"Trent Rang Me" : Wayne Bennett Hits Back

Wayne Bennett has hit back at suggestions he is already recruiting for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, despite still being the coach of the Broncos until the end of 2019. 

Reports filtered through on Thursday Bennett was attempting to lure Panthers forward Trent Merrin to Redfern in 2020. 

However, Bennett has furiously denied these claims speaking to The Courier Mail's Pete Badel as he prepares England for their second International against New Zealand at Anfield on Monday morning (AEDT). 

"Trent Merrin contacted me last Sunday and said he was being pushed out of Penrith and they had a deal for him to play in England for the next few years," Bennett told News Corp. 

"I’ve got a good relationship with Trent. I’ve known him since he was a young kid at the Dragons and we’ve always kept in touch.

"Trent rang me. I didn’t go chasing him.

"Trent said he would prefer not to go to England and he rang me looking for advice and asked if there was anything I could do."

Bennett continued by saying these situations, where players ring other club coaches, happens all the time.  

"I didn’t even know Trent had a problem at Penrith, so to be accused of trying to recruit players for my next club is simply wrong," the seven-time Premiership winning coach continued. 

"Stuff like this happens all the time.

"Ask any coach in the game. As a coaches we always get calls from guys at different clubs looking for advice or a possible spot if they are struggling. This is not a one-off situation.

"Penrith should be answering questions about Trent, not me."

These whispers certainly add to the argument both Bennett and Anthony Seibold need to swap roles immediately, a sentiment echoed by Triple M's Mark Geyer. 

Geyer had this to say on The Rush Hour with MG on Thursday night.

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The swap deal could be finalised before the new year with Fairfax Media reporting Souths boss Shane Richardson, has dashed out of the country to England to secure a deal. 

A $500,000 difference in salaries is the only road block. 

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