- Rabbitohs sacked coach Jason Demetriou this week
- They are reportedly trying to sign the longtime Dolphins coach.
- The hero of the 2003 NRL grand final thinks they should look elsewhere
South Sydney must ensure they don’t find themselves in the same desperate situation in two years’ time if they reappoint Wayne Bennett as coach.
Scott Sattler, 2003 premiership winner with Penrith and son of Rabbitohs royalty John Sattler, told AAP about how careful the club must be after sacking Jason Demetriou, who was Bennett’s choice as his successor after he left Souths at the end of 2021.
“Simply because of Wayne’s brilliance in coaching and man-management (appointing Bennett) is probably a decision I wouldn’t make at Souths,” Sattler said.
“If I were Parramatta and Brad Arthur’s position was in jeopardy then I would understand, as a club that hasn’t tasted premiership success in almost 40 years.
“Wayne did a great job at Souths for three seasons, but to go back and replace the guy he backed up, I see it as a vicious circle.”
Sattler believes the South Sydney Rabbitohs should not go back under former coach Wayne Bennett after sacking Jason Demetriou this week.
Bennett had a successful spell at Redfern before signing to become the Dolphins’ inaugural coach.
Sattler said he understood why Bennett, a seven-time premiership winner, was in the Rabbitohs’ sights. The South are bottom after nine rounds and the playing group that Bennett led to two preliminary finals and a grand final is still there for the most part.
“I think Souths chief executive Blake Solly is one of the best, if not the best, chief executives in the game and I think he is smart enough to look at a number of angles for this coaching role,” Sattler said.
‘Many members of the South might say they need success right now, but will we still be talking about the same issues in three or four years’ time?
“It needs serious consideration given Wayne’s status in the game and what he has done at so many clubs, but I think Souths need to look at some of the disadvantages that come with it.
“You have to do a risk analysis on everything and history has shown that there is a lot of reward while Wayne is there, but a lot of risk after he’s gone.”
Demetriou was sacked this week after a horror start to the season for the Rabbitohs.
There was no immediate joy at Demetriou’s dismissal, with the Rabbitohs thrashed by defending premiers Penrith.
Rick Stone (Newcastle), Steve Price (St George Illawarra), Anthony Seibold (Brisbane) and now Demetriou are among the coaches who followed Bennett and were then sacked after minimal success.
“I think some of the coaches have waited until he’s gone and said, ‘this is my philosophy as a coach and I’m going to give this team a fresh coat of paint,’ while the success that those clubs have had has been low. Wayne has not been due to tactics, but simplicity,” Sattler said.
“Then there’s the human aspect that a lot of coaches don’t master, whereas Wayne mastered it in the 1980s.”
Bennett, in his final year as Dolphins head coach, was asked why his successors had failed.
‘That’s not my fault. I don’t know. Ask them,’ she said.
Bennett, who will hold talks with the Rabbitohs about a return in the coming days, said he had no doubt his successor at the Dolphins, assistant Kristian Woolf, would not fail.
“We have a wonderful club here with a great organization to continue after I leave,” Bennett said.
‘That’s why I was only here two years. “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be successful.”
