“I have a number of options on the table and I just don’t know what I’ll do or not do right now,” he said.

“Today is not a good day, tomorrow is not a good day for the state of mind that I’ll be in to make a decision on my future.

“I’ll sit down for a couple of weeks.

“I respect enormously Souths for what they have done for me. If they think I have done something for them, they have done a lot for me as well.

“I won’t do anything without talking to Souths first and foremost. We’ll see where it goes from there.”

The NRL could make a call on expansion as soon as this week, which could result in a new team being introduced as soon as the 2023 season.

Bennett wasn’t critical of Walker for a rare error, pointing to the number of tries he has set up during a stellar season.

“It’s just something that happened, you can’t do anything about it now,” he said.

Loading

“I know how many great plays he has come up with for us, I’m not going to condemn him for that.”

Bennett said he couldn’t fault the effort of his side, which hung in despite the Panthers having the better of field position and possession.

“You go through life you have regrets and disappointments,” he said. “This is a disappointment, not a regret.”

Bennett said it was a big moment for Panthers counterpart Ivan Cleary, who finally won a breakthrough premiership.

“It would mean a lot to him,” Bennett said.

“It takes you guys off his back. Sometimes you have a monkey on your back; he had a gorilla on his. It’s just jumped off.