Bennett remembers first Warriors match

Brisbane Coach Wayne Bennett says he had a warm, fuzzy feeling before the Broncos’ NRL match against the Warriors.

But he didn’t talk about it with his players because none of them would have been old enough to appreciate why.

Brisbane’s 24-16 victory in Auckland on Sunday came in a contest marketed as a rematch of the Warriors’ first appearance in the premiership 20 years ago.

Bennett guided the Broncos to a 25-22 win at Mt Smart Stadium in March 1995 and he was back at the ground on Sunday.

“I got a warm fuzzy feel,” he said of the build-up.

“To me personally, it meant a little bit, but I didn’t mention it to the team.

“There was enough pressure to play well here without adding that to it. It didn’t mean anything to these blokes anyway, because they weren’t part of it.”

Bennett admitted he was a bit of a sceptic at the time about an offshore team entering the competition.

“I was unsure 20 years ago, but 20 years on, it’s certainly the way to go.”

Bennett said the Warriors had produced a great array of talent over the years, including players who went on to other NRL clubs.

They also played a brand a football that people liked to watch, he said.

“They play the game in good spirit, so they’ve been a tremendous addition to the NRL in those 20 years.”

Many of the Warriors squad of 1995 were also in attendance as part of a 14,679 crowd.

As skipper Simon Mannering led his players out, images were played above the tunnel of inaugural captain Dean Bell coming out with his team.

But Mannering said the occasion wasn’t really mentioned before the match.

“We didn’t need to talk about,” he said.

“We knew what the importance of it was through the week and I don’t think let ourselves down in that aspect.

“We just had a few fundamental errors in that first half and a couple of calls didn’t go our way, which happens.”

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!