Master coach Wayne Bennett says he\u2019s spent 40 years living under pressure in the job which is why he\u2019s not feeling it now as focus shifts on South Sydney\u2019s form on the back of a six-game losing streak.<\/p>\n
The most experienced man in the game has enjoyed unrivalled success at several clubs, but things haven\u2019t gone to plan in his second stint at the Rabbitohs who are only ahead of the Titans on the ladder.<\/p>\n
Not even Bennett\u2019s magic dust has been able to save them, with the Rabbitohs enduring a horror injury toll that forced stars Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham to miss plenty of games, while skipper Cam Murray hasn\u2019t played at all after rupturing an achilles in the pre-season.<\/p>\n
South Sydney\u2019s poor record in all grades has become a talking point this week, with Bennett\u2019s players quick to leap to the defence of the man who could very well coach Australia at the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent 40 years of living under pressure so I don\u2019t feel it, it doesn\u2019t worry me,\u201d he said ahead of the game against a Penrith side missing Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know we\u2019re doing the right things and we\u2019re on the right track, but we\u2019re not where the top teams are.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of what our results are, that\u2019s what we\u2019re driving pretty hard here as coaches is to fix up some areas that we need to be better at, regardless of who\u2019s playing and regardless of how well we\u2019re playing. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the things that we\u2019re dishing up at the moment aren\u2019t going to put us in that position in 12 months\u2019 time or two years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a process. I know how it works and I\u2019ve done it long enough, so we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rabbitohs started the season strongly but have fallen away in recent weeks, with injuries to key personnel not helping.<\/p>\n
New recruit Brandon Smith injured his knee in his first game for the club but is expected to be back in 2-3 weeks, while Walker has been restricted to just eight appearances as he battles calf and hamstring issues. <\/p>\n
There were fears he\u2019d be ruled out for the season, but Bennett is confident he\u2019ll be back in 4-6 weeks. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was at rehab training the other day and hurt another part of his leg,\u201d he said, confident the veteran five-eighth will see out his 2026 deal. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to do another year here. They\u2019re injuries that you can miss them or get them, so we\u2019re taking a risk with it and hopefully we get more out of him going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been handling it pretty well. It\u2019s not easy for him, but at the same time he\u2019s doing everything right and we\u2019re doing everything right with him.\u201d<\/p>\n