Wayne Bennett to Stay at the Rabbitohs to 2028, and It Switches Off Payne Haas’s “Bennett Clause”
Wayne Bennett is set to sign a one-year extension with South Sydney that keeps him at the club until the end of 2028, CODE Sports reported, and it locks in Payne Haas at the same time.
Haas has a clause in his three-year Rabbitohs deal that would have let him hit the open market if Bennett left after 2027, Fox Sports reported. With Bennett staying, Haas is tied to Souths for 2028.
What Souths said
“We’ve been talking to Wayne about extending his time with us and hopefully we’ll have that agreed in the coming weeks,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “His leadership and experience has been outstanding, particularly in navigating some of the challenges of the last two seasons. We hope he stays with us for as long as he wants to coach.”
Bennett and the club will meet next week, after Sunday’s World Cup final, to finish the deal, the Courier Mail reported.
The Toowoomba approach
The extension also keeps him away from the Toowoomba-based bid for an NRL licence, which had been eyeing Bennett as its foundation coach. That bid hopes to join in 2029, and Bennett is reportedly open to coaching beyond 2028, so the door is not fully shut.
Bennett is 77 and has won seven premierships. The new deal will take him past 40 years as a first-grade coach, Fox Sports reported.
Why the Haas clause mattered
Haas joined from Brisbane, where Bennett gave him his NRL debut in 2018. On his first day at Souths he said the move was about leaving his comfort zone, not about Michael Maguire.
The clause also mattered to the PNG Chiefs, who enter in 2028 and have been signing big names. Zero Tackle said Bennett staying rules out an early raid on Haas. Souths’ 2027 pack has Haas, Cameron Murray, David Fifita, Brandon Smith, Tallis Duncan and Tevita Tatola.
And the Walker question
Bennett’s future also shapes the club’s other chase. Souths are weighing a move for Sam Walker, the Roosters halfback, which would take a player from their oldest rivals.
