Wayne Bennett will return to South Sydney next year after agreeing to a three-year deal to coach the team.
The 74-year-old supercoach confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday he will coach the Rabbitohs on a three-year deal. The club itself later confirmed the news.
The Herald reports the deal is worth about $3 million but other outlets have the overall figure as high as $3.6m.
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His decision comes after a late play from Parramatta for his services.
“It wasn’t a badly kept secret,” Bennett told the Herald.
“I said all along I was going back to Souths.
“I know where I stood for ages. I like that part of Sydney, I like Souths and the people there, the fans … it’s a great club.”
Rabbitohs powerbrokers flew to Brisbane last week to get the deal across the line.
Bennett kept journalists sweating when quizzed on the deal during Magic Round, but has now put everyone out of their misery.
It ends weeks of speculation he was set to head back to Sydney for a second stint with the Bunnies.
They sacked Jason Demetriou as head coach three weeks ago, and have installed Ben Hornby in an interim capacity.
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South Sydney has lost its last two games under Hornby and sit bottom of the ladder.
Demetriou was an apprentice under Bennett at both the Broncos and Rabbitohs, but was axed after a dire 12-month run for the NRL team.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, sit fourth on the ladder in a stunning surge under Bennett’s guidance.
Bennett’s Dolphins contract will finish at season’s end and he’s handing the reins to Kristian Woolf.
Bennett led South Sydney to the 2021 grand final, but fell short to Penrith in the big dance.