It would be a staggering move but it is one tossed up by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Brad Walter who claims the St George/Illawarra Dragons will make a play to bring Wayne Bennett back to the Red V in 2015.
Wayne Bennett was brought to the Dragons on a massive deal in 2009 and delivered a premiership to the club in 2010. He left at the end of 2011 after receiving a godfather offer from Nathan Tinkler to coach the Newcastle Knights, it was simply a deal he could not refuse.
Now that Tinkler is gone and the Knights face some understandable belt tightening, Bennett is expected to leave the club at seasons end. Most have him heading back to Brisbane to either coach the Broncos or take a more administrative role with the club.
In his article Brad Walter suggests the Dragons will chase Bennett’s signature but they could surprisingly face opposition from the New Zealand Warriors, even though they recently gave Andrew McFadden a long term deal.
The New Zealand Warriors are owned by a couple of billionaires…and if they want Bennett, and Bennett is willing to move to New Zealand, it will happen. No club will be able to match what the Warriors would be willing to pay Bennett. It would be a big move for Bennett though.
The Dragons seem like a more natural fit for Bennett, although it does seem strange that he would go back to where he used to coach. Still, if he is entertaining returning to the Broncos, the Dragons would have to be in with a shot at getting him as well.
