Wayne Bennett makes call on poaching Dolphins players ahead of NRL return to Rabbitohs

Wayne Bennett has given his word that he will not raid the Dolphins playing stocks when he leaves for South Sydney at the end of the year. Bennett confirmed over the weekend that he'll be back coaching the Rabbitohs next season, with a three-year deal set to be finalised with Souths CEO Blake Solly on Monday.

The 74-year-old Dolphins mentor coached the Bunnies from 2019 to 2021 when the side made two preliminary finals and the 2021 grand final. And he will leave the Dolphins at the end of the season, handing over the reins to assistant coach Kristian Woolf.

When leaving one NRL club for another, Bennett has previously taken players with him. The Dolphins have a host of young and promising players who are shining in the NRL and lower tiers but Bennett insists he won't be taking anyone that doesn't want to leave.

"I won't be taking any of their kids that they want to keep," he said. "That's not going to happen. I didn't build this club to try and destroy it. If there is a guy that they are not offering a contract to or he is looking to go somewhere else and I think he can play a bit, then that will be a different thing, but I want all these players to stay."

Wayne Bennett hasn't had a hand in Souths recruitment

Bennett says he hasn't spoken to the Rabbitohs about the players he wants the club to re-sign or recruit and doesn't plan to until the end of his Dolphins tenure. "I haven't because I haven't signed the contract yet," he said.

"I need to stay focused here and I think I have been pretty good with that." Bennett had 18 months to prepare the Dolphins to be NRL-ready when he agreed to coach the side in late 2021 but will be at Bunnies pre-season in six months' time and faces a stiff task.

"I've moved from a few clubs in my life in the same situation so it is not new to me," he said. "I am experienced at it and I know how to handle it. The key thing is that everyone knows what is going on. You just get on with life. They have staff down there who will look after everything until I get there. Ben Hornby is doing a great job there now (as acting coach) and I will certainly want him on the coaching staff when I get there. It will be an easy transition."

Gordon Tallis predicts Wayne Bennett overhaul

With a three-year deal all but locked in to chase his eighth premiership, a Bennett overhaul is expected at the Rabbitohs. And Gordon Tallis is of the belief that he won't take long to make the Rabbitohs his own.

The NRL great says he expects the 74-year-old to make a play for players of a similar ilk to that of new Rabbitohs recruit Lewis Dodd. While Bennett insists he had no hand in the English halfback's signing, he will bring an attacking spark to a side that has lacked in that department in recent years.

Earlier this month when Tallis - who played under Bennett for most of his career at Brisbane - was asked how Bennett would change Souths' roster, he told NRL 360: "Wayne will go get those gritty players, the Max Plath type of player."

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While Bennett insists he had no hand in the English halfback's signing, he will bring an attacking spark to a side that has lacked in that department in recent years. Earlier this month when Tallis - who played under Bennett for most of his career at Brisbane - was asked how Bennett would change Souths' roster, he told NRL 360: "Wayne will go get those gritty players, the Max Plath type of player."

"That is Wayne Bennett to a T. You watch when he went to the Dragons," he continued. "It was the Beau Scotts He will go find those workers because he knows he’s got the class to get them around. At the moment, Souths are lacking foot soldiers who are prepared to roll up their sleeves and do the tough stuff. Play for 80 minutes."

with AAP