian Kangaroos player, he is the current coach of the multiple premiership-winning Brisbane Broncos and a former coach of the Queensland and Australian representative sides. Bennett holds records for most Grand Final wins and longest time with a single club in Australian rugby league coaching history.
Contents |
Early life
Wayne Bennett grew up in a working class family in Warwick, Queensland with an alcoholic father who deserted the family when he was eleven years old, forcing Wayne to enter the workforce at an early age. Before becoming involved with the Queensland Rugby League on a full-time basis, Bennett worked as a police officer. He remains an avowed non-smoker, non-drinker and non-gambler.
Playing career
From 1970, Bennett played football for Warwick, and also in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Past Brothers, Ipswich and Souths. He was a talented winger and represented Queensland 7 times between 1971 and 1972. Bennett also played two tour matches for Australia on the 1971 tour of New Zealand.
Coaching career
Wayne Bennett has been one of the most successful coaches in Australian Rugby League history and has experienced success with the last three teams he has coached.
Early years
Bennett began coaching in Ipswich in 1976, before moving to Brothers and Souths. He took Souths to the 1984 grand final, which they lost to the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. Revenge was to come a year later when the Bennett-coached Magpies defeated the Seagulls 10-8 to take the premiership. In 1987 Bennett was appointed co-coach of the Canberra Raiders, helping guide the side to the Grand Final which the team lost to Manly 18-8.
Brisbane Broncos
Bennett was appointed to be the first coach of the Brisbane Broncos when the club was formed in 1988 and, as of 2007, is still the only person to serve as first grade coach for the team. Under Bennett the Broncos have won 6 premierships; in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006. In 1994 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the sport of Rugby League, particularly as coach of the Brisbane Broncos". Then in 2000 he received the Australian Sports Medal for "significant contribution to the development of sport". During the 2006 finals series, he became only the second person (after Tim Sheens) to coach 500 premiership games. The six premierships won by Brisbane have made Wayne Bennett the most successful Grand Finals coach in history. He is set to continue coaching the Broncos until at least the end of 2009, at which time his contract is up for review. [1].
Representative
Queensland
In 1987 Bennett began a two-year stint as coach for the Queensland State of Origin team. Queensland won the series in both 1987 and 1988. Bennett would again coach Queensland in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He gained widespread attention as Queensland coach after his decision to recall Allan Langer to the Maroons from the English Super League for the deciding third game of the 2001 series. Queensland won the series and the decision was hailed as a master stroke. Bennett remains involved in coaching for Queensland through the Queensland Academy of Sport and in an off-field role with the Queensland Rugby League
Australia
National coaching honours first came in 1998 when Bennett was appointed to replace Bob Fulton as Kangaroos coach. Australia was undefeated in two test matches against the Kiwis. Bennett is a passionate advocate of international Rugby League, and was instrumental in the revival of the Tri-Nations series in 2004. In that year he was again appointed Australian coach, and took Australia to reclaim the Trans-Tasman Trophy (lost to New Zealand in 2003) and win the second Rugby League Tri-Nations Series. On 9 December 2005, it was announced that Bennett had resigned as Australia's coach, after the Kangaroos equalled their biggest loss in 98 years, going down 24-0 to New Zealand in the Tri-Nations final, the first time Australia had lost an international series for 32 years.
Coaching Awards
- 1997 Superleague Coach of the Year
- 2000 NRL Coach of the Year
On 26 January 2004 Wayne was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division award in the 2004 Australia Day Honours list. Bennett received his award for service to Rugby League football, particularly as a coach, and to the community.
About the man himself
Wayne is married to Trish Bennett and won a Queensland Father of the Year award for helping to raise two of his children with disabilities. He appeared on Australian Story on ABC TV in 2001 to tell the story about his family life. This was one of the most popular programs in the history of that show.
With journalist Steve Crawley he wrote Don't Die with the Music in You which has become one of the best selling books about rugby league in Australia's history (ISBN 0-7333-1107-5, ABC Books Australia). He also writes a weekly column in The Australian.
Ben Ikin is Wayne Bennett's son-in-law. He is married to Bennett's daughter Elizabeth. Bennett is known for a number of unusual and distinguishable behaviours. These include: Stern face Bennett is known for almost never smiling and seen as "unemotional". Frequent shots of Bennett whether his team is winning or losing shows him sternly watching the game intensely without any real signs of emotion. In 2004 Ray Warren drew attention to this by stating that "Nathan Hindmarsh will get a hair cut the next time Wayne Bennett smiles" Hindmarsh a Parramatta forward generally has long and untamed hair. Interestingly, since the Broncos won the 2006 premiership Hindmarsh has sported a neat, short head of hair. Media commitments It is well known Bennett resents media commitments. He famously avoids the press altogether attracting much criticism to which he reponds with by claiming he is a coach not a reporter. When he is interviewed Bennett hints at his great intelligence in the language he uses but tends to pass on questions with his cliché "I think I'll pass on that thanks" or giving short, cryptic and sometimes controversial answers . Staying with the Broncos Wayne Bennett has coached the Brisbane Broncos for 19 straight years now since their first season. Under his leadership they have been the most successful side in the past 19 years winning six premierships and never losing a grand final. It is unusual for a coach to remain at one club for so long and indeed maintain its success. The salary cap system in Australian rugby league makes it difficult, near impossible for a team to re-employ similar tactics for long periods of time and remain successful as players necessary for these strategies may be bought. Bennett however has reinvented the Broncos many times now which is attributed to how one club can maintain success for so long.
Quotations
- If you want to be mentally tough, do as Wayne Bennett says: follow your beliefs and don't give in to yourself. — Steve Waugh
- I believe that Bennett stands somewhere below Jack Gibson, which is somewhere near God. — Roy Masters
- Wayne is a man whose success is built on loyalty, discipline and an innate recognition of individual worth. — Lachlan Murdoch
- Will I miss him? I miss coaching against them all. I will say that it is a shame that Wayne won't be there. With all due respect to Michael Hagan, Wayne Bennett and Queensland go hand in hand... I enjoy coaching against quality coaches, and Wayne Bennett is that. I have really enjoyed coaching against Wayne for the last two years. — Phil Gould
- I don’t know how he does it. He’s like a father to all the players and anyone’s got problems on or off the field he’ll fix them if he can. But he’s not only a father figure I think I class him as one of my best friends. — Allan Langer
- Wayne Bennett believes in himself and his players, and he always will. — Darren Lockyer
External links
- Man for All Seasons - Australian Story Transcript
- Wayne Bennett at celebrityspeakers.com.au
- Brisbane Broncos
- National Rugby League
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Don Furner |
Canberra Raiders co-coach 1987 |
Succeeded by Tim Sheens |
| Preceded by None |
Brisbane Broncos coach 1988-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Des Morris |
Queensland coach 1986-1988 |
Succeeded by Arthur Beetson |
| Preceded by Paul Vautin |
Queensland coach 1998 |
Succeeded by Mark Murray |
| Preceded by Mark Murray |
Queensland coach 2001-2003 |
Succeeded by Michael Hagan |
| Preceded by None |
Queensland Tri-Series coach 1997 |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Bob Fulton |
Australia coach 1998 |
Succeeded by Chris Anderson |
| Preceded by Chris Anderson |
Australia coach 2004-2005 |
Succeeded by Ricky Stuart |
| Brisbane Broncos |
|---|
| The Club Representatives • History • Records • Honours • Players • Venues |
| Seasons 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 2008 |
| Stadiums Lang Park/Suncorp Stadium • QSAC (formerly ANZ Stadium) |
| Captains Wally Lewis (1988-1989) • Gene Miles (1990-1991) • Allan Langer (1992-1999) Kevin Walters (1999-2000) • Gorden Tallis (2001-2004) • Darren Lockyer (2005-2008) |
| Coaches Wayne Bennett (1988-2008) |
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|---|---|---|
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Darius Boyd • Tonie Carroll • Joel Clinton • Greg Eastwood • Nick Emmett • Michael Ennis • Craig Frawley • Ben Hannant • Tom Hewitt • Justin Hodges • Karmichael Hunt • Denan Kemp • Nick Kenny • Darren Lockyer (captain) • Andrew Lomu • PJ Marsh • Brent McConnell • Stephen Michaels • Joel Moon • Corey Parker • Shane Perry • Michael Roberts • Ashton Sims • David Stagg • Dave Taylor • Sam Thaiday • Peter Wallace Coach. Wayne Bennett |
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