WAYNE Bennett’s “cheapskate” past at the Red V has been outed in stark contrast to an eye-catching entrance from the Dragons current clipboard carrier Paul McGregor.

Plus retired Eels enforcer Anthony Watmough takes a dim view of a Will Chambers ‘dog shot’, and a sad farewell for a rugby league institution.

Get the latest from the lighter side of the game in this week’s edition of NRL Confidential.

Round 19

WAYNE’S TIGHTARSE WAYS

An absolute pearler was unearthed by Fox Sports expert Ben Ikin on this week’s edition of the Market Watch podcast — and his father-in-law Wayne Bennett ended up right under the bus as a result.

Ikin’s tale came to light as Dragons recruitment man Ian Millward talked through the lengthy process of luring Bennett’s current halfback Ben Hunt to the Dragons.

That included a tour of Wollongong, with Millward revealing McGregor made what has to be the most James Bond-esque sales pitch in league history, arriving to meet Hunt on a jetski .

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Dragons recruitment boss Ian Millward to discuss the club’s recruitment plan and why it revolves around Ben Hunt.

You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app.

Despite Bennett long ranking among the best-paid coaches in the game, his three seasons at the Dragons were spent in anything but lavish surrounds.

“I went down to visit Wayne Bennett when he was coach of the Dragons,” Ikin recalled.

“And Wollongong’s a beautiful city isn’t it? Of all the places the Super Coach could have lived, I’ve turned up to his block of units and it’s in West Wollongong, overlooking the railway tracks!”

Millward responded with his own story of McGregor, concluding: “I’m not sure where Wayne was coming from with that lifestyle there.”

Ikin’s response was swift. “I think he’s a cheapskate Ian, that’s what it is.”

In defence of both Bennett and West Wollongong, the working class end of town has long been a rugby league gold mine.

Over the years the Red Devils have given us Bob Fulton, Garry Jack, Steve Roach and the Stewart brothers Glenn and Brett, and they claimed three straight local titles during 2009-2011, when Bennett was based in the area.

The coach of the three-time champion Wests side? None other than McGregor, who returned to the Illawarra league when Bennett moved him on from the Dragons strength and conditioning coaching role.

C HOC CAN’T COP ‘DOG SHOT’

Anthony Watmough forged a formidable reputation over his time at the top thanks to his hard as nails approach to the game.

The ex-Eels and Manly enforcer was unimpressed as a result with Will Chambers’ efforts last Friday evening at Belmore, when he squared off with Bulldogs man mountain Sam Kasiano.

Do you get more for trying to dog shot someone by punching them in the back of the head. #NRLBulldogsStorm — Anthony Watmough (@AnthonyWatmough) March 3, 2017

THE BIBLE’S FAREWELL PARTY

It’s a sad day for rugby league tragics, with the game’s unofficial bible Rugby League Week being wound up at the end of the month.

The news has come as a shock for many in the NRL’s inner sanctum, but the writing has been on the wall for a while now as print media the world over struggles.

It’s understood League Week’s online presence is also under a cloud, a great shame considering the publication has been at the forefront of the game’s reporting for 47 years.

The one silver lining, some of the mag’s best work will be showcased in a final tribute edition reports scribe Matt Logue, one of many RLW graduates still working in the game.

.@LeagueWeek will have a farewell magazine paying tribute to almost five decades of rugby league scoops, stories coming out on March 27. — Matt Logue (@mattlogue7) March 9, 2017

FAMILY AFFAIR

Ruan Sims made what by all accounts was a very handy radio debut for ABC Grandstand in round one over the weekend, hitting the ground running as the Dragons gave Penrith a bath.

Brother Tariq had the honour of being one of her first on-ground interviews afterwards.

BURTY BACK IN THE DAY

Who doesn’t love a throwback? Especially when there’s a footballer sporting an Ellen DeGeneres mop.

Parramatta have enlisted crack rugby league historian Neil Cadigan to take us back down memory lane each week to mark the club’s 70th anniversary.

This week Luke Burt recalls debuting in front of a lazy 104,583 people as a 73-kilo, 17-year-old winger.

THROWBACK | Luke Burt debuts in front of world record league crowd. Story: https://t.co/YqjXYPpaqM #blueandgold pic.twitter.com/hRibsrPaDC — Parramatta Eels (@TheParraEels) March 7, 2017

SIONE’S THROWBACK

Speaking of great hair form, how good are the efforts from ‘wanna be lads’ Sione Mata’utia and recent Knights debutant Luke Yates?

Happy late birthday To My Bestest Friend @lukeyates1 Love You Bro So Proud To See How Far You've Come Usce ❤❤ #LLB 😂 #MajorThrowBack #WannaBeLads A post shared by Sione Mata'utia (@youngceeeee) on Mar 6, 2017 at 8:50pm PST

CHEER UP GI

Nice of Josh Starling to offer some support for his former teammate Greg Inglis too.

Tough news for ya @greg_inglis bra, but just remember you'll still score more than me this year. Speedy recovery lad — Josh Starling (@Starlo33) March 9, 2017

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