Wayne Bennett (rugby league) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wayne Bennett
AM

Personal information
Full name	Wayne James Bennett
Born	(1950-01-01) 1 January 1950 (age 75) Allora, Queensland, Australia
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Playing information
Position	Wing, Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1972–73 Huddersfield 1974–75 Past Brothers 1977 Southern Suburbs 13 2 0 0 6 Total 13 2 0 0 6 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1971–74 Brisbane 3 1 0 0 3 1971–73 Queensland 7 2 1 0 8 1971–72 Australia 2 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1977–79 Southern Suburbs 66 31 0 34 47 1980–82 Past Brothers 57 23 2 31 40 1984–85 Southern Suburbs 47 32 1 12 68 1987 Canberra Raiders 28 17 0 11 61 1988–08 Brisbane Broncos 526 335 12 179 64 2009–11 St. George Illawarra 79 51 1 27 65 2012–14 Newcastle Knights 75 34 1 40 45 2015–18 Brisbane Broncos 105 67 0 38 64 2019–21 South Sydney 77 53 0 24 69 2023–24 Dolphins 48 20 0 28 42 2025– South Sydney 15 6 0 9 40 Total 1123 669 17 433 60 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1986–88 Queensland 10 5 0 5 50 1997 Queensland (SL) 3 1 0 2 33 1998 Queensland 3 2 0 1 67 1998 Australia 2 2 0 0 100 2001–03 Queensland 9 4 1 4 44 2004–05 Australia 15 11 1 3 73 2007 New Zealand All Golds 1 1 0 0 100 2010–15 NRL All Stars 5 2 0 3 40 2016 World All Stars 1 1 0 0 100 2016–18 England 16 11 0 5 69
As of 6 April 2025
Relatives	Bob Bennett (brother) Ben Ikin (son-in-law) Greg Veivers (brother-in-law) Phil Veivers (brother-in-law)

Wayne James Bennett AM (born on January 1, 1950) is a famous Australian rugby league coach and former player. Many people think he is one of the best coaches ever in the sport.

Bennett has coached many top teams, including the Dolphins, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights, and St George Illawarra Dragons. He also coached national teams like the Australian Kangaroos, England, and Great Britain.

He holds the record for the most Grand Final wins in Australian rugby league, with seven championships. He also coached the Southern Suburbs to a win in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1985. Bennett has coached more games and won more games than anyone else in the sport. He has coached over a thousand first-grade games.

Before becoming a full-time coach in 1976, Bennett worked as a police officer in Queensland. As a player, he represented Australia and Queensland in the 1970s.

Early Life and Beginnings

Wayne Bennett was born in a small town called Allora, Queensland, Australia. He grew up in Warwick. His father left the family when Wayne was eleven, which meant he started working at a young age. He has two sisters, Michelle and Gretta, and two brothers, Robert and Dwight. Bennett does not smoke, drink, or gamble.

He started working as a police officer at age fifteen while playing junior rugby league. His family had strong connections to both the police force and rugby league in Queensland.

Playing Career (1970–1974)

Bennett started his playing career with local teams in Warwick and Toowoomba. He played first-grade rugby league for Past Brothers and Southern Suburbs in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership. He was a skilled player, often playing as a winger or fullback.

He played for Queensland nine times between 1971 and 1973. He also played two games for Australia during a tour of New Zealand in 1971. In 1972, he played for Huddersfield in England. In 1974, he played for Brisbane's Brothers club in the Grand Final.

Coaching Career (1976–Present)

Early Coaching Days (1976–1985)

From 1975 to 1977, Bennett coached junior teams for the Queensland Police Academy. In 1976, he became a full-time coach in Ipswich. He then moved to coach Brisbane Rugby League teams like Souths and Brothers.

After a short break, he returned to coaching in 1983. He led the Souths team to the 1984 Grand Final. The next year, in 1985, his Souths team won the BRL Grand Final, defeating the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 10–8. This was a big win against a strong team.

Coaching Queensland (1986–1988)

In 1986, Bennett became the coach of the Queensland State of Origin team. They lost the series that year, but he continued to coach Queensland for two more years.

Canberra Raiders (1987)

In 1987, Bennett joined the Canberra Raiders as a co-coach. He helped guide the Raiders to their first Grand Final, though they lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

Brisbane Broncos (1988–2008)

Bennett became the very first coach of the Brisbane Broncos when the club started in 1988. That same year, he led Queensland to a 3-0 series win in the State of Origin. He then focused on coaching the Broncos.

He made tough decisions, like changing the team captain in 1990. The Broncos won their first premierships in 1992 and 1993, winning two in a row. In 1992, they also won the 1992 World Club Challenge in England, becoming the first Australian club to do so.

In 1997, the Broncos, under Bennett, won the 1997 World Club Championship and the Telstra Cup Grand Final. In 1998, Bennett coached Queensland again and was also chosen to coach the Kangaroos. Australia won both their games against New Zealand. Bennett won his fourth premiership with the Broncos in 1998 and was named Coach of the Year.

In 2000, Bennett won his fifth premiership with the Broncos. He coached Queensland again from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, he was honored with the Order of Australia for his contributions to rugby league and the community.

Bennett with the Telstra Premiership trophy after the 2006 Grand Final.

Bennett and Tonie Carroll at Suncorp Stadium in 2008

Bennett strongly supports international rugby league. He helped bring back the Tri-Nations series in 2004. He coached Australia to win the Tri-Nations that year. In 2006, Bennett became the second coach to reach 500 premiership games. He led Brisbane to win their sixth premiership against Melbourne, making him the most successful Grand Final coach in history.

In 2008, Bennett resigned from the Broncos and signed a contract to coach the St. George Illawarra Dragons starting in 2009. He also became an assistant coach and advisor for the New Zealand team, helping them win the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

St George Illawarra Dragons (2009–2011)

Bennett brought many changes to the St George Illawarra Dragons. He recruited new staff and players, including former Broncos players. His first game with the Dragons was a close loss. In his first season, the Dragons finished first in the regular season, but the Brisbane Broncos knocked them out of the finals.

In 2009, Bennett was added to the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.

In 2010, Bennett led the Dragons to finish first again in the regular season. They then won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters, winning their first premiership as a joint club. The Dragons also defeated the Wigan Warriors in the 2011 World Club Challenge.

Bennett announced in March 2011 that he would leave the Dragons after the 2011 season. His last game with St. George Illawarra was a close loss to his old club, the Brisbane Broncos.

Newcastle Knights (2012–2014)

In 2012, Bennett started coaching the Newcastle Knights. The team did not make the finals that year, which was the first time in 21 years that a Bennett-coached team missed the finals. However, in 2013, he led the club to within one game of the Grand Final.

Due to changes in the club's ownership, Bennett decided to leave the Knights at the end of the 2014 season to return to the Brisbane Broncos.

Brisbane Broncos (2015–2018)

Bennett returned to coach the Brisbane Broncos for the 2015 NRL season. The Broncos finished second and reached the 2015 NRL Grand Final, but they lost a very close game to the North Queensland Cowboys in extra time. Bennett continued coaching the Broncos until the end of the 2018 season.

In December 2018, Bennett was no longer the coach of the Brisbane Broncos. He then signed to coach the South Sydney Rabbitohs starting in 2019.

Great Britain and England (2016–2020)

In 2016, Bennett was appointed coach of England. Some people questioned this decision because he was Australian. However, he coached England in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they reached the final but lost to Australia.

In 2019, Bennett coached the Great Britain Lions on a tour. The team lost all four of their matches, including a significant loss to Papua New Guinea. This led to some criticism from fans and media.

South Sydney Rabbitohs (2019–2021)

In 2019, Bennett began his time as South Sydney's coach. The club started strong, winning ten of their first eleven games. South Sydney reached the preliminary final but lost to the Canberra Raiders.

In February 2020, it was announced that Bennett would leave South Sydney after the 2021 season. Despite this, he led South Sydney to the finals in 2020, where they lost in the preliminary final. In 2021, Bennett guided South Sydney to a third-place finish. He then led them to the 2021 NRL Grand Final, which was his tenth Grand Final as a head coach. South Sydney lost a very close game to Penrith 14–12.

Dolphins (2022–2024)

In 2022, Bennett joined the Dolphins as their first head coach for their new team in the NRL, starting in the 2023 season. The Dolphins won their first three games in 2023. In one game, they made an amazing comeback, winning 28–26 against the Gold Coast Titans after being behind 26–0.

By May 2023, Bennett had coached over 1200 games in total. His 900th premiership match was against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The Dolphins finished thirteenth in their first NRL season (2023) and tenth in 2024.

South Sydney Rabbitohs (2025–2027)

On May 21, 2024, Bennett signed a three-year deal to return to South Sydney in 2025. He mentioned that he felt he had "unfinished business" at the club.

Public Persona

Bennett is known for being quiet and not showing much emotion. He has said that he doesn't enjoy the media duties that come with being a high-profile coach. While he sometimes gives detailed interviews, he can also be difficult with the press, avoiding questions or starting press conferences early.

Personal Life

Bennett married Trish Veivers in 1974, and they had three children. They separated in 2016.

In 2007, Bennett wrote a book called Don't Die with the Music in You with journalist Steve Crawley. The book's title is about making sure you use your full potential. Many famous people attended the book launch, and it sold over 100,000 copies. He also wrote a second book with Crawley, The Man in the Mirror, in 2009. Bennett also used to write a weekly column for The Australian newspaper.

In 2016, Bennett started a relationship with Dale Tynan.

Achievements and Recognition

• 1994: Received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to rugby league.
• 1997: Named Super League Coach of the Year.
• 1998: Named Queensland Father of the Year.
• 2000: Named NRL Coach of the Year.
• 2000: Received the Australian Sports Medal for his contributions to sport.
• 2004: Became a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to rugby league and the community.
• 2012: Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
• 2015: Named Dally M Coach of the Year.
• 2024: Inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.

Images for kids

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  Bennett greets Dolphins NRL fans in Brisbane

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  Dolphins NRL fan with Bennett caricature

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  Bennett and a Dolphins fan in Brisbane 2024