Anthony Milford in action for the Raiders. Photo: Melissa Adams
NRL coaching guru Wayne Bennett hopes young Raiders star Anthony Milford commits to the Green Machine to stop Canberra's ''tragic loss'' of talented players and lift the club back to its glory days.
Bennett also believes new Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has found his ''spiritual home'' by returning to the club he guided to three premierships in the 1980s and 1990s.
Bennett was at the Australian Institute of Sport on Wednesday as a guest speaker alongside United States Olympic Games legend Michael Johnson for the world class to world best conference.
Wayne Bennett. Photo: Wolter Peeters
Milford's future in Canberra remains unclear as the club tries to secure the talented 19-year-old sensation.
Milford wants to return to Queensland to be closer to his family and has been linked to the Brisbane Broncos, despite having a contract with the Raiders until the end of 2014.
''If I was the [Raiders'] coach I'd be doing everything I can to keep him,'' Bennett said.
''The talent he's got is rare. The Blake Fergusons, Josh Dugans and Milfords are rare.
''You can't get it every day of the week and if you go back to the great Raiders teams of the 1990s, the one thing that stood out is that they had wonderful talent.
''Wonderful talent [like Milford] will get them back to where they want to go. But you can't keep losing it, it destroys what you're trying to build. That's in the past now, hopefully they can move forward and make sure they don't have that tragic loss of players.''
Stuart will usher in a new generation at the Raiders after replacing David Furner as the head coach.
He will do so without wayward superstars Ferguson and Dugan, who were sacked by the club after numerous off-field incidents.
Milford is touted as the next big thing in the NRL and the teenager has been dominating for Samoa at the World Cup in England and Wales.
But negotiations on his future will remain at a stalemate until he returns to the capital after the World Cup.
Bennett, a seven-time NRL premiership-winning coach, backed Stuart to lead a revival in Canberra.
''He's [Stuart] found his spiritual home again. He was a Raiders star, part of their great success and has always been a Canberra kid,'' Bennett said.
''I'd say he's as excited as a kid in the lolly shop to be back and be able to coach the Raiders again because I've got no doubt it would be fulfilling his dream.
''He had no hand in David's downfall. He got an opportunity and he's taken it.
''Ricky was idolised as a player here. The good thing is he's been away for a number of years and he's come back and that's the best way to do it. I don't think starting in Canberra straight after his career would have been the right way.
''He's got a real opportunity now to make the club great like it has been in the past and continue what David's started.''
Furner became the first coach in Raiders history to be sacked when he lost the support of the board in August.
Furner made the finals in 2010 and 2012, but the team failed to deliver consistent performances.
Bennett, who was Raiders co-coach with Don Furner Senior in 1987, said David Furner had laid the foundations for future success.
''I don't think Ricky has to start from scratch, I think David has done a lot of good things here. One thing they do have in Canberra is talent,'' Bennett said.
''There are hugely talented players like Anthony Milford and Jack Wighton. There's some wonderful young players, Edrick Lee. It's exciting times, he's not starting from scratch.
''David has left the club in pretty fair shape, they've just got to get the morale right and move forward.
Bennett and Johnson will join Australia's top sports administrators at the conference at the AIS.
It's the second year the Australian Sports Commission has invited the best sports minds to a three day work shop to help improve talent and performance around the country.
AFL Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney, AIS director Matt Faviar and Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens will also give presentations.
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