Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett says club has gone backwards in first NRL season, warns Valynce Te Whare must lose weight

Wayne Bennett has given Dolphins cult hero Valynce Te Whare a brutal wake-up call, urging him to lose weight if he wants to avoid becoming an NRL coach killer.

Wayne Bennett has made the startling admission the Dolphins have gone backwards this year as he urged rising cult hero Valynce Te Whare to lose weight if he wants to realise his NRL potential.

Bennett’s Dolphins will look to arrest a worrying run of form when they clash with the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

It has been 23 rounds since the Dolphins announced their NRL launch with a stunning debut victory against the Roosters on a memorable day at Suncorp Stadium.

The expansion club went on to win its first three matches before losing a thrilling inaugural Battle of Brisbane against the Broncos.

After 10 rounds, the Dolphins were running fifth on the ladder with a 6-4 record despite being pre-season favourites to collect the wooden spoon in their foundation NRL campaign.

Since then, they have steadily slipped down the ladder and have lost seven of their past eight games to fall into the bottom four with an 8-12 ledger.

The early-season fairytale has had a sad ending for the Redcliffe club as its lack of depth has been exposed, with Bennett admitting his team hadn’t improved as he hoped.

The Dolphins have been losing games regularly of late. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

“I don’t think we’ve grown since round one, to be honest with you,” he said.

“I think we’ve gone backwards to be honest. If you look at all our stats in the first month and since then.

“That’s part of the season, part of the hype, part of everything which happened to us. I don’t think we’ve improved throughout the season.

“The NRL is a grind. It’s getting to that stage of the season where you’re getting a bit tired, it’s on every week, the pressure’s there every week.

“The players are no different, we’re all in the same boat. I’ve done it and lived it so many times I know how to handle it.

“A lot of these guys haven’t played the number of first grade games they’ve played this year. The pressure’s there every week.

“I expected it to happen. I didn’t think we’d be able to hold that standard we set in the first month for six months.

“With the lack of experience in certain positions it hasn’t surprised me. You hope it doesn’t happen but it has happened.”

Wayne Bennett predicted it would be a long season for the Dolphins. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

What hasn’t helped the Dolphins is a string of tight losses over the past month.

They’ve lost the Knights and Bulldogs by a combined three points and surrendered leads to the high-flying Broncos and Panthers.

With the finals out of the equation, Bennett is hoping the Dolphins don’t throw in the towel in the remaining four rounds of their first NRL season.

“Not to quit. We’ve been pretty good at that,” Bennett said when asked what the focus would be before Mad Monday.

“We’ve been highly competitive all year with the exception of a couple of games. I don’t want that to happen to us.

“That’s what I’ve been driving more than anything else here, that’s do your best. We’ve had to build a base on effort to start and the rest you can work out.

“If you haven’t got the effort to start, it’s not going to work for you.

“We’re a team that’s developing. We’re very young and we’ll be better next year. We’ve got to finish this next month with credibility and do our best.

“If you’re a rugby league fan and want to watch the Dolphins, they keep you there for 80 minutes. They don’t give up, they keep coming and giving themselves chances to win games.

“It’s important for us to go forward and be the team and club we want to be.”

Bennett has urged Dolphins cult hero Valynce Te Whare to lose weight. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Part of the Dolphins’ development this year has seen Bennett persist with rising stars like Isaiya Katoa, Connelly Lemuelu and Te Whare.

At 117kg, Te Whare is a handful to handle and could be one of the most devastating players in the game as he prepares to make his 11th NRL appearance.

But Bennett said the barnstorming rugby union convert could no longer trade on potential and had to prove himself heading into the 2024 season, especially with gun centres Herbie Farnworth (Broncos) and Jake Averillo (Bulldogs) incoming.

“He’s a young player and has got potential, but potential kills coaches,” he said.

“At the end of the day he’s got to start to become a regular first grader on his ability to get the job done. That’s his challenge between here and the end of the season.

“He can finish up with a pretty good end to the season and he’ll be someone we’re looking for next year to start the season.

“We all see (his potential). He’s got to lose a bit of weight (and commit) himself to his diet.

“Has he got the skills? Yeah, he’s got a really good skillset. They’re his decisions now.

“There’s things in his game he’s got to get better. That’s his journey for the next month and we’ll see where he starts next year.

“It’s in his hands. If he’s playing the footy and doing all the training and stuff that’s got to be done, he’ll get the opportunity. That will determine his future.”

Originally published as Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett says club has gone backwards in first NRL season, warns Valynce Te Whare must lose weight