Why a bowl of pasta with his partner has landed Bennett in hot water
The NRL will investigate claims Wayne Bennett breached the code’s strict biosecurity bubble by eating out in Sydney’s inner-west on Wednesday.
Bennett could face a stint in quarantine after admitting he ate out at a Sydney restaurant on Wednesday, in a breach of the NRLās biosecurity guidelines.
The NRL will investigate the South Sydney master coachās visit, with details emerging on the eve of Fridayās grudge match against Brisbane.
Bennett on Thursday claimed he did not believe he was breaking the gameās rules and admitted he was confused over what he could and couldnāt do.
However, under the NRLās biosecurity rules, players and selected club officials cannot have visitors or go to pubs, cafes or restaurants.
Bennett said on Thursday morning he had not yet heard from the NRL, but that will likely change.
āI went for lunch at Grappa yesterday,ā Bennett said.
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āI wouldnāt have done it if I thought I did something wrong.
āIf (isolation) is whatās got to happen, thatās their call. The rules have changed that many times about what we can do and canāt do.
āI didnāt think I was breaking rules yesterday because I wasnāt with a group, it was just me and my partner.
āI isolated, we didnāt sit near anywhere.ā
The veteran coach claimed the confusion arose after he was able to shop at centres where there were numerous other people.
He also admitted heād been out to lunch on previous occasions, but said the restaurant was not busy.
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āAt times I have been out, I thought it was alright,ā Bennett said.
āI thought it was alright yesterday.
āIām sure weāve had moments, all of us. But Iām sure we all comply across the board.ā
Bennett spent Thursday morning running South Sydneyās final training run for the clash with Brisbane, before being informed of the news.
If he is quarantined, he would be unable to coach in Friday nightās clash and likely be away from Rabbitohs training for at least a week.
Assistant Jason Demetriou would likely step up in his place, just two years after Brisbane knocked Bennettās succession plan that would have seen Demetriou eventually replace him in Brisbane.
Bennett was a key member of the Project Apollo committee that spearheaded the gameās return in May.
He also told players last month if they didnāt want to adapt to the sportās new biosecurity rules they should ājust retireā and āgo do something elseā.
Penrith rookie Charlie Staines was asked to quarantine for a fortnight just last month after visiting Nepean Hospital with lockjaw.
While the hospital was considered a potential danger zone, part of the issue was that not all people the winger came into contact with could be tested.
Likewise, Newcastle youngster Bradman Best also missed a game earlier this season after being forced into a weekās quarantine after visiting family.
The Queensland Government has only agreed to have teams travel into and out of the state from NSW based on the NRLās strict biosecurity guidelines.
-AAP
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