Wayne Bennett: Life Beyond Football
Wayne Bennett has coached the Brisbane Broncos for 15 years, and learned a few things along the way. Nathan Brown discovers what they are.
One of the most successful stories in Australian sport is that of the 15-year history of the Brisbane Broncos.
Since their debut in the National Rugby League competition in 1988, the Broncos have made the grand final five times—and won it five times.
As with all professional sports teams, players have come and gone but a consistent feature of the Broncos over their history has been their coach—Wayne Bennett. In professional sport, in which the position of coach is often less certain than that of the players, Bennett’s 15-year tenure is a remarkable achievement. However, Bennett’s career in rugby league has been remarkable in many other ways as well.
Wayne Bennett grew up near Warwick in southern Queensland. He had a difficult childhood and, as a result of what he had experienced, he made a promise to his mother not to smoke, drink or gamble. It’s a promise he’s honoured.
As a cadet policeman, he moved to Brisbane, where he played rugby league in the Brisbane competition. From 1971 to 1973, Bennett represented Queensland and in 1971 he played for Australia on a tour of New Zealand.
While playing First Grade in Brisbane, he stumbled across a team that needed a coach—the Under-20s in the Church League. He continued coaching in the Brisbane competition and gained his first professional experience in 1987 as assistant coach to the Canberra Raiders. In 1988, Bennett was invited back to Brisbane to be head coach of the newly formed Brisbane Broncos.
As well as coaching the Broncos, Bennett has coached the Queensland team in six State of Origin series, losing only one series, in 1986. The past two seasons have seen some of his most dramatic State of Origin highlights— masterminding Allan Langer’s comback from retirement to clinch the 2001 series and the comeback from a first-up defeat to draw the series earlier this year and retain the interstate trophy.
Now 53, Bennett maintains his phys ical fitness, often training with his muchyounger players. Journalist Steve Crawley, Bennett’s longtime ghost writer, tells of a training session with last year’s Maroons.
“For a morning training session,” writes Crawley, “the squad was split into three groups. One completed two sevenminute runs back-to-back, before another performed the same gut buster. Bennett ran with all three groups and did not finish further back than fourth.” “I just love running with them," Bennett commented. “You do feel a lot closer to them when you’re out there putting in together, and you’re all hurting together, pushing each other and that. I wish I could play with them . . .”
That’s just one example of Bennett’s love of the game. “People coach for a couple of reasons,” says Bennett. “One is ego, while for others, it represents continued involvement in the game they love. I coach because I like being part of a team, and I can’t play anymore.”
excellence
Bennett sets out his philosophy of coaching, sport and life in his motivational book Don’t Die With the Music in You , released earlier this year. In it he expresses his pragmatic approach to coaching. “If they’re going to sack you, when you walk out the door, do it with no regrets; leave with pride and self-esteem,” he says. “If you listen to others and let them manipulate you, they’re going to sack you anyway.” “No-one can coach without discipline,” he says, “but make too many rules, and there are just more to break. Don’t complicate matters, just give players a framework not too fancy to work within.
“And motivation. The unmotivated cannot be motivated. Coaches don’t win; players win. And a coach isn’t as smart as people say when their team wins nor as stupid as they say when they lose. At day’s end, the trick is to improve the player, to have him playing at, or close to his ability.”
As such, coaching is a complicated mix of roles: supporter, manager, leader, psychologist and parent. In these roles, Bennett admits he is a collector of clichés—favourite words and sayings— and these provide a significant foundation for his work as a coach.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got,” says Bennett, quoting Australian netballer Vicki Wilson. “I liked that one so much, I took it to the players, reminding a few I’d been a little tough on them lately, that they have to change, because if they don’t, they’ll never get better, never reach the heights I believe they can.”
In the light of Bennett’s impressive coaching record, it’s hardly surprising to find him urging high standards—but winning isn’t everything. “One thing I absolutely hate about today is there’s too big an emphasis on winning and losing,” Bennett says. “To me, it’s the most false thing I am involved with.”
winning vs losing
“Over many years with the Broncos we’ve had some success, and that’s important.
It’s good to win, but winning is the end product of everything else you do, not the be all and end all.
“The thing about this winning and losing is that you can win and give a mediocre effort and you can still lose after giving it everything you have. I know which effort I’d be more proud of. The people who compete against themselves are the real competitors.” “Most of us have highs and lows; it’s the perseverance, the determination, at day’s end, that makes us what we are,” he says. “Not everyone in sport can win. For some the only prize can be the character they have built within. It can also be the greatest prize of all.”
Bennett draws a lot of his philosophy and inspiration from other successful coaches. He quotes Don Shula, the most successful coach in the US National Football League. “The biggest problem with most leaders today is they don’t stand for anything. Convictions provide that direction. If you don’t stand for something, you fall for everything.” “Follow your beliefs and don’t give in to yourself,” adds Bennett. Beyond football, the public image of Bennett is that of a stern, unyielding coach, with little time for others, particularly the media.
But over the years, he’s come to be recognised for his contribution to the people who work with him, to his family and the wider community.
public recognition
Bennett’s contribution to the community was recognised on Queensland Day, June 6, 2002. On the match day of the second State of Origin game in this year’s series, Bennett was named as one of six “ Queensland Greats.” In contrast with the Queenslander of the Year honour, the Queensland Greats award recognises contributions to the community over a lifetime, rather than just the past year.
The story of Bennett’s family was shared through ABC television’s A ustralian S tory in 1999.
In the wake of this story, Bennett was named Queensland Father of the Year, recognising both his position in an unusual family and his role as a father-figure and role model to countless young and aspiring footballers. But Bennett chooses to shift the credit. With her husband traveling regularly with football commitments, Trish Bennett has accepted extra responsibilities in an extraordinary household.
“I couldn’t have achieved the things I have without Trish,” says Bennett. “If she hadn’t been so supportive of everything I wanted to do, I wouldn’t have been able to coach. If you’re looking for the success story of this family, then it’s Trish, not me. I’ve never met a person who can continually give so much and require so little back.” The Bennetts’ son, Justin, became mentally disabled after an adverse reaction to immunisation. Then their second daughter Catherine was born with a physical disability, leaving her wheelchair-bound.
A ustralia S tory producer Vanessa Gorman admits to not knowing who Wayne Bennett was when asked to produce the program. But the experience of telling the Bennett family’s story left her “profoundly moved.” “ Wayne’s public successes in football speak for themselves,” says Gorman. “But it was the private man I came to admire, a man who has touched and inspired a wider audience. From ‘Who’s Wayne Bennett?’ I can now honestly state that I count him as one of my heroes.” Bennett admits to some hesitancy in opening up his family to such public scrutiny: “We’ve never hidden our kids or been embarrassed by them,” he says. “It’s just that outside our circle, we wanted to protect them. As parents, we didn’t treat our children differently just because they had disabilities; and we didn’t ever want them thinking they were different.” “Trish and I often reflect on how lucky we are,” Bennett continues, “to have three children whom we love, but, more importantly, like.
“People ask me what motivates me. My children motivate me; the character they show every day. When I reflect on our children, I’m proud of them all, proud of what they have achieved.”
Additional sources: Wayne Bennett, Don’t Die With the Music in You, Courier-Mail ; www.nrl.com.au
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