England coach Wayne Bennett insists Mal Meninga is wrong to think he's trying to undermine him and warned his critics he isn't going to change.
In a remarkable press conference in London''s docklands, the veteran coach said he and Australia coach Meninga, who savaged him in a recent newspaper column, spoke this week and maintained he's done nothing wrong.
"He hasn't said anything to me," Bennett said.
"I saw him yesterday, spent a bit of time with him.
"It's a matter of perception. I didn't do that (undermine him). If that's what he believes then that's his prerogative."
Bennett has come under fire in England for some taciturn post-match TV interviews and been accused of failing to promote the growth of the game.
But the Brisbane coach said he couldn't care less about the criticism and claimed his job is not to be a marketer for the RFL.
"I started coaching in 1977 and they started bagging me then and nothing's changed in 2016," he said.
"I'll tell you about promoting rugby league. You can talk to any marketing department. They don't want you to be goofing it off and talking it up when your team is getting beat every week because they won't sell a ticket.
"My job is to get the best out of those players and give you the best entertainment I possibly can," Bennett said.
"What you say away from the game is immaterial.
"That has been my philosophy all my coaching life and I am not interested in cheap talk. I am not interested in getting out there thinking I can promote the game by something that I say.
"I know if the team ... play well and everyone enjoys what they're doing, there won't be any shortage of fans or people interested."
Bennett said after almost 40 years of coaching he's become immune to any barbs aimed at him and avoids reading about and watching the game to ensure he has a clear mind about his job.
"I don't read anything you (the media) write any more," he said.
"I haven't for over a decade now. I watch television shows but when some rugby league comes on I turn it off.
"I see lots of guys doing interviews and they are wasting their time and space.
"It doesn't make any sense. They are just playing the game and I can't play the game."
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