Early years (1976–1985) From 1975 to 1977, Bennett coached the U18s Queensland Police Academy in the Brisbane local competition and the Police Academy Cadet Team versus the NSW Police Academy. In 1976, he began full-time coaching in Ipswich, coaching three games for the midweek Amco and Carlton Cups, before moving to
Brisbane Rugby League Premiership sides,
Souths (who he captain-coached in 1977) and
Brothers. After the births of his three children, Bennett had a break from coaching. He returned in 1983 as coach of Souths Acacia Ridge under 16s as well as the Queensland Police Academy under 18s team which he took to a premiership. He also worked as the Police Academy's fitness instructor. Bennett then took over the Souths job and took them to the 1984 grand final, which they lost to the
Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. Revenge was to come a year later when the Bennett-coached Magpies defeated the Seagulls 10–8 in the BRL grand final to take the premiership. This was against a Seagulls line-up featuring Australian captain
Wally Lewis and centre
Gene Miles, both of whom would later captain the Brisbane Broncos under Bennett.
Queensland Maroons (1986–1988) In 1986, Bennett took over from
Des Morris as coach of the
Queensland State of Origin team. The Maroons were beaten 3–0 in a series whitewash that year; however, Bennett was retained as Queensland's coach for two more years.
Canberra Raiders (1987) In 1987, Bennett moved interstate to join the NSWRL's Winfield Cup Premiership when he was appointed co-coach of the
Canberra Raiders alongside then Australian team coach
Don Furner. With the Queensland side, Bennett won the
1987 State of Origin series. By the end of the
1987 NSWRL season, he and Furner had guided the Raiders to their first Grand Final which was lost to the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18–8.
Brisbane Broncos (1988–2008) Bennett was appointed to be the first coach of the
Brisbane Broncos when the club was formed in
1988. That season with the Maroons, he defeated New South Wales in a 3 nil whitewash in the State of Origin, but Bennett discontinued his representative coaching to focus on the Broncos. Bennett's reputation for being able to make tough and even unpopular decisions was characterised by his sacking of
Wally Lewis as club captain in 1990. At the end of the season, Lewis was not made an offer large enough to retain him, with Bennett citing salary cap restrictions and the need to keep Sydney clubs away from more junior talent coming through. The Broncos won their first premierships in 1992 under Bennett. In the weeks following the grand final, Bennett travelled with the Broncos to England, where they played the
1992 World Club Challenge against British champions
Wigan, helping Brisbane become the first NSWRL club to win the match in Britain. The following season, the Broncos again won the grand final, gaining a second consecutive premiership. During the 1994 QLDRL season, Bennett coached defending premiers Brisbane when they unsuccessfully hosted British champions
Wigan for the
1994 World Club Challenge. Bennett was appointed as Queensland coach again for the
1995 State of Origin series but pulled out of the position after players aligned with the breakaway
Super League organisation (including the majority of his club team, the Brisbane Broncos) were refused selection. In the
1997 Super League season, the Broncos dominated under Bennett, winning the
1997 World Club Championship as well as the Telstra Cup grand final in Brisbane. Bennett resumed representative coaching duties in 1998 with Queensland and was also given the honour of coaching Australia when he was appointed to replace
Bob Fulton as
Kangaroos coach. Australia was undefeated in two
test matches against
New Zealand. Bennett won his fourth premiership with the Broncos when they took the
1998 NRL grand final, and he was also named Coach of the Year at the Queensland Sport Awards. Bennett ceased coaching the Australian national team in March 1999, and was replaced by
Chris Anderson. In 2000, Bennett won his fifth premiership with the Broncos. Following the premiership win, the
Australian Rugby Union tried to poach Bennett, but he declined. Having won the
2000 NRL Premiership, the Broncos travelled to England to play against 2000's
Super League V Champions,
St Helens R.F.C. for the
2001 World Club Challenge, with Bennett overseeing Brisbane's loss. Bennett would again coach Queensland in 2001, gaining widespread attention after his decision to recall
Allan Langer to the Maroons from the
Super League for the deciding third game of the
2001 State of Origin series. Bennett remained Queensland's coach for the 2002 and 2003 series before stepping down again. He continued his involvement with coaching for Queensland through the Queensland Academy of Sport and in an off-field role with the
Queensland Rugby League. On Australia Day 2004, Bennett was honoured as a member of the
Order of Australia "for service to rugby league football, particularly as a coach, and to the community." celebrations in Brisbane. at
Suncorp Stadium in 2008 Bennett is a passionate advocate of international Rugby League and was instrumental in the revival of the
Tri-Nations series in 2004. In that year, he was again appointed Australian coach and took Australia to reclaim the Trans-Tasman Trophy (lost to New Zealand in 2003) and win the second Rugby League Tri-Nations Series. At the end of the 2005 season, after five successive years without a grand final appearance, Bennett decided to have a clean-out of the coaching staff, removing such long-time allies as
Gary Belcher,
Glenn Lazarus and
Kevin Walters. However, on 9 December 2005, it was announced that Bennett had resigned as Australia's coach after the Kangaroos lost an international series for the first time in 27 years, and equalled their biggest loss in 98 years, going down 24–0 to New Zealand in the final of the
2005 Tri-nations series. In 2006 a secret deal being brokered between Bennett and the
Sydney Roosters club for him to become their coach was made public. This is said to have caused the deterioration in his relationship with the Broncos management which eventually led to his resignation. During the 2006 finals series, Bennett became the second person (after
Tim Sheens) to coach 500 premiership games. He also signed on to continue coaching the Broncos for a further two years. The sixth premiership final won by Brisbane against
Melbourne made Wayne Bennett the most successful Grand Final coach in history. He again was named Queensland's Sport Coach of the Year for 2007 and was made a life member of the Broncos club. His refusal to make an acceptance speech at the club's presentation ball showed the strain in his relationship with the Broncos. Bennett was originally contracted to the Broncos until the end of 2009, but on the night of 4 February 2008 at a Broncos board meeting, he submitted his letter of resignation and sought an early release at the end of the
2008 season. Bennett's coaching future was confirmed on 31 March 2008, when he signed a three-year contract to coach the
St. George Illawarra Dragons from
season 2009. After much speculation, Bennett became assistant coach and advisor to New Zealand coach
Stephen Kearney in 2008. This was in preparation for the Centenary test against the Kangaroos. Bennett was retained in the same role for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup, which the Kiwis won. Former New Zealand coach
Graham Lowe has credited Bennett with the victory.
St George Illawarra Dragons (2009–2011) The Bennett era at St George Illawarra began with high turnover of staff and players. High performance director Jeremy Hickmans, conditioner Scott Campbell and manager/assistant Paul Massey were recruited to replace the existing staff, while the playing roster had recently lost high-profile stars
Mark Gasnier to retirement with
Jason Ryles and
Josh Morris released. The club's player recruiting however was extensive:
Jeremy Smith,
Darius Boyd,
Neville Costigan,
Luke Priddis,
Michael Weyman,
Mathew Head (returned) and
Mickey Paea. At the Dragons, Bennett was to be re-united with former Broncos
Wendell Sailor and
Luke Priddis, both of whom had won premierships with him at Brisbane.
Neville Costigan, who also played under Bennett at the Broncos joined the Dragons that year in addition to Darius Boyd and
Nick Emmett who also moved from Brisbane to St. George Illawarra at the same time as Bennett. His first game with the Dragons was a golden point loss to the
previous season's grand finalists,
Melbourne Storm. In round 4 of the
2009 NRL season, Bennett returned to Suncorp Stadium with the Dragons and for the first time coached against the club he helped build. St. George Illawarra defeated the Broncos convincingly as the Dragons continued to lead the competition in defence. However, after winning the minor premiership in his first season at the club, it was the Brisbane Broncos who knocked the Dragons out of finals contention at the end of the 2009 season. In 2009, Bennett was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. In the
2010 NRL season, Bennett guided the Dragons to their second consecutive
minor premiership and on to the
2010 NRL Grand Final, the joint venture club's second. After years of having a "choker" tag, they faced the
Sydney Roosters at
ANZ Stadium in the decider at the season's end. The rain fell across the ground during the match and Bennett's players had a fiery 2nd Half after a traditional spray at half time as they were being led 8–6 at the break. The Dragons under Bennett were successful in winning their first premiership as a joint venture who went on to beat the Roosters 32–8. The Dragons went on to defeat 2010's
Super League XV champions,
Wigan Warriors in the
2011 World Club Challenge, but Bennett was absent, choosing to fly back to Australia days before the match to be with his ill mother-in-law, and leaving assistant coach Steve Price in charge. On 30 March 2011, Bennett announced he would not continue on as coach of St George Illawarra beyond the 2011 season. His final game at the helm of St. George Illawarra ended the way it started, with a heartbreaking
golden point loss against his old club, the
Brisbane Broncos, at
Suncorp Stadium. This extended Bennett's winless finals record at the venue to eight.
Newcastle Knights (2012–2014) In
2012, Bennett commenced a four-year contract with the
Newcastle Knights. The team did not reach the finals that year; the first finals series not to feature Bennett in twenty-one years. This changed in the
following season when he took the club to within one match of the
2013 NRL Grand Final. Due to a change in club ownership in
2014, Bennett became a free agent and announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season to return to the Brisbane Broncos ahead of the 2015 season.
Brisbane Broncos (2015–2018) Bennett returned to coach the Brisbane Broncos for the
2015 NRL season, The Broncos subsequently finished second in the regular season and made it to the
grand final, but were defeated 17-16 by the
North Queensland Cowboys in golden point extra time, which was the Broncos first grand final defeat. Bennett continued with the Broncos until the end of the 2018 season. On 2 December 2018, Bennett was officially sacked as coach of the
Brisbane Broncos following a bitter dispute with club officials. He then signed up to coach the
South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2019 season onwards. On 4 December 2018, Bennett spoke to the media about his sacking saying "You don't get the chance to say goodbye to anybody when they sack you and they tell you not to come back to the building", Bennett said. "But that's alright. That's all fine. We'll all get over it. I was happy to be sacked. Just leave it at that. I was happy".
Great Britain and England (2016–2020) In 2016, Bennett was appointed coach of
England for two seasons. The decision however suffered criticism from some critics, such as former English internationals
Kevin Sinfield and
Jamie Peacock who believe previous coach
Steve McNamara should have stayed at the helm, while Australian rugby league legend Wally Lewis said that an Australian should not be coaching the English team. Later in 2016, rumours came about that Bennett would be selecting Australian players such as
Brett and twin brother
Josh Morris as well as
Trent Hodkinson in his English team for the
2016 Four Nations. However, he 'denied' that he'd select those players in his squad saying that the media is 'getting excited'. In October 2017, Bennett was selected for the
England squad in the
2017 Rugby League World Cup. In 2019, Bennett was selected as head coach for the
Great Britain Lions tour of the Southern Hemisphere. He took charge of
Great Britain for the first time in the defeat by Tonga. Great Britain ended the tour losing all four matches including the last match which was a humiliating 28–10 loss against
Papua New Guinea in
Port Moresby. Following the conclusion of the tour, several Great Britain players and Bennett himself came under intense media scrutiny and fan backlash. He was also selected to coach the
England 9s squad for the
2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s.
South Sydney Rabbitohs (2019–2021) In 2019, Bennett started his first of three seasons as South Sydney coach with the club winning ten of their first eleven games which saw them sitting at the top of the table. Following the
2019 State of Origin series, Souths suffered a slump in form before winning their last three matches in a row to finish the regular season in 3rd place. Bennett guided South Sydney to the preliminary final against the
Canberra Raiders but were defeated 16–10 at
Canberra Stadium. On 21 February 2020, it was announced that Bennett would be leaving South Sydney as head coach at the end of the 2021 season with assistant Jason Demetriou taking his place. Nevertheless, Bennett guided South Sydney to a sixth place finish in the
2020 NRL season which saw the club qualify for the finals. Bennett took South Sydney to their third preliminary final in a row where they suffered a 20–16 loss against
Penrith. On 14 January 2021, it was announced that Bennett relinquished his
Queensland Maroons coaching job from the previous year. In the
2021 NRL season, Bennett guided South Sydney to a third placed finish. He then took South Sydney to the
2021 NRL Grand Final which was also Bennett's tenth grand final as a head coach. South Sydney lost to
Penrith 14–12.
Dolphins (2022–2024) Commencing in 2022, Bennett joined the
Dolphins as head coach for their inaugural
2023 season in the NRL competition. The Dolphins won their first three matches in 2023. In round 8, they equalled the greatest comeback in premiership history to defeat the
Gold Coast Titans 28–26 at Suncorp Stadium, after trailing the Titans 26–0 after the first twenty-six minutes. The record for a winning comeback in premiership history dating to 1908 was set in 1998, when the
North Queensland Cowboys went from being down 26–0 to defeating the
Penrith Panthers 36–28 at full-time. On 5 May 2023, it was reported that Bennett had coached a total of 1227 games to date, and the Dolphins' round 10 clash against the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on Saturday 6 May at Suncorp Stadium would be his 900th premiership match. The Dolphins finished thirteenth out of seventeen teams in their inaugural NRL season (2023) and tenth in 2024.
South Sydney Rabbitohs (2025–2027) On 21 May 2024, Bennett signed a three-year deal to re-join South Sydney in 2025. It was also reported that Bennett had been approached by
Parramatta to become their new head coach, however Bennett stated he had unfinished business at South Sydney saying "I like the people there and I like the club and what it stands for". In the
2025 NRL season, South Sydney suffered a heavy injury toll during the year which affected their results on the field. Bennett would eventually guide South Sydney to a 14th placed finish on the table. At one stage, the club were sitting last on the table but managed to win three of their last four games. File:Wayne Bennett greets Dolphins NRL fans.jpg|Bennett greets Dolphins NRL fans in Brisbane File:Dolphins NRL fan with Wayne Bennett caricature.jpg|Dolphins NRL fan with Bennett caricature File:Wayne Bennett and Dolphins fan 2024.jpg|Bennett and a Dolphins fan in Brisbane 2024 ==Public persona==