Wayne Bennett’s family feud with his son-in-law Ben Ikin continues while his girlfriend Dale Cage breaks out

Wayne Bennett’s girlfriend has furiously denied the NRL coach has reconciled with his estranged son-in-law after reports emerged the couple had put things back together.

Bennett and his daughter Elizabeth’s husband, Ben Ikin, fell out when the NRL’s most decorated coach left his 42-year-old wife Trish to begin a relationship with Dale Cage, a secretary 16 years his junior.

Bennett left his former partner – who looks after their two disabled adult children Katherine and Justin full-time – for wife Cage while he was training at Newcastle in 2016.

Since the breakdown of Bennett’s marriage, tensions have simmered between him and Ikin, who is now the Brisbane Broncos’ football boss. But a recent News Corp article claimed they were “talking” now.

Wayne Bennett’s girlfriend Dale Cage (pictured together) has denied any reconciliation between the NRL coach and his estranged son-in-law after the pair reportedly kissed and reconciled

Bennett and his daughter Elizabeth’s husband, Ben Ikin (pictured), fell out when he left his 42-year-old wife Trish to begin a relationship with a woman 16 years his junior, Dale Cage

But Ms Cage angrily denied this on Sunday – she insisted that was not the case, sharing a snippet of the article on Instagram and calling it “rubbish”.

“Wayne confirmed this morning that’s not true!” she posted on Sunday.

“He still doesn’t like him,” she added with a laughing emoji.

Ms Cage also referenced another section of the article, which indicated that Ikin was “comfortable” working with Bennett when he was appointed Brisbane football boss despite the consequences.

“Haha Ikin wishes,” Ms Cage wrote as she pasted a sticker reading “false information” to the post.

Rugby league reporter Buzz Rothfield first reported on the couple’s apparent reconciliation in a column on Saturday, writing: “We can reveal that the couple are now speaking. They kissed and made up in the quiet mid-year.

“A beautiful story that goes into Christmas.”

Ms Cage revealed in an Instagram post on Sunday that the couple are still not on speaking terms

Ms Cage and Bennett are seen together. The couple started dating in 2016

Bennett, who began coaching in 1987 at the age of 36, led the Broncos to six Premierships. He will coach his sixth team, the Dolphins, for their first NRL season in 2023.

Fans had hoped Bennett would return to the Brisbane Broncos in 2022 to end the club’s 15-year streak without a title win.

Ikin and his father-in-law will meet at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on March 24 when the Dolphins take on the Broncos to kick off the season.

Ikin, a former NRL star and Fox Sports commentator and analyst, married Bennett’s daughter in 2003.

Tensions between the two spilled over in 2020 when Bennett was fined for a Covid breach.

Wayne Bennett and his then-wife Trish (pictured) gave a rare glimpse into their challenging family life with ABC’s Australian Story in 1999

Bennett left his wife in 2016 to start a new relationship with Ms. Cage

He broke the NRL’s strict Covid-19 biosecurity protocols by having lunch with Ms Cage at the popular Grappa Italian restaurant in Sydney.

Ikin publicly called his father-in-law “arrogant and irresponsible” over the banned meal.

“It felt a little bit arrogant to me, he (Bennett) should have just admitted he was struggling with life in the bubble and said he just sort of broke out,” Ikin said on his show at the time NRL 360 .

“Because there isn’t a single NRL staff member, player, coach or whoever that is in the bubble who doesn’t know these rules.”

Bennett was later fined $20,000 for the error.

Ms Cage again responded to Ikin’s criticism by defending Bennett on social media.

“People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, #just say. The truth will hurt some people #staytuned #benikin,” she posted on Instagram at the time. What she was referring to was unclear.

Ms Cage had previously struck out at Ikin after he criticized Bennett for breaking Covid protocols

At the time of Bennett’s split, the notoriously private NRL figure announced that he was no longer living at the family home and hadn’t lived in “a while”.

Ms Cage also left her partner of more than 20 years – also the father of her children – and moved to Queensland in 2016 to be with Bennett.

Ikin played 55 games with the Broncos and represented the Maroons in 17 State of Origin games.