Benny Barber: Supercoach Wayne shows new tolerance for Rabbitoh’s mullet
South Sydney supercoach Wayne Bennett might be softening in his old age.
How else do you explain the fact the 71-year-old has stayed quiet and allowed one of his young-gun back-rowers to grow a mullet the past six months?
South Sydney’s Keaon Koloamatangi and the mullet that had previously caused dramas with his coach Wayne Bennett.Credit:NRL Photos
Even Arrow admitted he was now taking a keen interest with what happens to Koloamatangi and was happy to re-grow his.
“Keaon’s is really good – he’s got it freshly cut in and it’s looking good,” Arrow said.
“I’ll see how Keaon goes. I’m very tempted to bring back mine, don’t worry about that.”
Koloamatangi, 22, told the Herald: “Wayne hasn’t told me to cut it yet.
“He told me to cut it before last year’s Charity Shield, so I did the day before we left for Mudgee.
“I’m going to try get away with it this year. He doesn’t like mullets. It was way worse last year. I grew it for almost a year. This one has only been growing six months.
“My partner likes it. But it’s not up to her, it’s up to Wayne.”
Koloamatangi is tipped for big things this year and knows he will benefit from the 14 games he played last season.
He dropped the ball with his first carry in the Charity Shield, but was rushed into the game early after Jaydn S’uA took a hit-up and woke up thinking he was in nearby Dunedoo.
Wayne Bennett is known to be big on appearance with his players.Credit:Getty Images
Koloamatangi will have first shot at making the left edge his own with Dane Gagai and Alex Johnston on his outside.
“Playing those 14 games last year, it helped me [appreciate] the physicality and effort on effort [required], and I’m feeling more confident going into this year knowing I can hang with the big boys,” Koloamatangi said.
“My goal is to start in the back row. We’ll see what happens. I just have to train hard and show the coach what I can do.”
Koloamatangi, who grew up in Burwood – Canterbury turf – but whose dad Isi wanted him to play with the Mascot Jets in the South Sydney competition – loved the lessons he had learned from Sam Burgess and South Sydney favourite John Sutton.
He played in the same Jets teams as Cameron Murray, the superstar Souths lock, and went on a decade-long run of premierships coming through the grades.
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