Old Wayne miracle that should have NRL on notice; judiciary call ‘doesn’t pass pub test’ — Crawls
The article discusses the South Sydney Rabbitohs' attempt to win an NRL premiership from outside the top four, drawing parallels to Wayne Bennett's 1993 Brisbane Broncos team. It also touches on historical rugby league folklore and recent judiciary controversies.
Why it matters
It provides sports commentary on team strategy and historical context for current NRL championship contenders.
NRL NRL-PREMIERSHIP Old Wayne miracle that should have NRL on notice; judiciary call ‘doesn’t pass pub test’ — Crawls How Souths brought the best out of Smith | 09:47 Paul Crawley from Fox Sports September 10th, 2026 3:01 pm Who remembers Alfie Langer leading the Broncos in that infamous rendition of “St George Can’t Play” after the 1993 grand final?
It remains one of rugby league’s most controversial post-match celebrations after Wayne Bennett coached Brisbane to back-to-back premierships against Brian Smith’s Dragons.
It’s written in rugby league folklore how Bennett somehow got hold of Smith’s tip sheets critiquing the Broncos players from the previous year, gave them a dash of poetic licence, and then sat back and enjoyed the fireworks.
The only problem was after the game Bennett genuinely forgot to tell his players that what Smith had apparently said about them was in fact manufactured for motivational purposes.
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