Wayne Bennett has ripped into the Penrith Panthers ahead of South Sydney’s preliminary final showdown on Saturday night – labeling claims from Bennett had a handshake agreement to join the Panthers after his time at Brisbane had come to an end as ‘absolute rubbish’.

Panthers chairman Dave O’Neill revealed recently that Phil Gould (Panthers General Manager) at the time had a handshake deal with Bennett but the Panthers board unanimously voted against the idea.

“That is absolute garbage,” Bennett told The Courier-Mail.

“I have never looked at going to Penrith.

“There was a lot of talk around my future during that time at the Broncos when I was sacked (December 2018). I have never met Dave O’Neill … I wouldn’t know him if he walked past me tomorrow.”