NRL 2019: Souths maestro Wayne Bennett regrets victory jig over Broncos

Beating the Broncos in Brisbane was an NRL result to savour for South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett last week - but there's one thing he'd change.

He wouldn't have done the dance.

The veteran coach was smiling, but unusually sheepish, when the subject of his 
changing room celebrations was raised before Friday's clash with the Warriors in Auckland.

Cameras captured Bennett entering the Rabbitohs shed at Suncorp Stadium with his arms raised and producing what looked like an extended shimmy, to the delight of his clapping players, some of whom joined him on the "dance floor".

"I'm not sure why I did it myself," Bennett said on Thursday. "It's just one of those spontaneous things that sometimes happens in your life. 

"I didn't even think the cameras were there.

"It's the place I was in. Anyway, its happened.

"I can't take it off the camera now, can I? We can't destroy it, can we?"

Bennett can be forgiven for getting carried away, after getting one over his former club in the 22-20 thriller to snap a three-game losing streak.

He could also be excused for doing another jig after confirmation that captain Sam Burgess (quad) and wing Alex Johnston (hamstring) had been cleared by medical staff to start at Mt Smart Stadium.

But he insists feet are back on the ground, as fifth-placed Souths try to improve by at least one spot over the closing two rounds.

Sitting level with fourth-placed Manly and with an inferior points differential, the Rabbitohs could help their cause considerably with a sizeable win over the misfiring Warriors.

The 13th-placed Auckland side have leaked more than 40 points in three of their last four games and have little to play for.

But Bennett believed the Warriors would be motivated to perform in their last home fixture of 2019 and pointed to their most recent performance in Auckland -  the 24-16 upset of Manly - as reason to respect the hosts.

warriors team
Photo credit: Newshub.

"They aimed up and got the job done here," he said. "I was conscious of that through the week and spoke to the players about it."

Counterpart Stephen Kearney has a mountain of issues to attend to, with a priority to restore self-belief in his players, if they're to halt their late-season fragmentation.

Halfback Blake Green and prop Leeson Ah Mau are both in doubt with knee complaints suffered during last week's savaging from Cronulla.

Green's unavailability would result in another start for rookie Chanel Harris-Tavita.

AAP 

Join us at 8pm Friday for live updates of the Warriors v Souths NRL clash