Wayne Bennett was in tears when giving a rare interview about his private life, sharing his regret about his highly publicised marriage breakdown.
The Dolphins coach has for the first time revealed personal details about the way his 42-year marriage with ex-wife Trish ended in 2016.
The one-time Father of the Year caused a scandal at the time when he was accused of walking out on his wife, with whom he shares three children, after beginning a new life with Dale Cage.
It shocked the rugby league world after Bennett became a cult figure in Australian sport following his famous feature story on the ABC’s Australian Story which told the tale of Bennett and Trish raising disabled son Justin, 46, and disabled daughter Katherine, 41.
Cage was at the time an office administrator working at a doctors clinic that regularly treated Knights players during Bennett’s period as coach of the Newcastle club.
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The Bennett family, including Trish and children Justin, Elizabeth and Katherine, were reportedly devastated, and angry at the time — and it has taken years for the wounds to begin to heal.
The ripple effect of the scandal even impacted Bennett’s relationship with Broncos great Ben Ikin, who is married to Bennett’s daughter Elizabeth.
The pair are reported to have mended their relationship earlier this year after a rift that stretched six years.
Now for the first time Bennett has gone into details about the whole affair in his new book, The Wolf You Feed.
As reported by News Corp, Bennett has admitted he began a physical relationship with Cage while still married to Trish.
With the Australian Story episode putting Bennett on a pedestal, his fall from grace was amplified.
Leading sports journalist Andrew Webster, the author of the authorised biography writes in the book: “For years, Bennett had moralised about people’s behaviour, but in the eyes of many people, particularly those with an axe to grind, his unfaithfulness to Trish was the lowest of acts.
“For many, a switch had been flicked: Wayne Bennett, coach and former Father of the Year, was now just a man with a dirty secret, and the dirty secret was plastered all over the front of the Sunday rags.
“What about this bloke?” one of his former players said to the author. “It’s a disgrace that he has done this to Trish”.”
Despite this, Bennett says the judgment did not disturb him.
“The journos have absolutely nothing on me,” he said.
“I’m not a punter. I’m not a drinker, I’m not a womaniser who has been in fights, blues, whatever.
“But in that moment (when he left Trish), there was a sense that this guy’s human. This guy is human so let’s give it to him now.
“It was way over the top. The people writing the stories had a shitload in their own closet. That’s the murky world we live in at times and I had to accept it and get on with life.”
According to the book, Bennett broke down in tears when speaking about Trish — and his big regrets.
When asked by Webster if Bennett could organise a chance for him to interview Trish for the book, Bennett put his head in his hands and choked back tears. Revealing he has regrets about how it played out.
“She’s a special person,” Bennett replied.
Despite being separated for seven years, Bennett and Trish are still not legally divorced but have a private financial agreement. They still talk regularly.
Trish has been interviewed for the book, but has continued to refuse to discuss her ex-husband’s affair.
‘Homewrecker’ never accepted by Broncos
Cage says in the book she still struggles to come to terms with the abuse she received in the wake of the scandal being played out in public.
“I was called a homewrecker,” Cage says. “They also misreported my age. I copped a lot of abuse online at the time and it’s still happening.
“No-one has asked me for my side of the story. It’s been really weird.
“All this stuff has been printed and said about me and I’m thinking, ‘Why has nobody rung me to fact-check or get my side of the story. Not one person. Maybe they were too scared to call me.”
She said she was given a cold shoulder when she move to Brisbane to be with the “Super Coach” when he returned to coach the Broncos.
She said it was very clear people at the club were still loyal to Trish and were unable to move on.
“He liked me to come to matches and functions, but I wanted to stay at home and be a hermit,” Cage says.
“Wayne’s very good at blocking out outside noise and just focusing on his job. But I had no idea. I was thrown into it.
“People picked a side and Wayne worked out quickly who his friends were, and who wasn’t.”
There have previously been reports Bennett and Cage have split, but that has been denied by both of them.
