NEWCASTLE Knights fans are ropable.

Wayne Bennett has used an interview with the Daily Telegraph on Thursday about his impending move to the Rabbitohs to blindside the club he coached over three years with a stinging barb.

“I always regretted that decision,” he told Fox League regular Paul Crawley.

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Round 20

It’s no secret that Bennett left the Knights on less than amicable terms.

When announcing he would finish up with the club at the end of the 2014 season, he said his three years there had “not been ideal”, and “there’s always been drama around the place”.

In two of the three years he was there the Knights finished 12th, but he did take them to a preliminary final in 2013.

And the overriding thought in the Hunter was that Bennett had left them in the lurch.

He created an ageing roster by signing a swag of veterans including Willie Mason, Adam Cuthbertson, Craig Gower, Timana Tahu, Danny Buderus, Jeremy Smith, Clint Newton and Beau Scott, looking for an immediate result.

So, when he parted ways with them to return to Red Hill, the club fell into a hole — there was no development, no succession plan.

Nathan Brown is only now starting to get the train back on the rails.

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Young stars like Kalyn Ponga, Jesse Ramien, Connor Watson, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and the Saifiti brothers are complementing their more experienced teammates like Mitchell Pearce, Aidan Guerra and Shaun Kenny-Dowall, as they usher in a new era.

But that’s only after the fans had to suffer through three consecutive wooden spoons in the years following Bennett’s back-door exit.

Bennett even predicted the club would be in bad shape for the forseeable future, and simply washed his hands of it.

“I believe it will take a number of years to reach an acceptable position and that is what I am unable to commit to. A longer term coach is crucial for future success,” he said in July, 2014.

So, it’s no wonder Knights fans have taken exception to Bennett’s latest back-hand.

One Twitter user, Robert Crosby wrote: “He regrets Newcastle because it is the clearest indication that his reputation as a ‘super coach’ doesn’t hold up.”

Another, Johnny Tobin said, “More class from Bennett as he says he always regretted choosing to go to @NRLKnights instead of Souffs. Newcastle regrets it too.”

Wayne bennett saying be regrets joining Newcastle 🙄 — Corey Potter (@Corey_Potter) October 25, 2018

More class from Bennett as he says he always regretted choosing to go to @NRLKnights instead of Souffs. Newcastle regrets it too. — Johnny Tobin (Not) (@RoostersAllDay) October 25, 2018

Given the wealth of playing talent and resources at his disposal over the past two decades, Bennett's record is overstated. He regrets Newcastle because it is the clearest indication that his reputation as a 'super coach' doesn't hold up. — Robert Crosby (@Robert_Crosby95) October 25, 2018

Great interview by @telepaulcrawley with Wayne Bennett as the @brisbanebroncos - @SSFCRABBITOHS coach swap is confirmed...

-Emotion at how the Broncos saga unfolded ✅

-Excitement at joining Rabbitohs ✅

-Another slap in the face for Knights fans ✅https://t.co/RTAT0fNtbe — David Campbell (@DaveyCampbell85) October 25, 2018