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Wayne Bennett has been backed from $3.00 to $2.50, at Sportingbet Australia, to be heading to Newcastle next season after the super coach announced he would be leaving the Dragons.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan a return home to Brisbane remained the favoured option but punters believed Nathan Tinkler could lure Bennett to the Knights.
“All the money over the last week says Bennett is heading to Newcastle,” Sullivan said.
“There hasn’t been one single huge bet but there has been plenty of punters who think that is way he could be heading.
“There are still a few obstacles though as he would be no chance of heading to Newcastle if Tinkler, with all his resources, doesn’t take control of the Knights.”

Brisbane are currently the $1.50 favourites to secure Bennett’s services following Ivan Henjak’s sacking pre-season and replacement Anthony Griffin only getting a one year deal.
“There are a lot of pull factors to get Bennett back to Brisbane given his history with the club and the fact his family are still up there,” Sullivan said.
“Darren Lockyer is retiring would also provide Bennett with the perfect protégé to take over once he does retire and he then would be leaving the Broncos in good hands.”

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WHERE WILL WAYNE BENNETT COACH IN 2012?
Sportingbet Australia Market
Brisbane 1.50
Newcastle 2.50
Souths 7.00
Any Other Club/Not Coaching 11.00

Having assessed the chances of Wayne Bennet’s new team in a previous post, I’ll now turn to the squad he has left behind after being at the helm for the last 532 games, The Brisbane Broncos.

Old Man Bennett…Gone

The first thing that springs to mind is there has to be some hangover from the departure of such a long serving coach. The club has known no other leader since it entered the competition 21 years ago, and the indelible mark he has left at the club is not something that can be replaced overnight.

Add to this the fact that along with Bennett, 13 of last years players have left the club and you are looking at a squad that barely resembles the 2008 version.

But if there is any club with the talent to overcome such a challenge it is the Broncos. Much to the disgust of their southern rivals, the Broncos have been the most consistent performers  in the NRL since they entered the competition, having missed the finals just three times in two decades.

For years New South Welshmen have begrudged the pool of players that Brisbane has had to choose from and this is proven by one look at the player changes to the roster – only 4 new players were signed to replace the 13 that left, meaning the club was confident enough that the current juniors and reserves can step up and fill any gaps where required.

Strength In The Backline

One of the four signings for this year was young superstar Israel Folau, and his combination with Justin Hodges in the centres is sure to cause much concern to opposing players. Add other class backs Lockyer, Karmichael Hunt and Peter Wallace and you have a team with plenty of attacking options.

It is in the forwards that opponents may find weak spots to exploit. The loss of Tonie Carroll has not received a huge amount of attention, but I think Brisbane fans will realise early on in the season how important he has been to this team over the last few years.

It will be left to Sam Thaiday to lift the forwards around him, and help fast track the development of some of the young big men who will be given opportunities at various stages throughout the year.

Much will depend on injuries for the Broncos this year – on paper they don’t not seem to have the depth needed to cover key positions if a plague of injuries occurs. Having said that the team from Brisbane is renowned for turning up talent at an alarming rate and I’m sure by the end of this year there will be at least one player from the squad who started the season as an unknown and finished as a household name.

The Broncos finished just outside the top 4 last year, and will be doing well to finish any higher than 2008. Somewhere just inside the top 8 is the most likely result.

Current Odds To WIn 2009 Premiership – $12.50

Crooksy

How Far Can Bennett Take The Dragons?

The obvious talking point with the St. George Illawarra Dragons this year is how much of an effect Wayne Bennet can have in his first season as coach. The general consensus over the last couple of years has been that nathan Brown just didn’t seem to command the respect that is required to get that extra 5-15% effort from the players at training and on the pitch which means the difference between a top four team and an also-ran.

This is understandable and is in no way a reflection on the character or coaching ability of Brown – his coaching began in 2003 with him taking charge of many of his ex-teamates. It was only natural that there were going to be difficulties in making the transition from player to coach at the same club at such a young age (he was just 29 when he took the reins).

And I’m sure everyone involved will tell you that it wasn’t really a factor. But they’d be kidding themselves, of course it was a factor. There are attitudes that just gradually seep into a team’s mentality over time without anyone realizing it is happening. He wasn’t able to properly assert his authority early on, and his tenure as coach had that as its foundation.

Wayne Bennett understands that, and this can be seen in the approach that he has taken from the outset. At the Bronco’s he had strong player leaders at all times, so his role was more as overseer rather than taskmaster. From all reports he has imposed himself in a very direct way from the start of his term at the Dragons, and is obviously attempting to instill a new culture into his squad of players from which he can build successful campaigns over the next couple of years.

There is also that intangible factor, an aura that comes as a result of Bennett’s success and experience. Always a talented squad, the Dragons may have had nagging doubts in the past about training methods, strategies etc. When you have one of the all time great coaches in charge, all doubts about those sort of things are immediately banished. Players know that they just have to focus their attentions on their skills, fitness and teamwork – Bennett will take care of the rest.

The Dragons have looked good so far in the pre-season, but it is just that…the pre-season. I do however find it interesting that the Dragons finished 7th last year, and are currently around the same in the betting. While it is probably too much of an ask for them to go all the way this year, signs are good that they are on the improve and will more than likely cause some upsets this year.

The Dragons face the Storm, Sharks and Broncos in the first 4 weeks of the competition – a very tough ask, and we will know at the end of that first month how good this team can be this season.

Current odds to win the premiership – $13.00