Interesting comments from Bennett:
Bennett soon turned his focus back to problems of his own this morning, saying salary cap restrictions and loyalty to current players meant Brisbane was likely to keep its nose out of the market for a new halfback.
Club great Allan Langer said yesterday that Brisbane needed to import a specialist number seven to halt the traffic through the Broncos' halves roundabout since Langer's retirement in 2002.
Teenager Joel Moon is the latest player to don the number seven and will run out at halfback against the Sharks on Friday night at Toyota Park, while Karmichael Hunt, Shaun Berrigan and Shane Perry have also had a crack at feeding the scrum this season.
With eight first-grade players off contract this season, including internationals Berrigan, Brent Tate and Justin Hodges, Bennett said securing their signatures took top billing - a move that would leave little in the war chest for luring an experienced halfback to Red Hill.
"We'd like to buy players in a couple of positions but it's really very difficult with the salary cap. The difficult part is that we've already got players here that are doing a great job in a lot of areas and we feel we need to be loyal to them and stick with them," Bennett said.
"It doesn't leave a lot of money left to spend and nobody comes cheap anymore. Anyone of any quality doesn't."
Bennett said you get what you pay for in the NRL and Brisbane wasn't in the business of buying discards or damaged goods when it came to plugging holes in the side.
"At this club we don't try to buy guys you can get for $50,00 to $60,000 because that's what you get. If you're on the open market and want to buy a halfback, you're probably looking at $200,000-plus.
"You've got a shopping list but at the end of the day your priority is about the ones at the club who get the job done for you. That's where the balance comes and it's not easy to get sometimes."
Moon tackled himself to a standstill against South Sydney last Friday night, leaving the field at halftime with 24 tackles and not returning, an effort which Bennett said left him physically and emotionally spent.
Bennett said Moon's strong build and good defensive technique could see him play a similar defensive role in the middle of the ruck against the physical Sharks, even if it meant reducing his minutes for the second week running.
"He's okay this week. It just depends on his workload. If he gets that workload again he probably won't be able to (play a full game).
"He had 24 tackles at halftime. He'd never done that before in his life. He's a really good technician. He's more than capable."
