Bennett refuses to buy into burnout claims

Wayne Bennett says England can’t use the length of the Super League season as an excuse if England fail at the World Cup this year.

Several people in the game have poitned at player burnout as one of the reasons why England has failed to compete at international level in recent years.

In 2017 there are two weekends where players will play two matches in four days, while English players could play 10-15 more games than their Australian and Kiwi counterparts.

But Bennett believes England must adapt to the situation.

“Players get better treated than they’ve ever been in their lives,” he said.

“The way that they recover and rehab them is quite remarkable. We probably all want to play less, but nobody wants to play for less.

“If you’re getting the salary you get right now, in corporate Australia or corporate England you’d have to work pretty hard for it.

“Some of the players are getting great salaries and it goes with the territory unfortunately, we have to accept that. At the Broncos, we have six or seven players that will back up after State of Origin two or three days later.

“The draw is what it is, whether it’s England or Australia. You’ve got to adapt to what it is, and if you start whinging and moaning about it then you will give you players a reason to fail.

“I try and stay away from all that stuff. I have no control with it.

Bennett will not make a decision on his on his own future with England until after the World Cup. His two-year contract finishes at the end of the tournament.

“I want to feel like I’m delivering something, and if I’m not then I don’t want to waste anyone’s time,” he said.

“It’s not about winning or losing, but what differences I can make and whether I can support what they’re trying to achieve here.

“I just want to get through this year and make sure we can be the best prepared we can be and make England proud.

“After that, we’ll see what the future holds.”