"I'm just worried about them giving me an extension of my contract," he continued. "The last couple [of coaches] who lost their jobs just had their contracts extended. It's the new way of the game. It's not whether the board supports you anymore – it's whether you get a contract extension." Would you like another four years, Wayne? "Oh well ... if they come near me I will start to worry." When he's in the mood, Bennett can crush the most battle-hardened reporter with the mere curl of his top lip. Cranky Benny. Not this season. This season he's loosened right up, offering up expansive commentary on NSW, Kevin Walters, Jarryd Hayne, the Titans, the RLPA and even told us his own players, Adam Blair and Sam Thaiday, were allowed to negotiate with other clubs.

In between that, he's been cracking jokes with the Brisbane media in a manner only those behind closed doors usually see. Funny Benny. Bennett has every right to be in a good mood ... because he's proved all of us wrong. He'd lost the dressing room, misplaced his aura and his Broncos were going to be lucky to reach the finals, let alone finish third and face the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Friday night. One Bennett ally had genuine fears the 67-year-old coach was "going senile". Old Man Benny. Most people don't know about Bennett's self-deprecating humour but he's often made jokes about his own age, especially when he's nodding off in long video sessions.

But senile? A curled lip to that one. In charge: Wayne Bennett directs the Broncos at training. Credit:AAP It was always a bridge too far to say that Bennett had lost the support of his players, but there were certainly some of them who were becoming weary of the master-coach's words, his methods, his sense of morality. Certainly, his reputation in Brisbane had dimmed because of the very public divorce from his wife, Trish, because he had found love with another woman. These things are always private matters but when you trade on the way you live your life – Father of the Year, Australian Story programs, various books – it can come back to haunt you.



So Bennett didn't lose the dressing room. He never lost his aura. He just lost us.



Of course, Bennett wouldn't really care about this.

"One of my favourite sayings is that if I start listening to the fans and the journos, it won't be long before I'm sitting with them," he said three years ago. But, earlier this season, he was under siege like never before in his career. He started brawling with the media, including those with whom he's shared a strong relationship. Plenty of people who know him well tell you the changes in his personal life off the field affected him. By absolute design, Bennett started opening up to the media. He's given the local newspaper, The Courier-Mail, quotes on an almost daily basis. PR Benny. He's become discernibly more mellowed as the season has gone on, seemingly comfortable with his place in the game again.

More that that, this Broncos team is playing with the hallmark of all good Bennett teams: it's doing everything in attack and defence – in the gym, on the training field, in the game – at blinding speed. Captain and fullback Darius Boyd won't play against the Roosters, forcing another reshuffle of the spine that sees veteran Benji Marshall now the starting halfback. Writing them off? Good luck with that. Because for every type of Benny that he allows us to see, there's one who keeps turning up, keeps proving us wrong, keeps getting his side into the big headline matches at that time of year he has dominated more than any other. Coach Benny. He plays that one better than all the others.

Panthers divided So all the Penrith players are off coach Anthony Griffin? We're told the issues surrounding captain Matt Moylan have as much to do with division in the player group. It stems from the night in Melbourne when Moylan went out drinking instead of staying in the team hotel, as instructed. Granted leave: Panthers supremo Phil Gould fronts the media after meeting with Matt Moylan on Monday. Credit:AAP Moylan, who this week was given indefinite leave to sort out "personal issues", was cranky that other players had told team management Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake had also broken curfew. All three were stood down for a week.

Since then, there has been a divide between those players who are on-board with Griffin's tough stance on discipline and those who are not. Eels to slip away Parramatta will snub the special presentation made to Cameron Smith on Saturday night after he breaks Darren Lockyer's record for most matches played in the NRL. The Eels are sticking to their plan to high-tail it out of AAMI Park straight after the qualifying final against the Storm so they can grab the last plane out of Melbourne to Sydney. They are cutting it so fine there is some chance they will miss the flight.

Walking off as the Smith presentation takes place has drama written all over it, not least because of the drama NSW captain Paul Gallen and his side caused when they snubbed Smith's speech after Origin III at Suncorp Stadium last year. But you can cool your jets now, headline writers. Smith understands the Eels ain't dissing him. "That's all right, mate," Smith told us. "If they need to do that, that's fine. I appreciate that they have a flight to catch." New star turn for Winx How do you know you've made it? When 60 Minutes does a profile story on you.

And so it is that mighty mare Winx has TV cameras and crew shadowing her every move for an upcoming segment on Channel Nine. They were there last Saturday after her gallant win in the Chelmsford Stakes. Trainer Chris Waller has given the program plenty of access ahead of Winx's attempt to join Kingston Town as the only horse to win the Cox Plate three times. False trail on Carney Last week, your humble columnist wrote a small item about Todd Carney being spotted at the Clovelly Hotel for the Mayweather-McGregor fight. It caused all sorts of drama because Carney wasn't there. He was overseas. We'll assume the person who spotted him had one shandy too many that afternoon.

The item wasn't meant to be malicious but it prompted his adviser, Tilda Khoshaba, to fire off an angry email to the NRL's integrity unit. She's pushing for the former Sharks, Roosters and Raiders star to return to the game. Sincere apologies to Todd for the stuff-up. Without fear or favour: Mike Cockerill, left, wasn't awed by big personalities. Credit:Brendan Esposito Cockerill was truly fearless Please indulge me as I join the long line of people to pay tribute to Herald football columnist Mike Cockerill, who passed away very suddenly last week.

Cockers. Seriously. One of the greats. He was the fearless reporter all of us want to be. I sat next to him for a couple of years and, simply, I was in awe of the man. He was never the quietest bloke on the phone. Indeed, you could've heard him from North Sydney some days. One morning, I found him thundering away on the phone. It wasn't an interview but an interrogation. "Um, who was that?" I asked after he'd clunked down the receiver. "Lowy," he said without missing a beat.

Loading At the time, Frank Lowy was the richest man in the country and chairman of the FFA. RIP, Cockers, and our sincere condolences to your family.