Richie Barnett: Knights coach would give deadly firepower to Warriors' arsenal

Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett. Photo / NZPA

The announcement yesterday that master coach Wayne Bennett will quit his Newcastle Knights post at the end of the season will no doubt have piqued the interest of many NRL clubs.

Bennett's decision to bail out a year early in the wake of the collapse of Nathan Tinkler's ownership was widely expected, and now the rumours are starting over where he will go and what role he may take up at another club.

The St George-Illawarra Dragons look to be favourites to re-sign their former premiership winning coach but one can only wonder about what he might be able to achieve with a side like the Warriors.

This is not meant as a slight on Andrew McFadden, but Bennett would be a tremendous asset to any club, and could help guide and mentor Cappy through the early years of his coaching career.

At 64 years of age the man boasts an extensive portfolio of footballing knowledge and he could be invaluable at the Warriors in the role of coaching director or director of football, in a similar way to how Phil Gould operates with Ivan Cleary at the Penrith Panthers.

Bennett famously assisted Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney throughout their victorious 2008 World Cup campaign and although many people suspected he had an overriding influence upon the side, that was not the case. He simply added value from the periphery and provided Kearney and his players with a sounding board for ideas, while his mere presence gave the side an extra bit of confidence in their preparation and mindset going into games.

Bennett has been through it all and experienced the highs and lows at every level of the game while McFadden is obviously still young in his coaching tenure. Cappy has certainly managed to bring together what was a dysfunctional group of players under former coach Matt Elliott but he has yet to really experience the tough times as an NRL coach. That's where Bennett could be of great value, sharing his wealth of experience and helping McFadden to work through and learn from the difficult periods that every coach at every club will go through.

This Saturday's match against the Eels looms as another must-win clash for the Warriors and McFadden will be looking for signs of improvement after getting past the Broncos and Panthers in two tight encounters.

I believe the best is yet to come from the Warriors and as they get towards the back-end of the season it is important that they start hitting their straps. It is absolutely critical that they continue to make the most of these home games and capitalise on playing teams like Parramatta who are missing some key players.

The Eels appear to be willing to rest Jarryd Hayne after Wednesday night's last State of Origin clash but I'm tipping him to be a late inclusion as this game has so much hinging on it. Hayne makes a huge difference to the Eels' overall well-being and confidence and they are undoubtedly a much better side with him on the park.

The Eels have been a bogey side for the Warriors in their early season games in recent years so this is a good chance for them to get one back and to put themselves within range of a spot among the top-four teams.