Despite his time in charge of his fifth NRL side inching towards a close, coaching mastermind Wayne Bennett has stated his desire to officially lead the league's newest expansion franchise.

Since beginning his wildly successful coaching career within his native state in 1976, Bennett has held a full-time post at clubland in 44 of the 45-seasons since, with his year off coming whilst leading the Maroons during the 1986 Origin series.

Across his tenures with Canberra, Brisbane, St George Illawarra, Newcastle and South Sydney, the 71-year-old has claimed seven competition wins from his more than 850 first-grade games at the helm.

Although his impending exit from South Sydney at the end of the season is likely to leave him without a coaching gig for the first time since he started with the Raiders in the mid-eighties, the former Policeman has publicly suggested that he is not yet ready to spend his winters relaxing.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Wayne Bennett, coach of the Broncos looks on during the launch of NRL Nation at Darling Harbour on October 1, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

"I am honestly confident enough that if I got an opportunity to coach that team, and it did happen, that I could put a successful team together pretty quickly with a bit of help from other people," Bennett said.

"The players are out there. The problem is that a lot of coaches aren't getting the best out of what they have got. I don't fear any of that at all.  I know who's under-performing and I know that guys aren't getting opportunities.

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"The good clubs help players and develop their talent. There are two or three clubs - without actually naming them - who I see do a great job every year with players that other clubs let go and all of a sudden, these guys resurface and play great football.

"I see an expansion team doing that and another factor is that there are about 10 guys who go to England every year to play. It is still pretty good football so if you say there are 10 of those guys you have only got to find another 20 and I don't think that is a challenge at all."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 31: Wayne Bennett head coach of the Rabbitohs looks on prior to the round 12 NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Bankwest Stadium on May 31, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Irrespective of his stance, if a Queensland based expansion bid does not get the green light, then Bennett is likely to be left in limbo next season, per a report from NRL.com senior reporter Brad Walter.

Although the league is yet to make a final call on where their 17th franchise is set to be based, Bennett explained that the NRL should be keen to invest in the sunshine state.

"If you look at Brisbane and South-East Queensland that is going to be a huge growth area," he said.

"That is what [ARLC chairman] Peter V'landys has been on about.

"I think part of most of the bids is that they will expand the game and they will create new clubs and new opportunities for young men and women to play."

NRL Press Conference
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V'landys speaks to the media during a NRL press conference at Rugby League Central on September 03, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Although many new franchises have faltered across the nationalization of the competition, Bennett continued by pointing out the expansion success stories of the past as a key indicator as to why the league should be pressing on with their plans.

"It would be exciting and it would create a hell of a lot of interest as it did in the past," he said.

"Melbourne has been a great success and the Broncos as an expansion club were a great success, even if they are having a tough time now.

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"The other thing that you have got to understand is that the club that is going to be admitted, if there is one, has got to find a $10 million guarantee of cash in the bank to back that bid up.

"That has never been done before with any expansion team so I can't see what the risk is, but I can see the upside."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 30: Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett talks to media during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval on May 30, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

In spite of the fact that he held one of his steely eyes on the future, the incumbent Bunnies boss stated that he still had unfinished business at Redfern to deal with.

"We have got our hands full but the next four weeks is an opportunity for us to get better and then hopefully in the play-offs we can make an impression," Bennett said.

"We are pretty healthy, we will have a number of players back next week. We have got five or six out this week but most of those will be back next week."

Bennett's Bunnies will do battle with the another Queensland expansion side in the Titans on Saturday afternoon.