The NRL community was stunned on Sunday when Payne Haas, a premiership-winning prop for the Broncos, confirmed he will leave the club at season's end to sign a three-year deal with the Rabbitohs.
Supporters and analysts rushed to speculate about reasons for the move, including whether friction with coach Michael Maguire played a role.
Haas' manager, Ahmad Merhi, countered that the decision was driven less by what Haas wanted to escape and more by whom he wanted to join: Wayne Bennett.
Veteran Jarrod Croker, recalling Bennett's long record of success, suggested the coach's influence reaches far beyond tactical acumen.
"It's hard to explain what it is. He's just got a way with people," Croker told SEN.
"As in on field, skill wise, he's not going to make him (Haas) a better footballer, but he's going to make him the best person he can be to play the best football he can."
Bennett's reputation includes a string of headline signings, from Glenn Lazarus to Latrell Mitchell and Darius Boyd, and even shaping the Dolphins' inaugural squad.
Those moves have reinforced the perception that Bennett can attract talent at pivotal moments in the sport's history.
Merhi said he met Bennett personally to appreciate the connection between coach and player before finalising Haas' switch.
"He's not dissatisfied (at Brisbane) , it's all about growth for him. Wayne Bennett was the key factor," Mehri told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The meeting appeared to confirm that personal development under Bennett, rather than dissatisfaction with the Broncos, was central to Haas' choice.
As the season progresses, attention will focus on how Bennett's mentorship might reshape Haas' career and the Rabbitohs' forward pack.