The Bennett Factor
August 9th 2009 04:13
For Wendell Sailor it was the toughest three days of his life where he actually contemplated giving the game away. For Matt Cooper it was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. It was December 2008 and a pre-season boot camp on the NSW South Coast marked a new era for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. ..The Wayne Bennett Era.
It was that test of character that galvanised the weeks ahead for Bennett’s newly adopted team. Not only would they be fit and talented athletes, but mentally tough as well. And it has showed. The clearest indicator when comparing the Dragons of previous seasons to 2009 is their mental approach to the game. Their mental toughness and grit has brought them tremendous success this season as they are poised to take the joint-ventures first minor premiership in their history. Not only are the Dragons a well coached side, but they now have the aptitude to think on their feet when times get tough on-field.
How surprising is all of this however? And how much of it was expected? The appointment of Wayne Bennett as the Dragons coach was considered to be a masterstroke for the club even before they had held a single training session or team conference. The success that Bennett has achieved throughout his career spoke for itself. But can the coaching success of this man be put down to training methods and on-field strategy alone? Or is there another element that characterises his success? The answer can be clearly displayed in even his embryonic moments of first grade coaching.
At the time Bennett was already resolute on how he would approach coaching. In a Rugby League Week interview in March 1977, Bennett stated, ‘You’re a successful coach if you can mould a player into a better class of player. If I can bring a mediocre player up to A grade standard, or make an A grader into a top class player, then I’ll consider myself a success’.
It is undoubted that Bennett has already achieved this success, but the way in which he has elevated the performances of Michael Wayman and Jamie Soward among others is a testament to his approach. Even Sailor has benefitted by Bennett’s presence at the Dragons. Obviously not as young or athletic as he once was, Wendell Sailor has become an integral part of the Dragons outfit, masterminded completely by Bennett.
Sailor’s role in the team has been remoulded from his days as a Bronco. Drawing on his experience, Bennett has allowed Sailor to become a general of positive reinforcement and attitude for the Dragons, especially for the younger Soward. Whether a play goes to plan, or completely wrong, Sailor is always there to support the Dragon’s five-eight and his fellow teammates with a pat on the back or words of encouragement. But it is Sailor’s involvement off the wing that is of most importance. Sailor’s hit-ups in the middle of the ruck, clearly constructed by Bennett, has become invaluable to the Dragon’s by relieving the pressure and strain off their hard working forwards, especially towards the back ends of the halves.
It is without doubt that Bennett’s success is attributed to this key element. By taking each player in his roster and elevating their performances, Bennett is able to instil new confidence and determination in not only the individual players, but the whole team itself. He has been doing it throughout his career and the evidence is plentiful.
His impact was immediate at Souths as they made the grand final in his third season as coach. After taking some time off for the birth of his three children and a brief stint at Brisbane Brothers, Bennett was back at the Magpies only to take them to the grand final again in 1984. Although being denied by the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, which boasted a roster including Wally Lewis and Gene Miles, Bennett and Souths got their revenge the next season as they took the 1985 premiership against the Seagulls.
Likewise, Bennett made an immediate impact when he coached the Canberra Raiders in 1987. The Raiders themselves had not finished higher than sixth until Bennett took the helm. In only one year at the Raiders, he took them to the grand final, only to be beaten by Manly-Warringah.
In 1988, Bennett returned to Brisbane to coach the newly formed Broncos. Their record speaks for itself. In twenty years, the Broncos won six premierships. Elevated countless schoolboy hopefuls to state and national representational levels. And instilled a winning attitude and philosophy that saw the Broncos reach the final series for the past seventeen consecutive seasons.
Further to this is the current form of the Broncos and the attitude that exists in the club currently only one year after Bennett’s departure. Again, Brisbane’s efforts in the last eight rounds speak for themselves.
With that all said it is of no surprise that Bennett has elevated the Dragons to the position that they enjoy now. The next test will be to see if Bennett can take the Dragons to their first premiership as a joint-venture and the first for St. George in thirty years.
If there was a man to lead the Dragons to the height of premiership glory, then it would certainly be Bennett. If he can accomplish this feat, then Wayne Bennett may finally be considered the greatest coach of all.
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