The Brisbane Broncos are a lot of people’s tip to take out the 2015 premiership and with good reason too, talent, determination, mongrel and a roster to die for. Saturday night they start their playoffs campaign against the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium.

If and when they are called up onto the stage at ANZ Stadium on the final night of the season, it will be captain Justin Hodges holding the trophy aloft.

But in the background, probably with his arm around another of the players, will be coach Wayne Bennett. And after the trophy is passed around in celebration and the cameras, journalists and photographers fade away, the coach will finally get to hold it in his hands again.

Grand finals moments are taken by the players.

Remember Scott Sattler’s tackle on Todd Byrne in 2003?

Sam Burgess’ broken cheekbone last season?

Benji Marshall’s flick pass in 2005?

The players keep the glory of those split second memories but it is the coaches who give them that chance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i41GeoDIsk

When the Broncos last won the premiership in 2006, Bennett was there. Long before his exit for St George Illawarra, Bennett was at ANZ Stadium again. That night he was seeing off the great prop Shane Webcke who was playing his final game of footy.

The Broncos at the start of 2006 were a different looking team and needed change desperately before any serious assault on the finals. What Bennett did was a masterstroke. Instead of keeping the status quo with boom youngster Karmichael Hunt at fullback, Bennett moved centre Hodges to the back and shifted Hunt to the wing.

What isn’t remembered is a little known halfback named Shane Perry.

Now keep this in mind before we go on. The five premiership-winning halfbacks prior to 2006 were Scott Prince, Brent Sherwin, Craig Gower, Craig Wing and Kevin Walters.

In round one of 2006, Bennett picked Perry at halfback alongside Darren Lockyer. Only diehard Wests Magpies and Canterbury fans will remember Perry from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s where he found himself in and out of first grade. On that opening day of the season in ’06 the Broncos were hammered 36-4 by North Queensland at Suncorp in front of 46, 229 fans. Questions over Perry immediately began from the media.

Instead of shedding Perry, the legendary coach stuck with him.

Brisbane won the competition seven months later.

It’s these decisions, so far from the champagne of grand final day, that define a season.

Let’s look at 2015.

Did Bennett know veteran centre Hodges was going to retire and if he did, was it not genius to make him the leader in his final campaign long before his retirement announcement?

Plenty of teams outside the top eight would die to have the dilemma of having both Josh Hoffman and Ben Barba in their squad. But with Anthony Milford already on his way to Brisbane, Bennett had other ideas. With Milford and Ben Hunt in the halves, Bennett wanted Darius Boyd and he got him.

Decisions again, months and months away from the whisper of finals footy.

The sacking of Wally Lewis ring a bell?

Who won the premiership in 1992 and 1993 without ‘The King’?

2016 is a little harder to explain. The players are there, they play as a team. But when many were crying (and some still are) that wrestling was (is) killing the game, Bennett changed tact. Instead of finding the miracle cure for the wrestle, he changed the question.

Why match the wrestlers when you can win the ruck with good old-fashioned shoulder tackling?

Sport isn’t about which coach has the better tactics on the night. It’s about which one has more capacity to be ahead of the curb and the guts to make changes and stick to them.

Above all else though, Bennett is a mate and a confidant to his players.

“He’s just a wonderful, wonderful person. I love talking to him and spending time with him. It’s probably why he’s able to help players like Darius,” former Bronco Brent Tate told nrl.com in June.

“He’s taught me some life lessons and principles back when I was a kid that I still carry with myself and often use even today.

“He probably makes you a better person than a better footballer and not too many people are able to do that, that’s for sure. And more often than not, when you become a better person you become a better footballer.”

And who keeps the memories of grand final glory?

The better footballer who trusts his mate.

@CurtisWoodward1

Video Source :AustGirlMedia