Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Griffin at training. Picture: Jono Searle. Source: The Courier-Mail
BRISBANE Broncos chief executive Paul White has thrown full support behind coach Anthony Griffin to serve out his NRL contract amid speculation mastercoach Wayne Bennett wants to return to the Broncos next season.
Rugby league circles have been buzzing about the prospect Bennett will leave Newcastle next year because of the club's financial concerns with owner Nathan Tinkler and would look to return home to family in Brisbane.
The Cinderella story had been for Bennett to groom club legend Darren Lockyer into a future head coach, but the retired five-eighth has thus far opted to forge a successful post-playing career in the media and other business interests.
The suggestions going around now are that Bennett will return to the Broncos and help develop one of his former premiership stars, like current NRL assistants Kevin Walters or Terry Matterson, into the head coach.
As one source suggested yesterday, rumours about Bennett's future in the past including links to Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra and Newcastle have all proven to be spot on.
But Broncos management are absolutely adamant there have been no coaching discussions.
They are well aware of the whispers floating around about the club and believe the push is coming from "ex-players who want to get another earn from the club".
Broncos boss White slammed any suggestion the club was looking beyond the current arrangement with Griffin, who only last year had his contract extended until the end of 2015.
"I should not dignify this with a response but it's absolute rubbish," White told The Courier-Mail about the Bennett rumours.
The Bennett rumours were first aired in the media when ex-skipper Gorden Tallis was asked about the speculation on Fox Sports on Monday night and Wendell Sailor was asked likewise on radio.
"The rumours are there and if he did come back I could see him sitting as a coaching co-ordinator with someone like a Kevin Walters or Terry Matterson or an old boy coaching," Tallis told The Courier-Mail yesterday.
"Is there any truth to it? Time will tell."
Last July, when Brisbane had an 11-6 win-loss record and were entrenched in the NRL top four, Griffin signing a two-year extended deal with the club .
Griffin took the club to just one win from the grand final in his first season in charge, having assumed the role just a week out from the start of the 2011 season when Ivan Henjak was unceremoniously sacked.
Griffin has enforced a harder edge on the Broncos in the offseason and despite a flat first-up loss to Manly, Brisbane showed enormous resolve to win against the odds over St George Illawarra in Wollongong last Friday.
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