Bennett bows out after doing it his way

Outgoing Broncos legend Wayne Bennett quoted the late Paul Newman when he finally
drew the curtain on his remarkable 21-year tenure at the NRL club.
But he could so easily have cited Frank Sinatra.
Bennett certainly did it his way.
The foundation Brisbane coach specifically asked for no special fanfare at his
official swansong, Saturday night's Broncos awards dinner.
Stony-faced to the end, Bennett still delivered a heart-felt message to a packed
Brisbane Convention Centre when he finally said goodbye to the club he had steered
to six titles after helping build it from scratch in 1988.
Bennett thanked his family, the players, sponsors, fans and even the media.
"As I walk out the door, I will tell you this once and for all - I know I was not
right all the time," Bennett said.
"But at the same time, I can honestly say I never made a decision for the wrong
reasons.
"I always did what I believed was the right thing for the Broncos, right to the end
of my days here.
"If it meant taking a shot for the club or the players, so be it. It was never about
me. It was about you and your club.
"As the late Paul Newman said, it has been a privilege to be here."
He left the stage to a standing ovation.
It was in stark contrast to last year's debacle when the coach curtly left Broncos
CEO Bruno Cullen on stage after receiving life membership.
There was no formal farewell presentation but Bennett did receive a video tribute.
Bennett also paid tribute to 300-game Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer and the man
credited with unearthing some of their all-time great players, recruitment guru
Cyril Connell.
Bennett will officially take over the reins of St George Illawarra next season but
has already begun his transition, holding a forum with Dragons players at Wollongong
last Thursday.
It was a happy end to a final season that did not go to script for Bennett.
The Broncos fell to a last gasp 16-14 NRL finals loss to Melbourne - but the
build-up to the game produced even more anguish.
Sam Thaiday, Karmichael Hunt and Darius Boyd were interviewed by Brisbane detectives
over an alleged sexual assault.
And Lockyer admitted that it was him who tackled a Brisbane bar manager in grainy
CCTV footage aired on TV news days before the knockout NRL finals clash.
Thaiday turned heads for all the right reasons, scooping the Broncos player awards.
The 23-year-old won the Paul Morgan Medal for player of the year as well as player's
player and best forward awards.
It was some consolation after he missed selection in Australia's 24-strong World Cup
squad.
In other Broncos awards, Hunt won best back, Bulldogs-bound hooker Mick Ennis was
named most consistent and prop Nick Kenny was most improved.
New Zealand Warriors-bound winger Denan Kemp - one of seven players who will not be
with the Broncos next season - was rookie of the year.
The big shoes left by Bennett have been taken up by his assistant Ivan Henjak.
Bennett officially begins work at the Dragons on December 1 after his World Cup
commitments with New Zealand.