Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly has issued the new Papua New Guinea expansion side a hands off edict as the club aims to extend master coach Wayne Bennett for the rest of his career.
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The Daily Telegraph reported The Rabbitohs are hopeful of Bennett signing an extension with the club beyond his current contract, which expires in 2027,
South Sydney are also hopeful of announcing contract extensions for star players Alex Johnston and Cody Walker.
Bennett confirmed Walker is set to agree to terms on a one-year deal to extend his career at Souths in 2026.
“Cody will be here next year,” Bennett said.
“We’ll get the deal done. He started later than most guys in the NRL, he was around 25 or 26, so he’s looked after himself and he is a very good trainer.”
Johnston, 30 is also expected to ink an extension as he bids to score seven more tries to pass Ken Irvine as the greatest tryscorer in the NRL’s 117-year history.
“Alex is remarkable,” Bennett said.
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“He has had an amazing career. The thing with Alex is there is no major standout quality, he isn’t the biggest guy or the most skilful, but he has great awareness and knows how to find the tryline.
“He doesn’t carry on when he scores tries, he just gets the job done.”
But Bennett’s future is less certain, with Rabbitohs hierarchy to hold talks with the super coach at season’s end amid fears the 75-year-old could be lost to the new PNG franchise.
The ARL Commission and Bennett have had preliminary talks about a possible role for the NRL’s greatest coach to ensure the NRL’s 19th club is competitive form the get-go.
Bennett is off-contract at Souths at the end of 2027, making him a free agent at the perfect time ahead of PNG’s entry to the NRL in 2028.
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But Solly remains hopeful the seven-time premiership winner will finish his career at the Rabbitohs and could even coach on for another term at South Sydney in 2028.
“We’d like to keep Wayne here beyond 2027,” Solly told The Daily Telegraph.
“We can understand why Peter (V’landys, ARLC boss) and the Commission are keen to have him involved with a PNG club.
“But if Wayne wants to continue coaching, we hope it’s with us at Souths.”
If Bennett extends his deal with Souths he will coach beyond his 78th birthday and could coach into his 80’s.
“Wayne has got another two years at the end of this season, so we’ll sit down at the end of this year and see what he wants to do,” Solly said.
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“We’d love to keep him.
“Wayne is pretty easy with this stuff.
“He’ll sit down at the end of the year and we’ll say, ‘Do you want to stay or do you not want to stay?’
“Wayne is fantastic for this club so we’ll be guided by him.”
