Bennett hasn't spoken to White after voicemail sacking

Wayne Bennett has not spoken to Brisbane CEO and one-time great mate Paul White since he was infamously sacked by voicemail as he confronts his former club with bad blood evidently still in the water.

Holding court at a media conference a little more than 24 hours out from a Rabbitohs-Broncos clash that pits Bennett and Anthony Seibold against playing groups the other moulded just last year, Bennett maintained he still has "a lot of friends" from his 25 years at Red Hill.

Bennett dead-batted several question on Brisbane's management, but did confirm he had not spoken to White, who he has known from their time in Queensland's Police Academy in the early 1980s.

It was White who was unable to get hold of Bennett five months ago as the coach swap between he and Seibold finally came to a head, Brisbane's CEO informing the seven-time premiership winning mentor his time was up after the beep.

Asked would he shake his former boss's hand at ANZ Stadium on Thursday night, Bennett replied: "I said I'm not going to go too far into management, so we'll just leave it at that.

"I have great rapport with the players [at Brisbane].

"The fans have always trusted me and I don't believe that's ever changed.

"[There's] a lot of wonderful things about the Broncos and [I've got] a lot of friends there."

During his own pre-game press conference Seibold insisted he held no grudge with Bennett, despite previously accusing him of undermining him by contacting Souths players while still in charge at Brisbane.

Bennett showed little interest when pressed on his thoughts on his Broncos successor.

"I haven't had [a relationship with Seibold] before and I haven't got one now so nothing's changed there," Bennett said before referencing Seibold's three years in Brisbane's lower grades as a player.

"It doesn't interest me. If it happens it happens.

"I don't think I was a mentor of his. I didn't see a lot of him, he didn't play in the first grade squad."

Bennett was more forthcoming on the future of his former halfback Kodi Nikorima.

The 25-year-old won't play against Souths as he weighs up a lucrative offer to join the Warriors immediately, having been told by Seibold he could not be guaranteed the Broncos No.7 jumper beyond 2020.

With Nikorima expected to have played his last game for the club it was suggested to Bennett the Kiwi international sat himself out of Thursday's showdown.

"I thought he showed a lot of courage to do that. It's easy to go with the flow sometimes," Bennett said.

"Kodi's someone that I had a lot to do with. Particularly his development, I was there for four years with him and I rate him very highly.

"I'm pleased he's strong enough to stand up for himself."

Bennett also denied making any contact James Roberts, or any other Broncos player besides Darius Boyd, who plays his 300th game this week.

Roberts has been consistently linked with a Rabbitohs move in the wake of Greg Inglis's retirement and an underwhelming start to 2019, but Souths officials have repeatedly stressed he is not on the club's radar.