Wayne Bennett (rugby league footballer)

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Wayne Bennett
Personal information
Full name Wayne Bennett
Date of birth January 1, 1950
Position Coach
Club information
Current club Brisbane Broncos
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (points)
Warwick
Toowoomba
Brothers
Ipswich
Southern Suburbs
Representative teams
1971-1973 Queensland 7
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
1988
2001-2003
2004-2005
Queensland
Queensland
Australia
Queensland
Australia

* Professional club appearances and points
counted for domestic first grade only.

Wayne Bennett (born January 1, 1950) is a rugby league football coach. He is the current coach of the Brisbane Broncos and a former coach of Australia (the Kangaroos).

He grew up in a working class family in Warwick, Queensland with an alcoholic father who deserted the family when he was eight years old, forcing Wayne to enter the workforce at an early age. Before becoming involved with Rugby League on a full-time basis, Bennett worked as a police officer. He remains an avowed non-drinker.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

From 1970, Bennett played football for Warwick, Past Brothers (Brisbane), Ipswich and Souths Magpies (Brisbane). He was a talented winger who represented Queensland 7 times between 1971 and 1972, and played 2 tour matches for Australia on the 1971 tour of New Zealand.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Canberra

In 1987 Bennett was appointed co-coach of the Canberra Raiders, guiding the side to the Grand Final which the team lost to Manly 18-8. In that year he also 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. His most controversial decision as Queensland coach was to recall Allan Langer to the Maroons from the English Super League for the deciding third game of the 2001 series, which Queensland won. Bennett remains involved in coaching for Queensland through the Queensland Academy of Sport and in an off-field role with the Queensland Rugby League.

[edit] Brisbane

He was appointed to be the first coach of the Brisbane Broncos in 1988 and, as of 2006, is still the only person to serve as first grade coach for the team. Under Bennett the Broncos have won premierships in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006. The six premierships won by Brisbane have made Wayne Bennett the most successful coach in Grand Finals in history.

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 to coach Australia, 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 equaled their biggest loss in the 98 years as they lost 24-0 to New Zealand in the Tri-Nations final, the first time they had lost an international series for 32 years.

On January 26 2004, he was made a Member (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.

During the 2006 finals series, he became only the second person (after Tim Sheens) to coach 500 premiership games.

He 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 to tell the story about his family life which 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 becomes the most successful coach in Grand Final history winning six Grand Finals (1992, 1993, 1997*, 1998, 2000, 2006).

[edit] Coaching Awards

  • 1997 Superleague Coach of the Year
  • 2000 NRL Coach of the Year

[edit] 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

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, New South Wales State of Origin coach

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Don Furner
1982-1986
Co-Coach (with Don Furner)
Canberra Raiders

1987
Succeeded by:
Tim Sheens
1988-1996
Preceded by:
team created
Coach
Brisbane Broncos

1988-present
Succeeded by:
incumbent
Preceded by:
Des Morris
1985
Coach
Queensland
State of Origin

1986-1988
Succeeded by:
Arthur Beetson
1989-1990
Preceded by:
Paul Vautin
1995-1997
Coach
Queensland
State of Origin

1998
Succeeded by:
Mark Murray
1999-2000
Preceded by:
Mark Murray
1999-2000
Coach
Queensland
State of Origin

2001-2003
Succeeded by:
Michael Hagan
2004-2005
Preceded by:
competition created
Coach
Queensland
Tri-Series (Super League)

1997
Succeeded by:
competition abolished
Preceded by:
Bob Fulton
1989-1998
Coach
Australia

1998
Succeeded by:
Chris Anderson
1999-2003
Preceded by:
Chris Anderson
1999-2003
Coach
Australia

2004-2005
Succeeded by:
Ricky Stuart
2006
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
Stadiums
Lang Park/Suncorp Stadium | 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-present)
Coaches
Wayne Bennett (1988-present)