Wayne Bennett drops surprise NRL proposal

Wayne Bennett has used a question about the NRL's proposed Wild Card round to float an entirely different idea for the competition's future.

The veteran coach was asked for his thoughts on the Wild Card concept on Thursday, but admitted he did not have much of an opinion on the proposal before turning his attention to an alternative.

“I don't really have a point of view on the wildcard so much,” Bennett said.

“What I do know is if I'm in the top three or four teams and I need to rest my players, I'll do that, and I'll get the opportunity to do that. It's a long season, it's a tough season. But we do get three byes through the year, so that's a huge help.

“The wildcard – I think we'd have to wait til we get the next team in the competition.”

Rather than dwell on the Wild Card proposal, Bennett then put forward an entirely different concept, suggesting the NRL could look at adopting a conference system similar to that used in the NFL.

“Maybe we'll look at the conferences; that might be better than the wildcard,” he said.

“You can have a city conference and a country conference, as an example.

“But all the Sydney clubs would play each other at least twice a year and there'd be conferences.

“The best crowds in the playoffs in Sydney are when [the Sydney teams are playing] – they'll get 60-70,000 people. But you bring the Cowboys down, you bring the Broncos down or whatever, you're probably half that crowd.

“[You would do] similar to what they do in the gridiron and have a prelim final between two Sydney clubs. I mean, they'd be packed out.

“They call it the Super Bowl in America; we can come up with another name for it.

“But you have the two conferences and then have the grand final together.”

The proposal would see the NRL split its clubs into two conferences, with Bennett using a potential city and country divide as an example.

The idea is not without precedent, with Phil Gould also having previously advocated for a conference system in the NRL.

Bennett believes such a model could also help boost interest and revenue, pointing to the crowds generated when Sydney clubs face each other in the finals.

“Well, Peter [V'landys] is brave enough to do all that stuff,” Bennett added.

“So I'm just hopeful down the track that he'll do that, and create a lot more interest and gain more revenue.”

Bennett for now focuses his immediate attention on Friday nights' sell-out game against the Sydney Roosters before leading his team into the finals for the first time since 2022.