NRL: The Dolphins face massive upheaval as free agent signing misses, World Cup wreak havoc
A series of big-name recruitment misses and losing a chunk of their roster to the Rugby League World Cup is wreaking havoc with the Dolphins’ preparations for their inaugural season.
NRL
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Wayne Bennett is facing the toughest test of his 45-year coaching career as he attempts to pull the Dolphins together with a hampered pre-season following an “incredibly challenging” recruitment drive.
Rocked by Cameron Munster’s decision to stay loyal to the Storm, the Dolphins will launch their inaugural NRL pre-season on November 7 — but face being without the majority of their squad due to leave allowances and the World Cup, which kicks off in England next week.
With at least eight of their top 30 on international duties, and a host of others still on annual leave following the 2022 NRL season, the Dolphins will be low on talent when they hit the training paddock for the first time.
If creating an NRL club within 12 months wasn’t a hard enough task as it is — missing out a slew of key targets headlined by Queensland Origin duo Munster and Kalyn Ponga — the Dolphins will now have a limited on-field preparation before kicking off their 2023 season in March.
REDCLIFFE GHOST TOWN
Senior players and culture leaders like Melbourne Storm trio Felise Kaufusi and Jesse and Kenny Bromwich may not appear at Redcliffe until January.
But Bennett, who has been coaching since the late 1970s, is adamant he can overcome a rocky debut pre-season to ensure the Dolphins are not whipping boys in their foundation campaign.
“I’m not too bothered by it,” he said. “I’ve been doing pre-seasons for 40 years, so I know what it takes and what we have to get right.
“It’s not ideal having guys away but it is what it is and as long as we get them back by early January, I will be happy. That will give us enough time to prepare for the season.
“I didn’t want guys pulling out, I believe in international football and I don’t want players missing a World Cup.
“We will have about 10 guys away and Kristian Woolf (assistant coach) will be with Tonga.
“If the guys weren’t back until late January, it would be difficult then, but they will be back just after Christmas and NRL players keep themselves in much better shape these days. They don’t knock themselves around the way they used to.
“It’s going to be a long season, but all NRL seasons are gruelling. We get paid well. We can’t whinge. We just have to get on with life.”
BUILDING FROM SCRATCH
All eyes will be on Redcliffe when the Dolphins hit the training paddock to see how the NRL’s first expansion club since the Gold Coast Titans in 2007 is coming together.
It has been a turbulent 12 months since the Dolphins were handed the NRL’s 17th licence on October 13 last year.
They have had to recruit 34 players and 60 staff while compiling a $10 million sponsorship stable.
Bennett is on the verge of finalising his football staff, with another assistant coach to join him and Woolf.
The club’s recruitment has been criticised, with the Dolphins struggling to attract a genuine marquee signing for their foundation campaign.
ROSTER ISSUES
Recruitment chief Peter O’Sullivan gave an insight into how tough it’s been to put together a brand new roster with limited time.
“It has been incredibly challenging, there’s no two ways about that,” he said.
“I would be lying if I said it was easy, it certainly wasn’t.
“Players say ‘no’ all the time, but the numerical side of it. Normally you are looking for four or five, but this time we were looking for 30 full-time players plus six to eight train and trial.
“With the magnitude of players we needed, the number of ‘no’s’ will be high, but it’s been incredibly rewarding at the same time. We have met some great people and wonderful parents and partners.”
PRIORITY SIGNINGS
The Dolphins prioritised signing some older heads like the Melbourne trio and South Sydney’s Mark Nicholls, then poached some of Penrith’s best youngsters in Isaiya Katoa and Mason Teague.
They have landed Cowboys guns Tom Gilbert and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and filled in the gaps with journeymen such as Anthony Milford (Knights), Euan Aitken (Warriors) and Jarrod Wallace (Titans).
O’Sullivan said him and Bennett had to find common ground on the recruitment strategy after being handed a blank canvas.
“My first meeting with Wayne, we sat in a car in a park in Brisbane,” he said.
“He had his notebook with a list of names on it and I went through it and did some ticks to the names and a few crosses. The NRL lists come out which lists all the players coming off contract and we went through each name in a systematic fashion.
“We went for the type of player I like and the type of player Wayne coaches well. A couple he said ‘I’m not sure’ and I would say get in front of them and you would see what I see and vice versa.
“There were a few players I wasn’t keen on and Wayne was, but when we did more study, I saw it was the style of player Wayne loves to coach.
“We had a top and bottom end approach and concertina in the middle. That’s the way we have done it. We have about 22 or so players and we are reasonably happy with where we are at. We are pleased with where we have got to.”
The Dolphins are hoping to launch their NRL existence with a round 1 blockbuster against the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium – in which they will play for the Arthur Beetson Cup.
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