Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins end-date revealed with Kristian Woolf part of 2025 handover plan

The Dolphins are reportedly set to offer Kristian Woolf a four-year deal to join the club and replace Wayne Bennett as coach in 2025.

Kristian Woolf, Head Coach of St Helens. Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

The Dolphins are reportedly set to offer Kristian Woolf a multi-year deal to join the club next season and then replace Wayne Bennett as coach in 2025.

In a similar move to the Wests Tigers, Woolf will serve a two-year apprenticeship as an assistant under Bennett before taking over.

Bennett, 72, signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins but is only expected to serve two as the legendary coach’s 50-year career draws to a close, News Corp reports.

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Woolf has won the Super League with St Helens and last month knocked back an offer to coach the Warriors because his family wanted to return to Australia.

“They identified to potential successors, one of Cameron Ciraldo and the other was Kristian Woolf,” rugby league journalist Brent Read said on Fox League’s NRL 360.

“Now, Ciraldo they weren’t going to get but there had been talks with Kristian Woolf for a while and I understand it was really close as of yesterday to getting finalised.

“Look he’s had immense success in England, hasn’t he. He’s won a couple of Super League titles with St Helens.”

Wayne Bennett and Kristian Woolf.

The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Kent then joked they could now spend the next two years speculating which club Bennett would next join.

“He is moving back into a cosultancy role at the Dolphins for a year (in 2025) then he’ll decide,” he said.

Cowboys assistant Dean Young has also reportedly been approached by the Dolphins to join Bennett’s team next season and become Woolf’s chief deputy in 2025.

Originally published as Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins end-date revealed with Kristian Woolf part of 2025 handover plan