Mr Nice Guy may not stick around

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WAYNE Bennett walked into the press launch of the World Club Series in Manchester, England on Monday night and did 10 media interviews in an hour. At which point the Broncos' tour captain Andrew McCullough sidled over and asked, "You feeling okay, coach?"

Truth is, Bennett is feeling better than okay. After five years coaching in New South Wales he is back in his heartland of Queensland, guiding once more the club whose growth he oversaw from birth to maturity and, for now at least, all is good with Wayne's world.

Bennett's new-found ease with the press is one of the unexpected byproducts of his time away from the Broncos.

He was relaxed to the point of being downright jovial on Monday night, a far cry from the days in Brisbane where his public persona saw him once described as showing all the emotion of an Easter Island statue.

Wayne Bennett, pictured with former player Michael Hancock, has been in a jovial mood since arriving at the Broncos. Source: News Corp Australia

His players always spoke of his warmth and humour, but that was a side he kept locked away except from the chosen few. He admits his time south of the border saw him lift the shutters somewhat but says, now that he is back at the Broncos, there is no guarantee they won't come slamming back down again.

"I remember the first press conference I had at the Dragons and I quickly realised that if I wasn't successful in Sydney they were really going to tear me apart," he said.

"Up until that time it hadn't entered my head. There was a lot of talk that I'd gone down there to prove something but I didn't go to Sydney to prove anything. I didn't have to.

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"But I walked out of that conference and the tone of that meeting that day was, they're going to put it right up me if we don't play some good football and get some results.

"So that was the start and I remember going to the players and being frank to them about it and we got on with life and we got results, so they were off my back for three years, then Newcastle came along.

"If I felt more comfortable with the media there, it was because I knew that I was doing the best job I could under difficult circumstances. I wasn't trying to mask anything there because everybody could see what was happening so I was better off having that more relaxed approach.

"But neither of those clubs are the Broncos. The Broncos are under more scrutiny, more expectation than anywhere I've ever been.

"Coming back to that I know what I've got myself into and you are more on your guard at the Broncos than I was at the other clubs."

So, no more Mr Nice Guy?

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"Well that, just depends. If we struggle a little bit, which is always on the cards, then I'll be what I've always been, defending, making sure the flak is coming on my shoulders, not the players' or the club and I'm happy to do that until we get it right.

"We'll get it right; it's just a case of when.

"One thing I've felt coming back is that a lot of people are happy that I'm back and that's nice because it means they trust me and they've always trusted me and they know we'll get it right.

"It may not come early, but it will come and that's reassuring. You feel a great debt to them and a great obligation not to let them down because they trust you.

"A lot people in public life these days we don't trust as much as we should. I've been the public face of the Broncos for 21 years, I'm in my 22nd year now and I've been an NRL coach for 29 so I'm pleased they trust me."

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And in what should be equally reassuring to those people who put so much faith into Bennett, he says the experience he gained over the past five years has made him a better coach than the one who left the club after 532 games and six premierships.

"I went through some top experiences and some experiences that were extremely challenging," he said.

"At the Dragons we had great success and everything was rosy, and at the Knights, particularly last year, with what happened to Alex McKinnon, and Nathan Tinkler's position, and Russell Packer going to jail and the team being on the fringe a couple of times and then not finishing the season like we wanted, it was a complete contrast.

"Because of all that I know myself better now than I ever did. I know what works. I always knew what works, but I'm more committed to it now that I ever was because of my experiences away.

Wayne Bennett th Broncos fans. Source: News Corp Australia

"Those things, those basics, those fundamentals, still work, but you've got to get a bunch of guys to believe in them to make them work.

"I've got more confidence in myself now. Not that I wasn't confident, but you have more confidence that you're on the right track and you've just got to get a group of men to buy into that."

Given all that, and the almost messiah-like status Bennett enjoys in Queensland, it would seem a relatively easy task to slot straight back into the groove and have the Broncos purring along like a well-tuned Ferrari in no time at all.

Not exactly, he says. In fact, Bennett claims coaching the Broncos, for all their resources and talent, is the hardest job in the game.

"I know what's coming. I'm prepared. I'll wear the flak," he said.

"Newcastle and St George were great experiences for me and I had some wonderful times there but being at those clubs you aren't under the pressure that goes with being the Broncos coach, I can tell you now.

"I've been back with the Broncos for three months now and I've hardly been home because the Broncos is a lot more than a football club. We do so much for the community and we do it statewide. We've just spent three days in Murwillumbah for example.

"There's much more responsibility and you feel that but I'm happy to do that. I did it for 21 years.

A more stern version of Bennett could reappear if things go wrong at the Broncos. Source: News Corp Australia

"I didn't realise until I left the Broncos how much pressure I'd been under for 21 years because the other places were just a breeze. All I had to be at those clubs was be a coach. At the Broncos you are much, much more."

Which raises the question: There have been three previous coaches at the Broncos. The two that followed the first Bennett era, Ivan Henjak and Anthony Griffin, could not fill the huge boots that he left first time around.

Does he worry that he too, might fall short of living up to his own legacy?

"No I don't," he said. "That's the last thing on my mind. I'm starting fresh, but knowing the club, it's history, the culture and what I want.

"The one thing I'm very clear and definite about is what I want for the club. It's still same thing. It's what I've always wanted for the Broncos and I'll drive that until the very end."

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Campo to stay at Hull after positive start

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ENGLISH Super League club Hull KR are looking to extend former Canberra Raiders skipper Terry Campese's contract by another 12 months.

Campese, who joined Hull KR on a one-year deal in December, has impressed club officials with his leadership both on and off the field.

Hull KR has a young playing roster and Campese's experience is seen as vital to the club going forward.

"Terry is a natural leader and it shows by the way he leads by example," coach Chris Chester said.

"The decision to name him captain was an easy one and he has quickly gained the respect of his teammates.

"He's an experienced player who has settled in well and will prove an important acquisition to our club."

Campese, who captained the Raiders from 2010-14 and played 139 games, said he was honoured to captain his new club.

"I'm proud to be leading a club with so much history," Campese said.

"I've only been here a short time but I'm enjoying the responsibility.

"My main focus is on playing good football and contributing to the club achieving success."

Campese, who scored a try on debut against Leeds Rhinos, has no shortage of former Raiders teammates in the Super League with Joel Monaghan captaining Warrington and Todd Carney at Catalan Dragons.

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End of the road for Wayne’s right-hand man

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WAYNE Bennett calls him his "right-hand man", a no-nonsense servant who has rushed to the aid of Brisbane's greatest players such as Allan Langer, Kevin Walters and Darren Lockyer.

But Tony Spencer's 27-year reign as a Broncos trainer is over, with a recent amendment to the NRL's rules effectively sidelining one of the code's longest-serving staffers.

Bennett officially honoured Spencer on Sunday morning in England, where the veteran trainer played an on-field role for the final time in Brisbane's World Club Series clash against Wigan.

As cranky as he is committed, Spencer has been at the coalface of Brisbane's greatest triumphs. He is one of Bennett's pioneers, joining the club in 1988. If a Langer, Walters or Lockyer went down injured, Spencer was invariably there to help in the heat of battle.

Last year, when Brent Tate ruptured his ACL during the State of Origin series, it was Spencer who helped carry him off in what proved to be the Maroons winger's footballing swan song.

Spencer was slated to return to the paddock this year, but beefed-up NRL rules now require trainers to be qualified physiotherapists to further safeguard the welfare of NRL players.

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Trainer Tony Spencer has been part of the furniture at the Broncos since their inception. Source: News Limited

Without an official degree, Spencer will shift to a different role at the club, but his days rushing into the fray are over.

"It's a shame because Tony has been with us since day one," Bennett said.

"The rules in the NRL won't allow him to be on the field this year, but in England he is still allowed to operate under the rules, so this is our chance to farewell him properly.

"I just wanted to give him the right send-off and this (last night's clash against Wigan) is a good occasion for him.

"He's been a great servant, he's our Mr Fixit. If we have a problem at Red Hill, Tony Spencer solves it for us."

If he isn't attending to injured players, Spencer can be seen operating the BBQ at training, carrying gear or yelling at Broncos players to stay off the lush lawn he cultivates at Red Hill.

When former Broncos hooker PJ Marsh once asked him for a newspaper while munching on a burger, Spencer shot back: "What am I? A bloody newsagent?"

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"He gets a bit grumpy, but only when people don't do the right thing," Bennett said with a laugh.

"He's a perfectionist. He even orders us off our own ground at training. He's a guy you want to employ in life because he takes ownership. It's all personal with him and I like that quality in him.

"He maintains the whole Broncos facility. He's been a sports trainer since we first commenced at the Broncos. He's one of the originals and he's one of those guys who is invaluable for a football club.

"They give their life to a club and that's how it's been for Tony."

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A buck’s, a cruise and an NRL coke sting

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A MAD Monday booze cruise and a player's buck's party helped lead police to a multi-million dollar cocaine ring allegedly involving some of Australian sport's biggest stars.

Investigators allege they gathered surveillance on a booze cruise held as part of the Gold Coast Titans' traditional end of season celebrations while it is believed they also intercepted telephone conversations between players.

A player's buck's party also came under the spotlight.

Queensland Reds vice-captain Karmichael Hunt and two Gold Coast NRL players have already been charged with supplying cocaine and as many as seven other former and current Titans are in the crosshairs of investigators from the Crime and Corruption Commission and Queensland's Major and Organised Crime Squad.

At least one high-profile player is already aware he will face charges and there could be more arrests as early as Sunday when the Titans arrive back on the Glitter Strip following Saturday night's trial in Cairns.

Police will allege Hunt and Titans players Beau Falloon and Jamie Dowling were supplying cocaine in the syndicate on the Gold Coast to friends and colleagues.

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Dowling's defence lawyer Campbell MacCallum on Saturday said the young utility will be defending the charge.

Titans players will attend a series of crisis meetings with their managers, club officials and lawyers on the Gold Coast on Sunday night with some managers planning to meet their players at Gold Coast Airport on Sunday afternoon in case police are present to serve them on site.

The crisis meetings will see players told their rights, their legal options and the likely process for the next 12 months.

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At least two Titans players have discarded their phones after being warned they were under investigation.

Others are using the mobile phones of staff members to make all calls and refusing to even update their family on the cocaine crisis engulfing the club.

Shattered Titans CEO Graham Annesley said the situation would become clearer over coming days.

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"I am hoping to speak to players when they come back on Sunday," he said.

"Since yesterday morning I have heard so many different things but I cannot speculate on what may happen."

The cocaine crisis comes just weeks after former State of Origin players Jason Smith and Matt Seers were charged with trafficking the drug.

Police will allege one of the syndicate's kingpins was former Sydney Roosters rugby league player John Thomas.

Appearing under his real name of John Touma, the 49-year-old slipped quietly through Southport Magistrates Court on February 6, charged with supply and possession of cocaine.

One of the charges relates to supplying cocaine to former Roosters teammate John Tobin, a veteran of 125 first grade rugby league matches through the 70s and 80s.

Tobin has also been charged.

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Thomas played just two first grade matches for the Roosters in 1986-87.

His Mermaid Waters home was the alleged scene of more than a dozen drug deals involving former North Sydney and Wests Tigers star Matt Seers in the latter part of last year.

Police allege both were involved in the same cartel as Smith, who was arrested last month in Toowoomba where he has taken over the running of a pub since winding up his decorated playing career.

Thomas will face Southport Magistrates Court again on March 11, five days after Hunt, Falloon and Dowling face the same court.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith has already launched another crackdown on player misbehaviour, pledging to rub serious off-field offenders out of the game for long periods.

He declared: "We are not going to let a few players wreck our image and brand".

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Burgess bros put Sam behind them

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HOW many Burgesses does to take to win an NRL trophy?

Last year it was Sam and George doing much of the heavy lifting on grand final day but with Sam headed back to England to play rugby union, it is now up to George's twin brother Tom to fill the void.

That's the way he sees it anyway, and he was planning to set the ball rolling with a big game off the bench for the Rabbitohs against Super League champions St Helens in the World Club Challenge tomorrow morning.

"Everyone is a leader in this team and with Sam leaving, me and George realise that we can take more of a role now," Tom said.

"My goal is to play more time this year with Sam gone and I'll probably play a bit more coming off the bench."

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For George, who wasn't far behind big brother Sam in the grand final man-of-the-match calculations, it isn't so much a case of establishing himself as the number one Burgess in the game, as becoming more of a leader.

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"I don't think of it that way to be honest," he said. "I just concentrate on my job and see what happens.

"What I do want to do this year is to take on a bit more of leadership role, with a few older heads missing, and I feel that I'm ready to do that.

"Things are different every year. Teams change, players move on to new clubs and it's hard to keep everyone together for a long amount of time, but it's still pretty special what we've got this year.

"We've got a new team and I'm looking forward to getting out with the boys against St Helens and showing what the new team is about."

George Burgess trains in preparation for the World Club Challenge. Source: Getty Images

He isn't the only one. The game, at St Helens' new home ground Langtree Park, has been sold out for months, and the reception the South Sydney players received in the north of England was nothing short of rock star status.

As the Burgess brothers spoke to the media at a meet and greet function at the St Helens Hall of Fame room during the week, the line of local junior players waiting for Greg Inglis's autograph stretched halfway down the grandstand steps. Several of the kids were wearing Rabbitohs jerseys.

While most of the sellout crowd will be there to see how the local heroes, such as boom hooker James Roby (described by Tom Burgess as "England's version of Cameron Smith") shape up against the likes of Inglis and co, South Sydney fans will be more interested in the way their new-look team performs with an eye to Thursday week's NRL opener against Brisbane.

Tom Burgess wants more minutes in 2015. Source: Getty Images

Hooker Isaac Luke believes the Rabbitohs' supporters will be pleased with what they see.

"There's a lot of people doubting us because we've lost Sam and Benny Te'o from our grand final side but Glenn Stewart and Tim Grant have really stepped up and fitted straight into our structure and what we strive for as a club," he said.

Luke, who missed the grand final through suspension, has more reason than any other player in the club to want the Rabbitohs to make it two premierships in a row, but he says he has long put the disappointment of last year behind him.

"We really haven't been thinking about going back to back," Luke said. "We're just worried about St Helens.

"I left that (disappointment) back behind in October. My main thing was to get back on the field and I got to do that in a Kiwi jersey, so it's all good."

As for Big Sam, he won't be able to be at St Helens for the match, but he is keeping up with team news through his brothers, just as they are following his progress in rugby union.

"I speak to him quite a bit," Tom said. "He's enjoying the challenge. He's obviously not going to get there straight away but he's enjoying learning the game and he's taking his chances when he gets them."

So is making this year's Rugby World Cup a realistic goal?

"Yeah, of course it is. That's what he's got his eyes set on. He wants to play for England, so knowing Sam you'd be stupid if you didn't back him to do it," Tom said.

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In-demand GI wants to finish in Brisbane

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GREG Inglis wants to finish his career at the Broncos, the club he rejected in 2010 just days after agreeing to a handshake deal.

Inglis is the most in demand footballer of any code and has admitted he is considering his options for next season despite being contracted to South Sydney until 2017.

A million dollar transfer fee will stop the Broncos or any NRL club from taking him off the Rabbitohs.

However, two agents in Europe are shopping Inglis to clubs on behalf of his manager Allan Gainey.

The Sunday Mail can reveal that Inglis hopes to his finish his career in the Queensland capital after buying a house in Brisbane suburb Sandgate last year.

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He spent more than a month of the off-season renovating the house with wife Sally.

Gainey said the Wayne Bennett factor meant the Broncos were an option for his client's next contract but regardless of his next move Inglis wanted to settle in Brisbane.

Sally will be periodically living in their Sandgate house this year and it is the place Inglis wants to settle down in to finish his footballing life.

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Inglis spent his final years of high school in Brisbane while attending Wavell State High.

"He has bought a house in Brisbane and Sally is living up there at times during the year," Gainey said.

"That's where he will eventually settle.

"He is enjoying life. He's very busy.

Rabbitohs skipper Greg Inglis is a hot property in the player market. Source: Getty Images

"He spent the eight weeks up in Brisbane. He is doing up a house up there and when he's not playing that's where he spends most of his time.

"Now that Wayne is there the Broncos are a chance."

The Broncos believed they had Inglis in 2010, but on the day he was meant to fly up to sign the deal he reneged.

The ramifications are still being felt by the Broncos, who have struggled since he knocked them back.

Still only 28, Inglis's next deal will be his most important.

His contract with South Sydney runs out at the age of 30 meaning he will have only five years left in the code.

He would ideally spend half of that in Europe before settling in with the Broncos.

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The Australian Rugby Union is also considering an approach to Inglis.

It would be almost impossible for the ARU to raise the funds to pay South Sydney's transfer fee and their only chance of getting him would be once his deal at the Rabbitohs finished.

"He has two years to go on his contract but I am getting inquiries every day. Even the Sheffield Eagles, a division two club contacted me," Gainey said.

"He is captain of Souths so I don't think he is considering moving any time soon.

"It would be a monstrous transfer fee payable to South Sydney. Souths won't let him walk."

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Gutsy Reds overcome Force

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LOSING new general James O'Connor 20 minutes before kick-off spun the Reds week into the chaos that can only be cured by stubborn guts, pride and a brilliant 75m try from nowhere.

The Queenslanders somehow pulled it off in stirring fashion with an 18-6 win over the Western Force that also defied the disruption and shock triggered by fullback Karmichael Hunt facing them on match eve to tell them of his cocaine charge.

There was no certainty there was even going to be a game until 5.30pm when the final call was made to go ahead at a sodden Suncorp Stadium after two days of drenching rain.

RE-LIVE THE ACTION INCLUDING STATS AND VIDEO IN MATCH CENTRE.

The Reds lost James O'Connor just before the match after he failed a fitness test. Source: Supplied

Even losing frontline forwards James Horwill (hand) and James Slipper (head knock) in the opening 30 minutes could not derail a mighty redemption mission that completely flipped their lame disappearing act in Canberra eight days earlier.

O'Connor warmed up and practised his goalkicking for more than 30 minutes before deciding his troublesome left knee would not be able to handle the uncertain footing.

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Halfback Will Genia expertly took over as captain when Slipper departed. He had an inspiring role as team leader, astute kicker and distributor in a tight game plan and took the pressure off emergency flyhalf Nick Frisby.

His halfback understudy had not started a game at No.10 in five years since his days at Marist College Ashgrove and his brief trial minutes in the position in Cairns last month was his only relevant background.

Chris Feauai-Sautia of the Reds breaks through the Force defence. Source: Getty Images

Frisby stepped up admirably with the sort of can-do attitude that coach Richard Graham had demanded. The pack, so maligned after failing to front against the ACT Brumbies, delivered big time to shut out the Force pack that upset the champion NSW Waratahs a week ago.

Slipper showed it too but might not remember in his haze. In a bizarre scene, Slipper tried to run away from the team doctor in an effort to prove he was fit to continue after lurching groggily to the turf. There was no way.

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It's full credit to the passion of the Reds fans that 14,199 turned out. They were rewarded just before half-time with a super try to rate with any dry day classic on a surface that was surprisingly good.

Rookie winger Chris Kuridrani decided to back himself from just outside his own quarter. The linking with centres Chris Feauai-Sautia and Samu Kerevi uncorked a wonderful raid that gave former Wallaby Lachie Turner 25m to finish.

Adam Thomson impressed on debut for the Reds. Source: Getty Images

He steamrolled Force defender Luke Morahan for the try and the 11-6 jump that the Reds never surrendered.

The Reds scrum took charge of the match early in the second half with one powerful scrum shunt after another, all the more impressive because scrum leader Slipper and Horwill were onlookers only.

Replacements Ben Daley and Dave McDuling were at the core of the work that ultimately generated a penalty try on the Force feed. So dominant was their shunt that they forced a tighthead on the decaying Force scrum in the 54th minute.

Genia and Turner showed their experience and former All Blacks backrower Adam Thomson really stiffened the pack with a lineout steal, his poise, positional play and general hardness.

QUEENSLAND REDS 18 (1 penalty try) (Lachie Turner try con 2 pens) bt FORCE 6 (Sias Ebersohn 2 pens) at Suncorp Stadium.

Referee: Nick Briant. Crowd: 14,199.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 21: Samu Kerevi of the Reds is tackled. Source: Getty Images

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