'Sounds like it's already done': Robbo backs Bennett as Souths' saviour

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has backed Wayne Bennett to turn around the fortunes of South Sydney if he returns for a second stint with the Rabbitohs following the axing of Jason Demetriou.

Souths CEO Blake Solly confirmed that Bennett was the club’s main target after this week’s decision to part company with Demetriou and the seven times premiership winner has already declared his interest in the job.

The Rabbitohs board met twice on Tuesday before announcing the termination of Demetriou’s contract and the appointment of assistant Ben Hornby as interim coach over the more experienced David Furner.

Hornby captained Bennett’s 2010 Dragons team to grand final glory and initially joined South Sydney in 2020 to work under Bennett, who is due to hand over the reins at the Dolphins to Kristian Woolf at the end of the season.

"It's always good for the game to have Wayne coaching, [being] the legend that he is, and it sounds like it's already been done,” Robinson told media ahead of the Roosters match against the Broncos on Friday night.

“You know, if Wayne says it's done, it's done. I think that's how it works. I think they've rolled out the red carpet and said, ‘please say yes’. If that's the case, then if Wayne wants it …

The Rabbitohs are eager to complete a quick recruitment process for their next coach and hope to have the process finalised in weeks, not months.

Bennett coached Souths from 2019-2021, leading the team to the 2021 grand final and two preliminary finals before leaving to head up the Dolphins entry into the Telstra Premiership.

He's the best coach that's ever been.

Trent Robinson on Wayne Bennett

The 74-year-old has no plans to retire and wants to continue coaching, having previously stated his ambition to become the first coach to win premierships with three different clubs.

After beginning his career as co-coach of the 1987 Canberra Raiders team that lost the grand final to Manly, Bennett enjoyed success with the Broncos in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006, as well as St George Illawarra in 2010. 

“It was a great rivalry a few years ago and he's the best coach that's ever been, so it's a pretty clear choice of his, if he wants it,” Robinson said.

Meanwhile, the Roosters have all but ruled out interest in Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias, who has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs as Souths finalise a deal with St Helens playmaker Lewis Dodd.

With five-eighth Luke Keary retiring at the end of the season, the Roosters are on the lookout for an experienced playmaker but Ilias is regarded as being a similar stage in his development to Sam Walker and Sandon Smith.

"He's a really good player but similar position to those two as well so that doesn't really line up as much, even though he is an NRL player," Robinson said of Ilias.

"If we have to go young and develop them through next year we will."

Robinson revealed that Kiwis prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was now set to become just the fourth player in the club’s history to bring up 300 first grade matches for the Roosters in next weekend’s match against the Warriors.

Waerea-Hargreaves, who made his 300th NRL appearance in the Round 3 clash with South Sydney, was due to celebrate the milestone against the Broncos but has been ruled out with an “old man’s injury”.

New recruit Spencer Leniu is also due back for the match against the Warriors after an eight-match ban for a racial slur against Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam in the Round 1 clash at Allegiant Stadium.

Robinson said he wasn’t expecting the fall-out from the incident, which included an exchange between players from the two clubs at their Las Vegas hotel, to boil over on the field.

“Spencer has done his penance on that and obviously he's not playing tomorrow night,” Robinson said. “There won't be any of that emotion from us. We're there to play footy and we're looking forward to that.”