Graham Lowe: Solitary man deserved better exit

Wayne Bennett finished his international league coaching career much as he started it - a solitary man.

In typical fashion Bennett was full of honest introspection, as he publicly examined the Tri-Nations disappointment for the Kangaroos and his own role in evading the media on his return to Brisbane. And typically also, he was big enough to admit he'd done the wrong thing in exiting the airport through the back door.

Back doors have never been Bennett's go. If he's had nothing to say, he's still fronted and said nothing.

I feel sorry for him that his departure from the international scene, which deserved to have been done with dignity and pride, has turned into an unpleasant war of words.

But I know the last person who will be feeling sorry for Wayne Bennett is Bennett himself.

He has always had the courage not to compromise his principles just to fit in with what others think. This has proved costly to him as a coach now.

His resignation and then his comments regarding successor Ricky Stuart are actions of a man who stands up for what he thinks is right.

The Kangaroo team manager, John "Chow" Hayes, is reported to have said in his tour report to the ARL that he considered there was a binge drinking problem with some players on tour.

Chow Hayes is a good bloke and would not have said it if he didn't believe it.

He is a former first-grade coach (North Sydney) and a retired policeman so he has plenty of understanding about what is acceptable behaviour from footballers and what is not.

Bennett, a retired copper himself, polarises people with his perceived aloofness, hence the image of the solitary man.

But his coaching success cannot be denied, and any suggestion that the Kangaroos' failure to win the Tri-Nations was because of his coaching style is way off the mark.

The drinking culture of some players on tour that Bennett so disagrees with is nothing new with the Kangaroos.

Arguably the best Kangaroos touring team were the 1982 Invincibles, led by coach Frank Stanton.

They stayed in the Dragonarra Hotel in Leeds for the duration of the tour and the drinking exploits there were legendary.

Doors and rooms in the hotel were badly damaged and a car used by a couple of the players ended up in the canal near the hotel, blocking the way of barges.

That sort of behaviour did not draw much attention, and the focus was on how well the team played.

It always stuck in my craw that much was made of the need for discipline from players when some of these guys carried on like idiots.

One of the problems that arises with sport is that too often unacceptable behaviour is overlooked or excused because the person or persons involved are good players.

If they were Neville Nobodies the book would get thrown at them.

But in the end, the Kangaroos lost this tri-series because Brian McClennan did an outstanding job as Kiwi coach and got the best out of his players.

Bennett had alluded to the fact well before the Tri-Nations that the Kiwis were due to become world champions because they had so many good players in the NRL and the Super League.

But what he did not see coming was just how good McClennan is as a coach and how he has the ability to get his players to play for him.

Now Ricky Stuart is the Australian coach. We will see a new-look team but not because he is better than Bennett.

In my opinion, as far as coaching goes he is not in the same league as Bennett.

In fact he always reminded me of a spoiled brat as a player and has carried that through to his coaching.

He was a good player and very competitive.

But he has far from proved himself a good coach.

Agreed, he has had success, but coaching success should be measured over time.

One thing is for certain: Stuart will bring a fire and brimstone approach that has been missing from the Aussies for a while. In fact I get the feeling he hates whoever he is up against.

When I compare Stuart to McClennan, the unheralded Kiwi comes out in front every time.

He may not have the same international playing pedigree as Stuart, but he has certainly served a more formal apprenticeship as a coach even though it was here in the domestic game.

Compared to the Broncos coach Stuart is a media darling, particularly with the one-eyed Sydney media.

But if he cannot deliver a winning Roosters and Australian side next year, his career could be on the skids before it's barely started.

And the boy from Mt Albert may have achieved the unthinkable - seen off two Australian coaches inside a year.