NRL expansion: Dolphins may move on ‘Redcliffe connected’ Storm recruitment guru Paul Bunn

First piece of the jigsaw puzzle for the Dolphins was always Wayne Bennett, yet a little known man with a stunning record could still loom as their most important recruit.

L to R, Bob Jones the Chairman of the RDRLFC, Terry Reader the NRL Bid director, Tony Murphy the CEO of the Dolphins Group, NRL has confirmed the Queensland based Dolphins will become the 2023 NRL season, Redcliffe, Wednesday 13th October 2021 – Photo Steve Pohlner, NRL has confirmed the Queensland-based Dolphins will become the 2023 NRL season, Redcliffe, Wednesday 13th October 2021 – Photo Steve Pohlner

They have signed Wayne Bennett and may nab Cameron Munster and Cody Walker but this is the little-known man who could become the Dolphins’ most important recruit.

Paul Bunn is the Melbourne recruitment manager and identification scout who helped build the Storm’s empire over the past decade. Now Bunn is being targeted as the man to drive the Dolphins’ roster before the club’s 2023 entry into the NRL.

While head coach Craig Bellamy and football manager Frank Ponissi were heavily involved in all negotiations at Melbourne, Bunn was a central figure behind the Storm’s successful roster.

Many credit Bunn with helping lure Cameron Munster, Josh Addo-Carr, Justin Olam, Nicho Hynes and Ryan Papenhuyzen to Melbourne. He also signed winger Suliasi Vunivalu.

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The Dolphins have already been linked to Storm superstar Cameron Munster.

If he shifts to Redcliffe, Bunn could then be faced with the unenviable task of ripping apart Melbourne’s roster with the Dolphins already linked to Munster, Harry Grant, Brandon Smith and Christian Welch.

It was once reported Bellamy moulded the players but Bunn found them.

One source said: “Paul always seems to buy the right players, many who weren’t on the radars of other NRL clubs. He is a pretty good judge.”

Bunn previously worked with Bennett at the Broncos, the pair together at Red Hill for 14 years.

The Daily Telegraph has been told the Dolphins-Bunn deal hasn’t been completed but moves have quietly kickstarted to ensure the move eventuates.

Bunn’s intimate knowledge of the NRL systems would be hugely beneficial to the fledgling Dolphins.

It is also understood Bunn and Munster — a player being touted as the Dolphins’ first big-name purchase — are quite close, both coming from Rockhampton.

Paul Bunn has been credited for compiling a remarkable list of talent over the years at Melbourne Storm.

“I haven‘t had any approach from the Dolphins at this stage, but if they were interested, I would consider it,” Bunn said.

“I‘m currently under contract at the Storm (until the end of 2022) and if the Dolphins did want me, I would need to talk to Melbourne about it.
“The Storm are a great club and have been very good to me so I need to weigh that up. I have great relationships with many people from Redcliffe and I worked with Wayne Bennett back at the Broncos. I always worked well with Wayne.

“I have an affinity with Redcliffe. It‘s great to see the Dolphins coming into the NRL.”

Bunn was the first talent scout to discover former Test centre Justin Hodges, who was signed as a kid for just $500. Bunn helped sign 12 of the 17 players who played in Melbourne’s 2016 grand final against Cronulla.

Wayne Bennett and recruitment wizard Paul Bunn go back a long way, with the pair together at Red Hill.

“He doesn’t get the accolades that he deserves,” Ponissi once said about Bunn on Fox Sports.

“It’s what we believe we are. Basically our philosophy is to buy young or buy players that aren’t particularly wanted by other clubs.”

Bunn has also been credited with discovering Broncos stars Sam Thaiday, Corey Oates and Brent Tate while attracting Blake Green and Marika Koroibete to Melbourne.

TAB bookies are offering $3 for the Dolphins to reach the finals in 2023.

‘True’ Brisbane team: Dolphins ignite Broncos rivalry

Brent Read and Peter Badel

The NRL will consider kicking off the 2023 season with a Brisbane blockbuster between the Broncos and the Dolphins as the fledgling new franchise prepares to do a branding exercise with head office to arrive at a final name.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo indicated they would be ready to take immediate advantage of the game’s freshest rivalry when the Dolphins enter the competition in 2023, with former Broncos coach Wayne Bennett at the helm.

Bennett’s presence will guarantee instant hostility between the two clubs and the NRL is cognisant of striking while the iron is hot by having them meet in round one.

Club chairman Bob Jones, NRL bid director Terry Reader and CEO Tony Murphy.

Before then, the Dolphins need to undergo a branding exercise with the club to determine what should be the final name.

Abdo on Wednesday suggested they would remain as the Dolphins, thereby ensuring they are not bound by any geographical boundaries.

“Redcliffe is no longer the name,” Abdo said.

“The name is the Dolphins. This is about owning not just Brisbane and having a second Brisbane team, but owning the north as well.

“They will be the Dolphins. That is part of the discussions we had with them fairly recently. This is about the growth of the game so we want to have an overall strategic lens to this.

“For us it made sense for this to be the Dolphins because we are talking here about not just the Greater Brisbane area, but north of Brisbane. Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast.

Wayne Bennett would certainly relish an early shot at the Broncos.

“They already have affiliations (in the Queensland Cup) but they are talking about the central Queensland Capras, they are thinking about other broader affiliations.”

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys added: “They have agreed to work with NRL management on the branding exercise and that was one of the conditions of their entry.

“At the moment, they sought to be called just the Dolphins and we accepted that. We’ll be seeking fan feedback, we will do a study with the supporters and their feelings will be considered, absolutely.”

The Dolphins had previously indicated that they would seek the counsel of the fans before arriving at their final name.

However, bid chief Terry Reader is wary of alienating any potential supporters. On Wednesday, only hours after the Dolphins were confirmed as the 17th team, he urged Queensland rugby league fans to jump on board.

To aid his cause, he pointed out that the Dolphins would be the only club with longstanding ties to the Brisbane competition in the NRL – the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans were all started from scratch.

The Broncos will have to be wary of the new kid on the block.

“We will be the only BRL (Brisbane Rugby League) side playing in the NRL,” Reader said.

“The rest are NSW rugby league teams and the only teams are expansion sides who were manufactured to come in.

“This is the first club to rise from the Brisbane community to play in the NRL. This is a team for the Brisbane people and we are the QRL’s team.

“It’s a wonderful thing for the game and hopefully anyone who isn’t a Broncos supporter will get behind us.”

He was also licking his lips at the prospect of a heated rivalry with their Queensland counterparts.

“I can’t wait for the rivalry with the Broncos,” he said.

“I worked for the club and I can’t wait to bring this to life. We triple the amount of derbies with the Titans and Cowboys, we have our own little quartet here in Queensland.”

Originally published as NRL expansion: Dolphins may move on ‘Redcliffe connected’ Storm recruitment guru Paul Bunn