EXCLUSIVE: Wayne Bennett call to spray Rabbitohs then take long holiday 'didn't surprise' Gus
Wayne Bennett has already started to sprinkle his "magic dust" over the Rabbitohs according to Phil Gould, with the legendary coach delivering a huge spray last week.
After finishing his commitments with the Dolphins, the 74-year-old travelled down to Sydney and made his presence felt at the club's Maroubra training base.
Bennett reportedly called out the misfiring side for their performances this season, claiming that rival clubs weren't worried about facing the cardinal and myrtle.
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The incoming head coach will now go on holidays until he returns for pre-season in December, with the players expected back in early-November and will be guided by assistant Ben Hornby and the rest of the staff.
Wayne Bennett has already made his intentions clear at the Rabbitohs. . NRL Photos
While most coaches coming into a new role would want to be hands-on from the moment they step in the door, Gould isn't shocked by Bennett's unique approach.
"That's typical Wayne," he said on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus.
"Wayne is unique, he has been around a long time - if 99 per cent of coaches went in and said that, they [the players] would be off from day one. Wayne is one of the very few that could actually do that and have the impact that he wants.
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"Let me tell you ... long before Wayne gets there, they are gonna be ready. There will be no working yourself fit during off-season, they won't dare turn up and miss time on the first run, miss their weight on the first lift or miss their first skinfold.
"I guarantee you, from November 1 they will be primed for a big off-season and Wayne will walk in on December 1 and weave his magic dust and start working on some football.
"It didn't surprise me and he's probably one of the only few that could do that."
Bennett has already started to place his fingerprints over the Bunnies in what will be his second stint at the foundation club, making multiple changes to the playing roster.
Josh Schuster has been handed an NRL lifeline by the Rabbitohs, while halfback Lewis Dodd will join the club on a long-term deal after starring in the Super League.
Josh Schuster has signed a deal with Souths. Getty
Souths have also confirmed the departure of six players - Michael Chee Kam, Dean Hawkins and Dion Teaupa, Richie Kennar, Izaac Tu'itupou Thompson and Leon Te Hau.
Those players will join Tom Burgess and Damien Cook, who have signed deals elsewhere and played their final games for the club in round 27.
Bennett will also be looking to get the best out of Latrell Mitchell, who endured another disrupted season on and off the field, as well as finding a permanent solution to the hooker role following Cook's move to St George Illawarra.
