Sport Confidential: Wayne Bennett lambastes lazy, highly-paid rugby league stars

Dolphins super coach Wayne Bennett has delivered a stinging assessment of many NRL stars, slamming them as lazy and accusing a “shitload of guys” of highly-paid complacency.

Bennett’s stunning critique was delivered in the second episode of the Dawn of the Dolphins documentary, which has provided a fascinating peek behind the curtain of the creation of the NRL’s 17th franchise.

The Dolphins had 12 months to sign 30 full-time top-liners and Bennett revealed the experience of trying to lure players from other clubs spotlighted the attitudes of many of the code’s elite.

“What I have found since trying to recruit 30 players, is a shitload of guys are using up clubs,” Bennett says in a planning meeting with recruitment chief Peter O’Sullivan and high-performance boss Jeremy Hickmans.

“They are not putting the effort in, they’re not looking after themselves and they’re getting big money.

“And they are happy to be in their comfort zones, they really are.

“There’s not enough Ray Stones (Parramatta workhorse who signed with the Dolphins).”

Bennett also took umbrage at the amount of time off afforded to NRL players. Under the code’s existing CBA deal, players are entitled to up to eight weeks of annual leave.

Because of last year’s World Cup, that left the Dolphins just six weeks of pre-season to work with representative stars such as Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi.

“These guys get so much time off now,” Bennett says to Hickmans, who describes planning for the Dolphins’ inaugural pre-season as a “sh**fight”.

“Their pays are getting bigger every year and they are training less than they’ve ever trained.

“Who gets eight weeks off when you’re getting a million dollars a year?

“No-one looks after our players better than we do, Jeremy, but they’ve got to do what they get paid for, they can train and play.

“Good pros need six to seven weeks minimum to get them to where we need to get them (to be ready for the 2023 season).”

NRL PUT CLUBS ON NOTICE OVER EXPLOSIVE SALARY CAP CHEAT CLAIMS

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys says the NRL will not tolerate any salary cap cheating, if there is evidence of illegal rorting involving Roosters recruit Brandon Smith.

Speaking exclusively to News Corp last week, Smith’s manager Stan Martin made the explosive claim that at least one NRL club had offered an illegal payment outside the salary cap to sign the Kiwi Test star.

Martin made it clear the Roosters’ successful offer to sign Smith was completely legal under NRL salary-cap rules.

But V’landys urged Martin to come forward with evidence of salary-cap cheating if he has any correspondence that could uncover any proposed illegal transaction involving an NRL club or official.

“We won’t tolerate salary-cap cheating,” V’landys told Sport Confidential.

“If Brandon Smith’s manager has some information, I encourage him to make that information available to the NRL integrity unit.”

New Zealand-based Martin said last week he was shocked by one club’s offer of an under-the-table payment and rejected any impropriety.

“No brown paper bags,” he said. “Everything we do must be above board.

“There was one club that offered me a backhander, but I had no interest in anything dodgy like that.”

The NRL has only had two major salary-cap scandals in the past 13 years. The Storm produced the worst rort in history in 2010, stripped of two premierships after cheating the salary cap by $1.7 million, while Parramatta had 12 competition points deducted for their breach in 2016.

There is no suggestion those clubs are involved in any wrongdoing in relation to Smith’s eventual move to the Roosters.

V’landys has put the 17 clubs on notice, saying any allegation or information of salary-cap cheating will trigger an immediate NRL integrity-unit probe.

“It’s a serious allegation,” he said of Martin’s revelation.

“If he has evidence of some club trying to cheat the system, he should immediately hand it to the integrity unit for them to investigate.

“If he can provide some evidence, we will certainly be taking action, no fear or favour.”

QLD NRL TEAMS’ FREE-TO-AIR BLACKOUT

The Dolphins have become the television darlings of the NRL as Channel 9 slapped a Sunshine State blackout on Queensland this weekend.

All round 3 matches featuring Queensland’s four NRL clubs this weekend will be broadcast exclusively by Fox League on Kayo and Foxtel.

Channel 9 has snubbed all Queensland clubs – opting to only televise three Sydney games – in what is set to be a ratings black-eye for the NRL’s free-to-air broadcaster.

That means the only way fans of the Broncos, Dolphins, Cowboys and Titans can watch their team this weekend is on Fox League.

The Dolphins will be gunning for three straight wins against Newcastle on Friday (5pm) in what is sure to be compelling viewing.

Super Saturday will see the Titans host Melbourne (2pm), the Cowboys home to the Warriors (4.30pm) and the Broncos up against the Dragons (6.35pm).

After two rounds, the Broncos and Dolphins are the only teams to have recorded two wins in what has been a hot start to the season for Brisbane’s clubs ahead of Friday week’s blockbuster derby at Suncorp Stadium.

The Broncos have long been a ratings powerhouse, which is why they have dominated Channel 9’s broadcasting over the years.

But the Dolphins have hit the ground running with a string of eye-watering results since a stunning NRL debut against the Roosters a fortnight ago.

The Dolphins have played in two of Fox League’s three highest-rating matches this season.

Last Saturday’s exclusive coverage of the Dolphins-Raiders match at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium attracted a total audience of 621,000. That’s a remarkable figure given Canberra is a generally lower-rating club.

It was the second-highest rating NRL regular season game of all-time for Fox behind the Sharks-Rabbitohs match in round 1.

The Dolphins-Roosters match was simulcast on Channel 9 but still attracted a massive 567,000 viewers on Fox.

Headlined by the unbeaten Dolphins and Broncos, Queensland’s clubs have made an encouraging start to the 2023 NRL season and should provide Fox with more impressive ratings this weekend.

KEVVIE’S WALSH WARNING

Broncos coach Kevin Walters put his troops on notice with a stern message before last week’s derby demolition of the Cowboys.

Following an emotional jersey presentation for club debutant Reece Walsh, Walters urged the Broncos to step up in a video captured by the club.

“He’s waited a long time so don’t let him down tonight, okay? Don’t let him down,” Walters said with a finger raised.

The Broncos came out and blitzed North Queensland 28-16, with Walsh producing an incredible first game in Brisbane colours.

Walsh wiped away tears collecting his maiden jersey and speaking about what the Broncos meant to him following his two-season stint with the Warriors.

“I spent some time away from the club and it was only then when I was away that I realised how much this club means to me,” he said.

“To get the opportunity to come back and experience what it’s like to pull on that Broncos jersey … I was never going to let it go.

“Being back here now, sitting in these sheds getting ready to go to war with you boys, I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else.

“I’m really grateful and thankful for the opportunity I’ve got. I just want to go out there and do my job and get a win with you boys.”

DOLPHINS ARE FROM REDCLIFFE, AFTER ALL

It has been the most debated topic from the NRL’s expansion into Queensland. Where are the Dolphins from?

In an attempt to broaden their appeal, the Dolphins dropped Redcliffe from their NRL club name and claim they represent the 600km from Brisbane to Rockhampton.

But the players clearly believe they’re from Redcliffe after writing their own team song to sing after wins.

“Who are, who are, who are we?,” the song begins.

“We are the Dolphins from Reddy!”

After a 2-0 start to the season, the Dolphins have been crunched in premiership betting with TAB.

“The Dolphins are making plenty of us look silly with our pre-season predictions,” said TAB’s Rohan Welsh.

“After only two games, they’ve been cut from $81 into $29 to win the Premiership in their first season and are better backed than the likes of the Bulldogs and Raiders.”

TITANIC SPONSOR BUNGLE

The Titans have been caught up in a clothing bungle after a trainer was wearing a shirt with a controversial ex-sponsor’s logo.

Gold Coast-based cryptocurrency trading firm TrigonX went bust in December, owing creditors $73 million.

The business’ logo has been removed from the Titans’ list of sponsors on their website and the players’ jerseys.

However one of their physios was wearing a shirt with TrigonX on the sleeve during last Sunday’s loss to the Dragons at Kogarah.

The Titans haven’t got around to updating all their kits.

NEW DEAL FOR JD

Jason Demetriou was applauded for his strong stance on the Latrell Mitchell racism saga last week and now the Souths coach will be rewarded with a contract extension.

Wayne Bennett’s successor is already contracted until the end of 2024, but Demetriou is in the advanced stages of inking a 12-month extension to remain at Redfern until the end of 2025.

Demetriou steered Souths to last year’s preliminary final in his rookie season and he has done a fine job replacing Bennett in rugby league’s version of batting after Bradman.

The 47-year-old is highly regarded for his strong relationships with players and that was evident in his passionate support of Mitchell after his star player was racially abused at Penrith’s BlueBet Stadium.

‘JD’ has won premierships at second-tier level in the NSW and Queensland Cups and Souths insiders believe he has what it takes to deliver an NRL title to Redfern in the coming seasons.

BENNY LOVING THE SPOTLIGHT

He may deny it, but Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett is relishing being back in the media spotlight with weekly press conferences.

Bennett sat out the entire 2022 NRL season to focus on building the Dolphins, but he is back in front of the cameras twice a week this year.

The NRL’s live broadcast captured a funny exchange between Bennett and Brisbane sports journalist Joel “Gus” Gould after the Dolphins’ thrilling win over Canberra last Saturday.

Gould told Bennett he looked happy walking out of the coaches’ box, to which Bennett replied:

“Don’t tell anybody you saw me looking happy, otherwise I won’t speak to you again.”

It was a classic one-liner from Bennett, who has previously spoken about the respect he has for Gould.

HANDS OFF NRL’S GRAND IDEA

The NRL will celebrate Multicultural Round this week and while it’s a brilliant idea, one suggestion went down like a lead balloon.

Sport Confidential understands there was a suggestion for all 34 players from competing NRL clubs to perform a lap of honour after each game of the round, all while each holding hands in a major show of unity.

The idea was floated with several NRL club bosses, but it failed to get past first base.

ROOKIE ROOSTER CALLS OUT PANGAI

Queensland under-19s captain Xavier Va’a is ready to go toe-to-toe with Bulldogs hulk Tevita Pangai Jnr in a heavyweight boxing blockbuster.

Pangai Jnr impressed last November with his savage second-round knockout of Jerry Tupai, giving the former Broncos forward his second consecutive win as a boxer.

But Roosters young gun Va’a is open to trading blows with Pangai Jnr.

A former Queensland, Australia and Golden Gloves champion, the 116kg prop has sparred Paul Gallen and his manager says is ready to bang with Pangai Jnr.

“Xavier would love a crack at Tevita,” his agent Shaun Pyne said.

“Xavier is an accomplished boxer and he would fight any other player in the NRL.

“He helped Paul Gallen prepare to fight Justis Huni (Australia’s No.1 heavyweight) and boxing and rugby league is in his blood, so he would love a shot at Pangai Jnr.”

KAMBOSOS KO’S WILSON

George Kambosos has delivered a knockout blow to Liam Wilson’s hopes of staging a $2 million Australian super fight.

Wilson called out Kambosos last month following his controversial world-title loss to Emanuel Navarrete, who was dropped in the fourth round before recovering to overcome the courageous Australian.

Wilson’s manager had reached out to the Kambosos camp to begin negotiations, but ‘Ferocious’ says he has bigger scalps on his mind as he prepares for his comeback fight for the IBO world title against Maxi Hughes, likely to be in Sydney in June.

Asked if he would fight Wilson, Kambosos said: “That is not a fight I am looking at right now.

“With due respect, I am well above that level, I’m a big-name fighter and I’m looking at the biggest names in the world.

“The reality is I went 24 rounds with Devin Haney and he couldn’t put me down or stop me, so I’ve proven myself at that level and I’m hungry for more world titles.”