South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou is just 80 minutes away from shattering a Wayne Bennett hoodoo that has lasted for over three decades.No coach that has followed in Bennett's footsteps has ever taken a team to a grand final - indeed most have failed miserably.Ever since he left Canberra to help start the Broncos in 1988, coaches have struggled to fill the master coach's shoes - until now.They haven't been helped by the fact that Bennett has often take star players and key staff with him when he has switched colours - Demetriou has been fortunate because Bennett is taking a 'gap' year before taking over as inaugural Dolphins coach in 2023.But Demetriou has done it in his own style, forging his own identity at the Bunnies, who can make the grand final if they beat premiers Penrith on Saturday night.The Bennett hoodoo first claimed incoming Tigers coach Tim Sheens when he took over Canberra in 1988. After Bennett took the Raiders to the 1987 grand final, Sheens made the finals, but bowed out in straight sets in 1988.Ironically, that almost cost Sheens his job, early in 1989 - the year he made history by becoming the first coach to take the premiership trophy out of Sydney."There was a board meeting and there were rumblings I was going to be sacked," Sheens recalled to Wide World of Sports.
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