NRL 2022: Wayne Bennett won’t panic as Dolphins’ marquee star options dwindle
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett is refusing to show concern after missing out on some star recruits and insists the NRL’s newest franchise won’t be “easybeats” in 2023.
NRL
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Super coach Wayne Bennett has hit back at criticism of the Dolphins’ recruitment drive, insisting he will not panic in the wake of his failure to snare superstar Storm duo Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant.
Six months after winning the NRL’s expansion licence, Bennett’s Dolphins are under mounting pressure to sign a marquee player to spearhead the second Brisbane team’s debut in the big league in 2023.
The Dolphins were prepared to pay almost $1 million each for the services of Grant and Hughes, only for the Storm duo to stay loyal to Melbourne on Friday, inking long-term extensions in a major blow for the NRL’s 17th team.
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Bennett has signed 10 players thus far for his 36-man full-time roster, headlined by Storm trio Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, Souths prop Mark Nicholls, Eels ironman Ray Stone and Penrith halfback whizkid Isaiya Katoa.
But Bennett’s pulling power has been tested, with the Dolphins missing out on a string of big-name targets, including Grant, Hughes, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Junior Paulo and Brandon Smith.
There are fears the Dolphins are running out of time to construct a competitive roster, but Bennett rubbished suggestions the expansion newcomers will be wooden-spoon contenders in their foundation season.
“I don’t fear us not being competitive. We won’t be easybeats,” Bennett said.
“It’s vital we are competitive from day one and I am confident we will be.
“No one will want to see a new club getting flogged by 30 or 40 points. That won’t be good for anybody in the NRL.
“We’ve got no dispensation, no special allowances, but we knew the rules and I will make sure we are ready to go this time next year.
“I am not hitting the panic button, I have a process here at the moment and it’s another 12 months before we play our first game. We have time.
“We just have to find a way to be competitive. I know the type of player I am trying to get and I know if I get those players, we will handle ourselves well from day one.”
The number of bona fide marquee stars on the open market is fast dwindling.
The Dolphins have held talks with Queensland Origin ace Kalyn Ponga, who must advise Newcastle by July 1 whether he will be at the Knights next season.
Maroons maestro Cameron Munster is a free agent for 2024. A fortnight ago, he rejected the Storm’s two-year extension and Melbourne’s salary-cap spend is running out following their big-money retention of Hughes and Grant.
With Munster facing a $400,000 pay cut to stay at Melbourne, there is a possibility he could seek an early release if the Dolphins offer to pay him $1 million a season, something Bennett is prepared to do.
The 72-year-old master coach is no stranger to building a club from ground zero. He did it with the Broncos in 1988 and delivered a maiden premiership four years later. But after missing out on Hughes, Grant and Smith, Bennett concedes the battle for talent in the salary-cap era is more complex.
“Yes, it has been as hard as I expected to sign guys,” Bennett said.
“All the existing clubs are tangible, many players are happy at their clubs. We are building a new club. It’s all unknown.
“It was the same with the Broncos, but we had the advantage because of State of Origin and the Queensland guys like Wally Lewis, Gene Miles and Allan Langer who were playing in the Brisbane competition.
“The Broncos had a leg up, but the Dolphins don’t have a leg up.
“Now, everybody has a $9.5m salary cap and we didn’t have that back in the 1980s, so it’s an even playing field now, which makes it tough for the Dolphins.
“There’s only so many marquee players but I’m not going to dwell on the guys who haven’t joined us.
“We’re hanging out to get the best we can get. I’m not going to panic and get desperate and race around buying anybody just to get to 30 players.
“Backs have to be our priority, we certainly need to get some quality backs.”
Asked if he will get Munster, Bennett said: “I don’t know where we stand with Cameron. I haven’t spoken to his manager yet. These guys all put themselves out in the market, but two of the guys (Grant and Hughes) stayed at the Storm.
“I imagine Cameron’s inclination is to stay at the Storm, but we’ll see how it plays out.”
Bennett scoffed at suggestions the Dolphins will resemble Dad’s Army in their debut season with the Bromwich brothers, Kaufusi and Nicholls, who are all in their 30s.
“I just want a group of men that are always doing their best for the club,” he said.
“There was a general in the first world war who said, ‘I would rather go to war with 100 men who will fight to the death than 1000 who won’t’.
“That’s my philosophy as a coach. Some guys may not have as much ability but if they compete and always give their best, you give yourself a chance.
“If you look at Ray Stone’s performance last week for Parramatta ... he was playing when everybody else had given up. When Mitchell Moses (Eels halfback) had a shot at field goal, everyone was watching the ball and the posts, but Ray was the only guy chasing till the end and he scored the winning try. I love that.
“I’m happy with the starting pack we are building, but we do need to get some backs and myself and Peter (O’Sullivan, Dolphins recruitment boss) are working on that.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo insists he has no concerns about the Dolphins’ progress seven months out from the start of their 2023 pre-season.
“We are in regular dialogue with the Dolphins and they have a plan,” he said.
“We are respectful of the fact each club is autonomous and they make their own decisions around strategy and roster build.
“They haven’t highlighted any concerns to us.
“Agents and players will pick their timing about when they engage to maximise their potential contract. I’m sure there is a factor of that involved as well.”
Hughes: Why I couldn’t join Dolphins
Dolphins target Jahrome Hughes admits the risk of heading-up a new NRL franchise in Queensland was a factor in his decision to ink a four-year extension with the Storm.
While Hughes wasn’t available for the Dolphins’ debut season in 2023, the expansion newcomers had expressed interest in the champion halfback and were prepared to hold back salary-cap funds to poach him for 2024.
The Dolphins had discussed a possible five-year deal worth in excess of $4 million for Hughes to finish his career with the NRL’s 17th team, but Melbourne hit back quickly, securing the classy No.7 until the end of 2026.
Breaking his silence on the Dolphins’ pursuit, Hughes revealed he genuinely considered a return to Queensland, but said it was hard to walk away from a Melbourne club with an established brand and history of success.
“The Dolphins were definitely an option,” said Hughes, who started his NRL career as an 18-year-old at the Gold Coast Titans. “I was brought up in Queensland and a lot of my friends and family still live there.
“There was an opportunity to go home in some ways, but just the way the Storm operate and what they have done for me, I felt I wanted to repay their faith.
“They gave me the first real opportunity to make it in the game and they turned me into the player and person that I have become.
“I had to stick around for a little bit longer and hopefully I can finish my career at the club.”
Hughes would have had familiar faces at the Dolphins. His Storm teammates Kenny and Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi will join the NRL’s 17th team for their foundation season, but Hughes believes any player who defects to Bennett’s Dolphins faces a leap of faith.
“There was a big risk going to a new club,” he said.
“With a brand new team coming in, there was a bit of uncertainty.
“The Dolphins have done well to get a few signings from here at Melbourne, Jesse, Kenny and Felise will be great for them and obviously Wayne Bennett is one of the best coaches ever.
“They have the foundations to have a successful team and club, but there is still a risk there and there is no reason for myself to be taking those risks when I’m happy at the Storm.
“I have faith in the Storm and we’ve proven we are successful, so I want to win more premierships here.”
While he won a premiership ring two years ago, the 27-year-old Hughes believes he has only scratched the surface of his development at Melbourne.
After injury-plagued years at the Titans and Cowboys, Hughes has stabilised at the Storm, amassing 85 games for the club. He is on track to be a 150-game Melbourne legend.
“I still pinch myself being at Melbourne in the position I’m in now,” he said.
“I remember when I first got here, I was struggling to get a game and was just grateful to be 18th man, knowing I was close to getting a game.
“Fast forward a few years and I’m the starting halfback and now a senior player at the club. I’ve won a premiership and signed the best deal of my career and hopefully I can take things to another level trying to be a leader in this team.
“It seemed like a big move to halfback but personally it didn’t feel it was too hard because Craig (Bellamy, Storm coach) did a lot for me to succeed at halfback.
“My strength is my running game and I still make that the major part of what I do, but I am learning more as a playmaker and adding more attributes to become a better halfback.”
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