Under fire: Broncos coach Wayne Bennett. Credit:Getty Images Wayne Bennett may well have invented the air that goes in the football but he didn't invent the football. And the football belongs to everyone. Like thousands of fans, I watched the famous Australian Story episode on Bennett and his family in the late 1990s and instantly fell in love with the Broncos coach; a true inspiration who came from a broken home with a drunken father who never used his background as an excuse to fail. That's still all true. But since then I have come to learn the man doesn't match the myth. It's the worst part of being a sports reporter: you see past the smoke and mirrors and see people for who they truly are: flawed. For all of Bennett's deserved acclaim, the game is littered with people who he has let down. For someone who is the self-proclaimed moral compass for the code, he often strays off the map.

He agreed to join the Roosters — and reneged. He agreed to join Souths — and reneged. He didn't just renege on a deal to join the Dragons two years ago but broke a handshake agreement with chief executive Peter Doust. He looked Doust in the eye, said he was coming, prompted the club to start moving support staff in preparation for his arrival — and reneged. This is the club he won a premiership with in 2010. Now, he's sat it on its arse for years to come. Meanwhile, in Newcastle, it will take years for the Knights to crawl out the hole he and Nathan Tinkler left them in. Bennett was never seriously considered for the Australian job. The ARL Commission identified Meninga as the man to replace Tim Sheens. When Bennett scoffed at the philosophy that a NRL club coach couldn't also juggle national duties, it only confirmed that Meninga was the way to go.

Then Bennett took the England job, unseating Steve McNamara, who never saw the bullet coming. Whether Bennett's job description is to promote the game in England or win the World Cup next year at any cost is uncertain, but his signature "yes, no, yes, maybe" responses in a pre-match interview with the BBC before the New Zealand match last weekend did him no favours. After the 17-16 loss to the Kiwis, England need to beat Scotland this weekend and then Australia next to play in the final. Meninga's fiery column was genuine. It wasn't a ploy to fire up his troops. None of this siege mentality business. It's real, baby. Earlier this year, I asked Meninga if he could ever coach a country other than Australia.

He furrowed that massive brow of his and said curtly: "I couldn't." HUGHES FINDINGS TO BE KNOWN And then, finally, the bitching stopped, retired players stopped promoting their books and sat down in the commentary box, and the Test series between Australia and South Africa started. Unfortunately, there's some unfinished business back in Sydney and it comes to a head at 9.30am on Friday when NSW State Coroner Michael Barnes hands down his findings from the inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes. While it would be foolhardy to pre-empt the words of the coroner, there's a feeling amongst the legal community he will focus on processes and systems around medical emergencies at sporting events.

It will be interesting to see if players come under scrutiny for the discrepancies in their testimony. Dave Warner's claim that he's never heard any sledging in Sheffield Shield cricket has echoed through the game. It is uncertain if the Hughes family — who stormed out of the hearing on the final day — will attend. FLEMINGTON A TEST FOR STAYERS Fell at the last: Some punters faded towards the end on Melbourne Cup day at Flemington. Credit:Scott Barbour American blog Deadspin had some not-so-remarkable breaking news this week when it highlighted that people get sideways drunk at the Melbourne Cup.

Evoking a line from Hunter S Thompson's epic piece on the Kentucky Derby, the headline read: "The Melbourne Cup is decadent and depraved". Such is the click-baitey world we live in, a quick read of the story reveals author Billy Haisley wasn't even at Flemington. He wrote the piece based on a stack of wire pictures. Hunter S just turned in his grave and reached for some ether. That said, your humble correspondent was trackside for Derby and Cup Day and I can exclusively reveal that the crowd seemed far more lubricated than the last 10 or so years. Late on Derby Day, a young-ish woman sat on the side of a garden bed, her head on her chest, blithering to nobody in particular. She was surrounded by four police officers, two ambos and a bemused friend. Let's hope she fared better on the punt.

A CUP FAN WAS BORN Melbourne Cup obsessive Lloyd Williams on Tuesday won the race for the fifth time with Almandin, but it was his first with Just A Dash in 1981 that remains most memorable for one reader. Ryan Henry emailed the Herald's racing guru Chris "Rooter" Roots this week with this gem: "I turn 34 on Thursday this week which means I was born on 3 November 1981. I was actually born during the running of the 1981 race so this particular Cup was, well, not memorable, but a stand-out one for me and my family. My mum recalls that I was screaming (as you do) while the other nurses in Melbourne's Mercy Hospital were gathered around TVs watching the running of the cup. One of them was yelling 'Someone keep that baby quiet!'. The race that stops the midwives." JOEY'S GENIUS ON INSTAGRAM

Hell just froze over. The eighth Immortal — that's Andrew Johns, of course — is on Instagram. Usually one to break the internet through social media but very rarely on it, I have confirmed the Andrew Johns (ajohns74) on Insta is the real Andrew Johns. At last count, he had 3071 followers and posted seven images. As anyone knows, your followers-to-post ration is the true measure of your worth as a human being. My favourite Joey post thus far is of him at a coaching clinic in Fiji, dispensing advice to the locals, with the caption: "When you get the ball don't run at Gordan (sic) Tallis. It's bad for your health." Oh Joey.

Pulling stumps: Veteran sports reporter Ken Sutcliffe. Q&A: Ken Sutcliffe We speak to the sports broadcasting legend after his announcement this week that he was retiring after 50 years in the business, 37 of them at Channel 9. Kenny! I'm devastated! You'll get through it. Just a short mourning period. I finish on December 8 but I'll stay on doing odds and ends.

How are you feeling about it all? There's been an avalanche of messages, which has been humbling. It makes you realise you weren't going out to a couple of people but a lot of people. People only usually say nice things to you at your funeral. I did a lot of good stuff, at times some ordinary stuff. But I survived. What was your very first story for Nine? One of my first was interviewing Western Suburbs' Dallas Donnelly at Lidcombe Oval. Roy Masters had made him captain, who was known for pushing the laws of the game. I did a live cross. Ron Casey throws to me. "Dallas, are you going to change your game? Will the leopard change his spots?" There was a pregnant pause and Dallas said: "I'm not a leopard". You would have more bucket list items ticked off than any other sports fans in the world.

I've got a few. Twenty years of Wimbledon, numerous State of Origins, Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics, Australian formula ones and 500cc grand prixs. I love the big events. Which items are left to tick off? Super Bowl. And to go back to Wimbledon as a fan. Any sprays from Kerry Packer? Oh yeah. He wanted to see me once after a report on the Canberra Raiders. I went into his office and there was all this wild game he'd knocked over in safari in South Africa. I could see my head hanging from the trophy wall. He put his feet on his desk and took his shoes off. The richest man in the country had a hole in his sock. He couldn't understand why I'd bother doing a story on Canberra. I argued for a while and said, "Mr Packer, your station — your rules". He said, "Good, we understand each other." As I walked out he said, "See, that wasn't too hard."

THE QUOTE "You know what, here is the message for Charlie: F..k off. Honestly! F..k off." — Sebastian Vettel to race director Charlie Whiting at the Mexican GP. Angry, angry young man. THUMBS UP Where were you when the Chicago Cubs ended an 108-year drought, waiting until the seventh and final game, coming back from a 3-1 deficit earlier in the series, having given away a 6-3 lead in the eighth innings, to finally win 8-7 in the 10th to claim the World Series? I was on the lounge eating Oporto. THUMBS DOWN

Damn you, football gods. Damn you. Josh Mansour has been in sparkling form, got married during the off-season, is lucky enough to strike an uncanny resemblance to Fairfax colleague Michael Chammas ... but then he blows the ACL in his knee at Kangaroos training? Boo. Loading It's a big weekend for … Sydney FC keeper Danny Vukovic, who takes on former team Melbourne City at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. He hasn't conceded a goal in eight games at the club. It's an even bigger weekend for … Australian rugby. It says a lot that not all broadcast rights for the Spring Tour have been sold. A stirring win over Wales on Sunday morning would be timely.