NRL 2021 news: Dolphins recruitment, players to target, possible 17
Forget Kalyn Ponga and Cameron Munster — there’s another Queenslander the NRL’s new franchise should go all out to sign first. HAVE YOUR SAY.
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With the NRL’s 17th team over the line, the Dolphins must now build a side capable of winning the hearts and minds of their new fans.
There’s stars a plenty on offer for the new Brisbane team and with the Broncos no longer holding a monopoly over rugby league’s second-largest market there’s sure to be no shortage of big names heading to Queensland.
But just who should the Dolphins target? We’ve taken a look at all the players available over the next two years, in the NRL and beyond, and come up with a roster that can take the expansion team from new kids on the block to top contenders.
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The second Brisbane team will have all the money in the world and a dream to sell, but who will be buying?
With the Dolphins confirmed as the league’s 17th team, it’s time for the fun to begin as they turn the player market on it’s head.
The question now is who the Dolphins will chase and why, and beyond that - if you’re building from scratch, what should an NRL roster look like? Just how does a team spend the $9.3 million cap the clubs have been told to work with for next season?
There’s an obvious place to start, and it’s the same reason most of the highest-paid players in the game are halves, hookers and fullbacks – a team can’t walk around without a spine.
The players the Dolphins have already been circling, like Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Munster an Harry Grant, aren’t just some of the best players in their position, they’d be the first building block for a competitive team.
It’s not as simple as throwing in Ponga, Munster, Sam Walker and Grant like it’s a SuperCoach team.
What’s more likely is the Dolphins look for two marquee players in the spine, one of whom must be a half, then round it out with two cheaper players.
All told, a little over the third of the salary cap should go on the teams playmakers including the back-ups – all told, that’s three or four halves, two hookers and two fullbacks. Ideally, most of those back-ups can play another position as well.
While it might be tempting to break the bank on all-star spine it’s no good throwing up a house if there’s no foundations.
The new rules have changed forward play significantly, with passing and mobility now just as important as size and strength, but finding a group of big men that can get the job done is still the best path to a premiership.
A good platoon of middles can cover up a lot of deficiencies so finding strong forwards, including a couple of leaders who can set the tone on and off the field, will be crucial for the Dolphins as they build their club culture.
Ideally, there would be at least eight or nine middles on the roster, taking up almost a third of the salary cap.
The remaining 40 per cent or so of the $9.3 million is a little more flexible, depending on where a team can find some value.
With the way the game is played now, landing at least one, if not a couple of outside backs who can flip the field with their yardage game is non-negotiable but whether they come at wing or centre is a matter of circumstance.
However a team wants to cut it, roughly 25 per cent of the cap should go on outside backs with wingers attracting a little more attention than centres
Likewise, second row can be a value position – David Fifita’s monster contract with the Titans being the obvious outlier.
With a bit of luck, there can be some crossover with the middles, with the ability to switch between prop and second row a valuable asset when it comes to roster flexibility.
HOW WE LANDED ON THIS GROUP
Queenslanders want to see Queenslanders winning in Queensland – so it’s only natural in putting together our hypothetical Dolphins squad there’d be plenty of Maroons stars.
The NRL’s 17th team were circling Harry Grant and Cameron Munster even before their entrance to the NRL was confirmed but they won’t be the only Queensland Origin talent the Dolphins will have their eye on.
No team ever won a thing without good middle forwards, so with the fancy spine players locked up the next step was to find some hard-nosed grinders to set the platform.
Christian Welch fits that description to a tee, and would shape as an excellent choice to act as the club’s foundation skipper if he were to be prised away from Melbourne.
David Fifita would be the final of the club’s dream big four, striking a blow against the existing teams in southern Queensland and giving the Dolphins another marquee talent.
None of these players will come cheap, but the Dolphins could have a secret weapon in the Intrust Super Cup.
Given Redcliffe’s status as a perennial powerhouse in the second tier competition, they can fill out the other end of their roster with players plucked from reserve grade.
Be they exciting up and comers like Tremain Spry or more experienced campaigners like Cam Cullen and Jonathan Ruben, there’s bargains a plenty to be had in the new team’s own backyard.
HOW NRL CLUBS SPREAD THEIR CASH
Spine: Eight (two fullbacks, four halves, two hookers, on a combined total around $3 million, or a third of the cap)
Wing: Five (on a little over $1 million combined)
Centre: Four (also on around $1 million combined)
Middles: Nine (a little over $3 million all together, assuming some of the middles can also play edge)
Edges: Four (depending on the centres, can be a little over or under $1 million)
* Clubs have been instructed to work under a cap of $9.3m but that figure could climb as high as $10.2m for 2022.
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