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Wayne Bennett goes nowhere to lose and that is precisely why South Sydney has lured the master coach back to the harbour city for another period at the helm of the famous club.
Last time around, it was a pair of preliminary finals in 2019 and 2020 before a heart-breaking loss the next season to the Panthers in the decider. Since, things have turned sour for the Rabbitohs under Jason Demetriou, after Bennett headed north to prepare the Dolphins in 2022.
After missing the finals in ’23, the cardinal and myrtle sit 15th on the ladder heading into the final weekend and are amidst a trajectory that only a brilliant man-manager and technician will be able to turn around.
Despite winning premierships and getting clubs to grand finals almost wherever he has travelled, the task ahead to rebuild was has become a sinking ship at Souths looks immense for the 74-year-old.
Where exactly will the great man start and what will his priorities be in the first season of the three-year-deal that could well be his last stint in the NRL?
First port of call will be a chin wag with Latrell Mitchell. The sideshow that the star full-back has created over the last 18 months at Souths has been evidence of weak leadership from the coach and club officials who need to learn a little about how a sense of entitlement can lead to an undermining of standards within a sporting organisation.
If anyone can have Mitchell singing from the some hymn sheet as the group it will be Bennett. It is what he does best and the game is littered with stories of quiet words, inspirational conversations and the heart-felt reaching out to players in an effort to make them better.
Latrell Mitchell is one of the NRL’s best on-field and one of the silliest off it. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
His magnetism and powers of persuasion were what made the Dolphins competitive from the get go and consistent with Bennett’s history when departing clubs, he will take something with him. Euan Aitken and Lachlan Hubner head to Souths and whilst Hubner’s resume is thin, Aitken obviously impressed the coach in Redcliffe.
Bennett has his types and he feels Aitken could be an asset in his efforts to bring back both a winning mentality and culture to the Bunnies. After addressing the Mitchell saga, it will be his next order of business. Often, Bennett has looked for a type of player rather than merely a talented player and Aitken could well be another of those.
Of course, assembling a group of men prepared to buy in to the plan will also rest heavily on those staying on at the club beyond 2024.
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Thomas Burgess and Damien Cook leave two key holes to fill, especially in the leadership stakes and as it stands, there are seven spots empty on the roster as the home and away season comes to an end.
Rumours suggest Canterbury’s Liam Knight is on Bennett’s radar and along with Campbell Graham, Cody Walker, Jai Arrow and Cameron Murray, could form the basis of a leadership group that demands higher standards in 2025.
One of Bennett’s most compelling challenges will be to fix the issues existing in the Rabbitoh’s spine, with a less-effective Cook now permanently replaced in the hooking role by either Siliva Havili or Peter Mamouzelos. New recruit Jamie Humphreys will also be looking for opportunities at rake and Cody Walker is set to be joined in the halves by Englishman Lewis Dodd.
Bennett’s contractual agreement with Souths came a few weeks after the club had lured the Englishman to Australia. Whether he would have been his first choice is unclear, yet with a still unproven Lachlan Ilias free to negotiate elsewhere and Dean Hawkins linked with Parramatta, Bennett’s options may be somewhat limited in his first season.
Wayne Bennett looks like having early headaches at the Bunnies in his second stint at the club. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The hooking role will be key for the Rabbitohs in 2025 with Humphreys arriving from Manly as a raw but talented player and without more than a brief taste of first-grade football.
The more senior men could be set to work as a duo in a structure Bennett has favoured before.
As for the halves, the jury will be watching Dodd with an eagle eye and Walker needs a better leader and organiser alongside him, especially considering his weaknesses in that area.
Bennett’s ultimate goal will be to have the South Sydney fans back in his corner, after a season of misery in 2024, home attendance has dropped to 14th compared to other clubs.
In what could be his greatest challenge to date, the veteran coach will look for immediate attitudinal and executional change, a quick start and a new vigour at the club.
The strayed fans will be back in a flash should that occur and we would be foolish to doubt the great man. It looks a tall order, with times of rebuild usually taking more than a season or two.
If anyone can right the Rabbitohs it will be Bennett and an interesting watch it will be.