Kristian Woolf’s Wayne Bennett busting blueprint has been two decades in the making

Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf is on track to do what no other coach has done before - succeed in a post-Wayne Bennett era - this is how he’s done it.

Kristian Woolf thought long and hard about launching his NRL head coaching career in the shadow of Wayne Bennett.

Many had failed in the past when it came to succeeding the seven-time premiership coaching legend. But Woolf has never been one to doubt himself.

He has been patiently putting the blocks together for two decades, building a reputation in the coaching ranks of the NRL, Queensland Cup, Tonga and Super League – where he netted three straight titles with St Helens.

That’s why Woolf made the decision to spend two years as Bennett’s chief assistant at expansion franchise the Dolphins from 2023 before taking the reins of the Redcliffe club this season.

‘IF YOU’RE WINNING GAMES, THEN THERE’S NO DRAMAS’

“When I made the decision that I was going to come back here and come to the Dolphins, that was something that I thought about long and hard,” Woolf said.

“Becoming an assistant again and working with Wayne, and then working after Wayne and all that kind of thing.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous. I thought through it all and thought through the scenarios and I was pretty comfortable with all those scenarios when they ran through my head.”

One of those scenarios must have been the infamous Bennett ‘hoodoo’ – the track record of clubs and coaches failing in the years after Bennett departs.

Wayne Bennett (R) and Kristian Woolf. Picture: NRL

It’s happened before at the Dragons, Knights, Broncos and Rabbitohs when Bennett has left the helm.

When the Dolphins slumped to a 0-4 record to start the 2025 NRL premiership, it looked like Woolf was destined to be the latest coach to fall victim to the hoodoo.

Instead, the man from Mount Isa held firm in his beliefs and transformed the Dolphins into top eight contenders and the NRL’s entertainers.

The Dolphins lost to the Knights last week, but before that racked up huge wins against the Bulldogs (44-8), Dragons (56-6) and Cowboys (58-4).

The hoodoo has officially been broken – for now at least.

“If you’re winning games, then there’s no dramas,” Woolf said.

“If you’re losing games, then that (hoodoo) is something that comes up, isn’t it?

“I knew that I just had to work hard to try and make sure that we had an environment that was going to get some success.

“We certainly didn’t go into those games expecting those sorts of scorelines.

“Once you get on a roll and back our attack and back our players, you know they’ve got a great ability to find points.”

Kristian Woolf has the Dolphins on the brink of the top eight. Picture: Getty Images

THE DAY WAYNE DANCED A JIG

Bennett and Woolf crossed paths as NRL head coaches for the first time in round 1 when Cyclone Alfred forced the Dolphins and Rabbitohs to face off in Sydney at the eleventh hour.

Bennett’s Bunnies escaped with a 16-14 win at CommBank Stadium following a turbulent week for the Dolphins.

They will confront each other again on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium in different circumstances.

The ninth-placed Dolphins have won three of their past four matches, while South Sydney is looking to snap a four-game losing streak that has seen them slump to 16th.

However Bennett is primed to cause a boilover, fielding his best team in months while the Dolphins have been decimated by injuries.

There’s nothing Bennett loves more than an upset win, especially against his former club. Remember him dancing in the Suncorp dressing rooms after sticking it up the Broncos?

If there is one thing Woolf learned during his two years under Bennett, it’s to expect a tough opposition. No matter the circumstances.

“It’s hard to pinpoint what he actually does different,” Woolf said of Bennett.

“When you’re playing a side that Wayne’s involved with, you know that they’re going to compete. They’re not going to beat themselves.

“You know that they’re going to play for 80 minutes and compete for 80 minutes. It’s something he certainly preaches and rewards.”

NO BAD BLOOD BETWEEN BENNETT AND DOLPHINS

Bennett has had some dramatic exits from clubs during his 40-year coaching career, with his 2018 Broncos sacking at the top of the list.

His departure from the Dolphins wasn’t one of them. This could be the NRL’s ‘worst grudge match’ and Bennett isn’t buying into the hype.

“I’m pleased we are going back, I’m looking forward to it,” Bennett said of his Dolphins reunion.

“I had a wonderful time there for three years and really appreciated all they did for me.

“The players and the club were great.”

THAT’S AN NRL FIRST GRADE COACH

Former Queensland Origin hit-man Ben Te’o got a first-hand look at how the Woolf-Bennett succession plan played out as an assistant coach at the Dolphins.

He had no doubts the plan would work and Woolf would succeed in the NRL.

“I had ‘Woolfy’ as an assistant coach when I was playing at the Broncos. I looked at him straight away and listened to him talk and you knew, ‘That’s an NRL first grade coach’,” said Te’o, now an assistant to Michael Maguire at the Broncos.

“He’s an outstanding coach and I thought he did a great job in being assistant to Wayne while starting to build that club behind the scenes.

“I watched the handover and it was pretty smooth.

“Wayne had to just focus on coaching the side and Woolfy was starting to make the decisions on what was going to happen for the future of the club.

“It was the blueprint on how things should work with succession plans.”

The fact the Dolphins are still in the finals mix after such a bad start and their injury struggles is a win for Woolf in itself.

He has lost his four best forwards in Tom Gilbert, Tom Flegler, Max Plath and Daniel Saifiti for the season, while Felise Kaufusi (knee) is sidelined for a month.

Tryscoring winger Jack Bostock (knee) has also been ruled out for the year.

But Woolf has unlocked the best of star centre Herbie Farnworth, reborn five-eighth Kodi Nikorima and is developing young halfback Isaiya Katoa beautifully.

The injury toll could cost the Dolphins a shot at a maiden NRL finals appearance this year, but Te’o believes Woolf could eventually deliver the club its first premiership.

Kristian Woolf (C) has quickly put his stamp on the Dolphins. Picture: Getty Images

“Absolutely, he’s coached big games and big moments and he’s won grand finals,” he said.

“He’s done special things with Tonga from the underdog status. He’s gone against the big teams and I definitely think he’s got what it takes.

“They’re building a great club. The NRL’s a hard competition but they’re doing good things out there.

“He knows who he is and he doesn’t try and be anyone else. He’s pretty stern on what he believes in. There’s a lot of respect for him.

“They’ve had so much adversity this year with injuries. They’ve essentially lost a whole forward pack and yet they’re still winning games. That’s the type of teams that Woolfy coaches.

“He’s clear about how he wants things done and his expectations. He’s a defensive-minded coach and really gets the best out of a lot of players.

“He wants them fit and in shape to defend aggressively and if you’ve watched their last three or four wins, they were aggressive right up until the end.

“Everyone wants to say they are relentless, but the Dolphins have showed that they are.”

Woolf will celebrate his 50th birthday next week and has a long way to go to catch the 75-year-old Bennett - in birthdays and premierships.

He learnt a lot in those two years under Bennett, but is forging his own path in the NRL after the Dolphins’ initial stumble.

“I’ve got enormous respect for Wayne, what he’s done and what he’s achieved and that grew from working with him as well,” Woolf said.

“He’s very direct. You know exactly what he wants from you and there’s no grey area.

“I really enjoyed the way he treated people, the way he treated the players and treated staff. He treats people well. I think that’s a really good trait of his.

“I wouldn’t say he’s intimidating at all. He shows that he’s got confidence in you.

“The hardest thing is trying to get two points every week. It’s a tough competition.

“I’ve been in plenty of situations where we’ve lost a few games. I guess you get a bit of an idea how to handle that by doing it and by being in those positions

“I had a lot of confidence in the group. I could see what we were doing on the training paddock and how we were sticking together as a group.

“I knew as long as we kept doing those things, we’d come out the other end at some stage.”

Originally published as Kristian Woolf’s Wayne Bennett busting blueprint has been two decades in the making