The Titans can’t stop Wayne Bennett talking to David Fifita, but contracts are off the table
The Dolphins greatest gift when it comes to recruitment is the ability of Wayne Bennett to get inside the heads of star players and that’s just where he is with David Fifita at the moment.
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The Gold Coast Titans have issued a hands-off edict to Wayne Bennett following revelations (see below) $3.5 million forward David Fifita has sought counsel from the Dolphins coach.
As revealed by News Corp, Fifita has reached out to Bennett to seek guidance as his 2022 season unravels on the back of coach Justin Holbrook’s selections and a knee injury.
Holbrook shifted Fifita to centre against the Cowboys, where he was exposed defensively, and then benched him for last Friday’s loss to Penrith, with starting replacement Kevin Proctor making one run for zero metres.
Fifita, 22, has endured a turbulent time since joining the Titans last year, scoring a club record 17 tries in 2021 but also being benched multiple times and copping criticism for, at times, lacklustre efforts.
That has prompted Fifita to reach out to Bennett, the Dolphins’ foundation coach who blooded him in the NRL at the Brisbane Broncos in 2018.
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While Bennett and Fifita’s dialogue is believed to be in a mentoring capacity, the seven-time premiership-winning coach confirmed he would look to sign Fifita when he comes off-contract for the 2024 season.
But the Titans have hit back at suggestions Fifita could walk out on the club that made him one of the NRL’s highest-paid players.
“Dave is well connected in the game, he’s got a history there (with Bennett), he’s been coached at a high level since when he was a junior,” said Titans CEO Steve Mitchell.
“Dave wants to play good footy. Unfortunately at the moment he’s got a medial strain that will keep him out for four weeks.
“I don’t know if there’s much to it (Fifita and Bennett’s dialogue). He is a great young man and we’re fortunate to have him here.
“I like working with him and he is great for the club. He clearly wants to play better footy.
“The coaches are actively engaged with him and we’re looking forward to getting him back on the paddock.”
While the Dolphins are clear to hold talks with Fifita for 2024 and beyond, they are not permitted to try and coax him out of his 2023 Titans deal, the final season of his three-year Gold Coast contract.
After moving back to Brisbane last year, Fifita has since purchased a house on the Gold Coast and the Titans are keen to open contract extension talks with the Queensland Origin star.
Fifita is not allowed to sign with a rival club for the 2024 season until November 1 this year and Mitchell said he still had a long time to go on his Titans contract.
“There is a lot of footy between now and then,” he said.
“He will be back and playing a lot of footy between now and then. There is a lot of water to flow under that bridge.
“There are no concerns. We’ve got a composition of squad and people we’re talking to and succession planning over those coming seasons.
“I think Dave has purchased a house down here. He is pretty happy down here and we’re really happy to have him.
“We know his family really well and what he can do on the paddock. We want to make him a big part of our future.”
BENNETT BREAKS SILENCE ON ‘BRUTAL’ PONGA MEETING
Wayne Bennett has admitted to a ‘brutal’ meeting with Kalyn Ponga but does he regret his ‘tough’ honesty session? In a wide-ranging interview, the super coach reveals all.
Wayne Bennett has outlined his plan to lure his former protege David Fifita to the Dolphins as the Titans come under mounting pressure to prevent their out-of-sorts $1 million man walking out on the Gold Coast.
In a stance that will ring alarm bells at the Titans, Bennett put out the welcome mat for the struggling Fifita, with the super coach confident he could reignite the back-row young gun he blooded at the Broncos in 2018.
Bennett also opened up on a number of topics, hitting back at Melbourne over the Cameron Munster saga, declaring he has no regrets over his “brutal” meeting with Kalyn Ponga and calling for the NRL grand final to remain in Sydney.
The Dolphins on Tuesday announced a mega five-year jersey sponsorship deal with wagering firm BlueBet – and Bennett is ready to take a gamble in a bid to secure a blue-chip recruit in misfiring Titan Fifita.
“He’s in that category of players we are looking for,” Bennett confirmed.
TITANIC RAID
Fifita is contracted to the Titans until the end of next season, but his future at Parkwood will become untenable if Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook cannot get the Queensland Origin hulk firing on a consistent basis.
News Corp understands Fifita has privately reached out to Bennett in recent weeks, seeking advice in a mentoring capacity on ways to recapture the form that saw him labelled the best young forward talent in the code at the Broncos in 2020.
The Titans’ highest-paid player, Fifita’s treatment by Holbrook has been shambolic. The 22-year-old will not see a long-term future at a club that has either played him out of position at centre, or axed him to the bench on numerous occasions.
Bennett handed Fifita his NRL debut in 2018 and revealed he wants him in Dolphins colours, saying he is prepared to wait until the new franchise’s second season in 2024 to reunite with the back-row strike weapon.
“It’s not my job to coach other players at other clubs, but I have a lot of respect for Dave,” said Bennett, who tried to sign Fifita to South Sydney last year.
“If he is on the market, yes, I would be interested in David Fifita.
“You can’t walk away from quality players, but he isn’t on the market just yet, so we will have to wait.
“I know what a wonderful player that he can be.”
Asked what advice he would give to Fifita if he was his coach now, a taciturn Bennett said with his trademark crooked grin: “I’m not coaching him, so I’m not giving him any advice.
“It’s just not happening for him right now. It’s up to him and his coach at the Titans to work it out.”
MUNSTER THREAT
Melbourne last week threatened to lodge a formal complaint to the NRL if Bennett persisted in a poaching attempt on their star pivot Cameron Munster, who is contracted until the end of 2023.
Bennett, who has a spicy history with Craig Bellamy’s Storm dating back to the grapple tackle drama in 2006, is refusing to back down.
News Corp can reveal Bennett has personally spoken with Munster, armed with a four-year, $4 million deal. The Maroons maestro is seriously considering a move to the Dolphins in 2024 and Bennett said he won’t be bullied by the Storm.
“We are quite comfortable with our position,” Bennett said.
“The NRL haven’t told us we have broken any rules, they are the governing body, so we will continue doing what we are doing.
“I’m not unconfident (of signing Munster), but we are still in the process of talking to Melbourne and finding out what his future is there.
“I just like what Munster brings. You can see what he brings every week in the NRL. He is a pretty consistent player.
“He would be a great fit for us, but I have to wait and see now. One thing about Cam is he’s the guy who is laughing, because he has plenty of offers and plenty of opportunity.
“I’m not surprised the Broncos are linked with him. We are all looking for quality players and if he is on the market, you want to be in for him. The Broncos are looking after their interests.
“I like Cameron’s character. It’s good to be around him.”
THE PONGA SHOWDOWN
Kalyn Ponga dropped a bombshell at the announcement of his $6 million, five-year Knights deal a fortnight ago. The Dolphins target took aim at Bennett, revealing how a “brutal” meeting with the super coach convinced him to stay loyal to Newcastle.
Bennett broke his silence on his candid discussions with the Queensland Origin fullback, saying his appraisal would have been “tough” for Ponga to accept.
Asked if regretted his honesty with Ponga, Bennett said: “No I don’t.
“I don’t disagree with anything he (Ponga) said.
“What I said was between me and him and I will leave it there, but it was a tough meeting for him though.”
SAVING MILFORD
Bennett was Anthony Milford’s coach when he went within a whisker of winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2015 grand final.
As Milford prepares to revive his NRL career with Newcastle after the turmoil of his off-field legal battle that kept him out of rugby league for six months and cost him $160,000, Bennett confirmed he wants the playmaker at the Dolphins next season.
“We are interested in Anthony Milford,” he said. “He has gone to Newcastle now and they will be keen to retain him, so that will be an issue for us.
“We got the best out of Anthony at the Broncos. Jason Demetriou (former Broncos assistant) was involved there with me and Steve Kearney also helped with Milford, he played some great footy for us.
“We all know what he brings but he needs a change of scenery. I feel for what he has gone through, it’s been over the top (his treatment by the NRL), but he has a dateline now where he can start playing and hopefully he can get on with his life.
NRL GRAND FINAL
There is not a prouder Queenslander than Bennett but the 72-year-old says the NRL grand final belongs south of the Tweed for life.
“I have always been a believer that the NRL grand final should stay in Sydney,” Bennett said.
“I love Suncorp and all that about Queensland, but I believe it should stay in Sydney.
“It’s the heartland of the game.
“Even when we were playing in Brisbane before the Broncos, Sydney was the grand final everyone looked forward to.
“They have made it a pretty special event down there, so it’s just the right thing to do for someone who has been in the game a long time.
“If you are a young kid growing up and you want to play in a grand final, you want to go to Sydney and be in that moment.
“Sydney is the right place for the NRL grand final.”
DUCK AND DIVE
Bennett challenged his NRL coaching contemporaries to eliminate diving – and milking penalties in a bid to win games – from the code.
“The game has to be stronger with diving in my opinion,” he said.
“The pressure is put back on the game but the coaches can be stronger, too, encouraging their players not to dive.
“The problem is not all coaches are on that page – then the game has to step in.
“It’s like the doctor in the bunker, the doctor is in the bunker because the game isn’t strong enough to stand up to teams themselves.
“If you don’t accept diving as a part of your DNA as a team, then there’s a pretty good chance your players won’t do it.”
OLD MAN DOLPHINS
Bennett’s inaugural Dolphins forward pack will be spearheaded by Jesse Bromwich, Mark Nicholls and Felise Kaufusi, who are in their 30s. But the game’s greatest coach rubbished suggestions he is recruiting a Dad’s Army outfit.
“There is criticism that we haven’t signed anyone, there is criticism about Dad’s Army and there will be criticism about something else in the future,” he said.
“My position on that is if you start listening to the fans, you will be sitting with them. I know what we are doing. We are confident in what we are doing and no-one will distract me personally from doing what I think is the best thing for the club.
“What’s hard about this job? I love what I do. What’s hard about getting up and talking to players every day? It’s not hard. The poor guys out there working in the sun with a pick and shovel, that’s hard.
“There are plenty of stories ahead for the Dolphins. The best is yet to come.”
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