South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has refused to answer questions on his involvement in the Cody Walker saga that resulted in a $20,000 fine for the club.
Walker will be a notable absentee in Friday’s NRL clash with Sydney Roosters after being banned for two games for his role in a street fight in December.
Walker was also hit with a suspended $15,000 fine, while police are believed to be investigating whether the five-eighth was blackmailed over footage of the fight.
The Rabbitohs were also sanctioned after revelations Bennett had prior knowledge of the incident but failed to inform the club or NRL integrity unit.
South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe has publicly questioned the severity of the punishment, with the club understood to be weighing up whether to appeal.
Bennett declined to discuss any questions regarding the matter on Thursday.
“I didn’t come here to talk about Cody Walker. I came here to talk about tomorrow’s game. If you want to talk about that, I’m happy,” Bennett said.
“Otherwise we’ll move on.”
When pressed further on whether he thought he would’ve betrayed Walker’s trust by reporting the matter, Bennett said: “Next question mate.”
The seven-time premiership-winning coach confirmed young playmaker Troy Dargan would debut at five-eighth against the Roosters in place of Walker.
Dargan, 23, is an Australian Schoolboys representative who has spent time in the junior systems at Parramatta and Brisbane before arriving in Redfern this year.
“He’s quite a skilful player. He’s been well-coached over a long period of time. He’s got a really good skill set. He’ll handle the job really well,” Bennett said.
“He’s trained great here since he’s been here. I had him at the Broncos and he was excellent there as well. He’s got a lot of good things going for him.”
Bennett did concede that a blockbuster clash against the club’s fierce rivals would present a monumental challenge for the first-gamer.
“Well I suppose it’s as good as any time in your life. It’s a pretty exciting moment for him. It’ll challenge him a little bit more, but I’m sure he’ll be up to that,” he said.
