Out of a head coaching position at the end of the season, mastermind Wayne Bennett has addressed rumours of a potential return back to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Kristian Woolf will overtake Bennett as head coach at The Dolphins at the end of the season, but the seven-time premiership coach has revealed that his intention is to continue coaching beyond 2024.
As he looks to continue coaching in the NRL, he has been continually linked with a return to the Rabbitohs - a team he coached for three seasons and led them to the 2021 NRL Grand Final.
Rumours have continued to flow, especially due to the club's poor form, which could see Jason Demetriou potentially face the axe at the end of the year or even beforehand.
Before defeating the Canterbury Bulldogs on Good Friday, Demetriou lost the opening three games of the season against Manly, Brisbane and Sydney Roosters.
"I don't want to talk about South Sydney. I've left South Sydney. It has got nothing to do with me," Bennett said at a press conference last week via AAP.
"Why? They've got a coach," Bennett added when asked if he would return to the Rabbitohs at the end of the season in place of current coach Jason Demetriou.
"It is one of those hypotheticals. Every time there is a coach in trouble somewhere I am taking the club over. I've been at three clubs already this year and this is only our third game.
"Why don't you be patient and see where it all goes?"
Wayne Bennett began coaching first-grade teams in 1987 and has since coached the Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and Dolphins.
The seven-time Grand Final winner has also managed international teams such as Australia, New Zealand, England and Great Britain. He has also served as Queensland's coach in nine State of Origin series.
Recently, he expressed an interest in returning to the international rugby league scene for New Zealand before the job was given to Stacey Jones.