A gutted Wayne Bennett was unhappy with a question in his post-match press conference, cutting off a reporter before realised he’d misheard.
Wayne Bennett was in no mood to talk about fairytales or his future on Sunday night.
The South Sydney coach cut a forlorn figure as he addressed the media after his side’s agonising two-point loss to Penrith in the Grand Final, digesting the reality that his last season in charge of the Bunnies didn’t end on the note he desperately wanted.
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A minute into his post-match press conference, a reporter tried to ask how he felt that there was no “fairytale ending” for departing halfback Adam Reynolds. Souths wouldn’t offer the 31-year-old the two-year contract extension he was after and he has been forced out of the club he loves, heading north to play for the Broncos in 2022.
It was a heartbreaking way for Reynolds’ career at Redfern to end as he missed a sideline conversion at the death that would have levelled the scores up at 14-all.
But Bennett cut off the journalist before she could finish her question. He thought she was referring to his own “fairytale ending” — and he wasn’t willing to accept his coaching career was over just because he had led the Rabbitohs for the final time, before his assistant Jason Demetriou takes the reins next season.
“I wasn’t looking for a fairytale ending,” Bennett said. “I’m not finished yet, I’ve not told anyone I’ve retired from coaching.”
He then apologised when the journalist clarified she was talking about Reynolds, not the coach.
Pressed on what his future holds and whether it will involve coaching the second Brisbane franchise that gets introduced to an expanded competition, Bennett wasn’t willing to speculate.
“I haven’t made any choices yet,” he said. “As I said I have a number of options on the table and I just don’t know what I will do or what I won’t do right now.
“Today is not a good day and tomorrow won’t be a good day the state of mind I will be in to make decisions about.
“I’m enormously grateful for Souths and they have done a lot for me.
“I won’t do anything without talking to Souths first and foremost and see where it goes from there.”
Bennett was obviously devastated about the loss, but praised his players for their commitment as they remained in the fight right up until the final whistle despite Penrith dominating field position for much of the match.
“I wasn’t disappointed in our effort and commitment,” he said. “We stayed in the contest when they certainly had all the field position and a lot of ball.
“We just couldn’t get any good field position. We were attacking from the back of the field at some stage and making some good yardage – but it was too far to go.
“They kept turning up and I thought defensively we were very good because we had to be. I don’t know how many repeat sets they got on us and all that type of stuff. We just kept turning up, they got an intercept try.
“At no stage tonight did we have that game won – we were always in it, but never out of it.
“I couldn’t ask any more of my guys physically.”
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