The Dolphins signed three of the Storm’s most experienced players — but Felise Kaufusi was hoping there was a fourth.
That’s why he was “throwing everything and anything” at Cameron Munster in the hopes of convincing him to join the expansion club too.
Kaufusi was the Dolphins’ inaugural NRL signing. He inked a three-year deal in November, 2021. Two months later Jesse Bromwich signed and then his younger brother Kenny followed.
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Kaufusi’s badgering didn’t work. Munster re-signed with the Storm until the end of 2027 — something a fuming Bennett had to learn through the media.
Kaufusi started with his new club on January 4 after a well-deserved break following the Rugby League World Cup.
He said the experience so far has been “different” but “very exciting too.”
The 30-year-old has spent all of his eight seasons in the NRL with the Storm before making the big call to join the Dolphins.
When asked whether he approached the Dolphins about a deal or vice versa he said: “A bit of both.”
“I obviously knew the Dolphins were joining the competition and I thought ‘this is a chance for me to come back closer to home.’ I was definitely open to it,” he added.
But that didn’t make the decision to actually go through with leaving the club he won two premierships with any easier.
“I love the Storm, I love Melbourne. The city itself as well, I just love the whole environment,” Kaufusi said.
“I loved that no one knew who you were there — it’s an AFL city. You go do your groceries and no one gives a c**p who you are, having that type of freedom was awesome.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the Storm. Obviously everyone knows of their success, but even just the opportunities they’ve given me as a player and for my family has been awesome.
“It definitely was a tough decision but at the end of the day I had to weigh up where I was as a player and in my career.
“One of the major factors was being a lot closer to home and closer to family. I grew up in Bundaberg which is just up the road. It was two flights (to get there) from Melbourne but now we can duck back home if we’ve got the weekend off.”
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Another big drawcard for Kaufusi was the chance to be a part of history.
“They talk down in Melbourne about the foundation players and the importance of it,” he said.
“I don’t know if all the (Dolphins) players realise how special this is. I think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity so I wanted to be a part of that.”
And being the Dolphins’ inaugural signing isn’t lost on him too.
“I’ll carry that forever, I’ll tell my grandkids and say ‘listen, I was the first one to sign’,” Kaufusi laughed before adding: “But that doesn’t mean I’m the marquee signing — the price tag doesn’t come with it.
“I know that they were looking at other players as well so it was a bit of a surprise (to be the first signing). But it was awesome, it’s pretty special.”
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But as exciting as a new chapter is, there was one challenge Kaufusi had to overcome first — breaking the news to Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
“It sucked,” he conceded.
“I’ve got so much respect for him, he’s helped me my whole career. Not just him, but the whole club itself — they’ve been unreal. But you’ve got to have those tough conversations.
“He understood where I was coming from and it was pretty mutual in the end in what was best for me and my family going forward.”
A new chapter isn’t too far away for Bellamy too with 2023 expected to be his final year at the helm before moving into a coaching director role.
But that didn’t influence Kaufusi’s move to the Dolphins.
“Never at all did that factor into my decision because I just think they have a great system and great football department (at the Storm) that whoever comes in — when it’s time — will do a great job because they’ve set those foundations so strong,” he said.
Kaufusi’s goal is to “at least” make the top eight this year, declaring: “I didn’t come here to lose or be another franchise.”
He knows that’s a fair challenge but he’s hoping to implement the standards he lived by at the Storm to put the Dolphins in good stead.
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“They (the Storm) work hard, their work ethic is second to none,” Kaufusi said.
“The way they go about their work too, they don’t cut corners, they’re really strategic in finding out where they went wrong or where they can improve. Every year they find something to work on.
“Hopefully I can show some sort of leadership that way, that hard work does pay off and there’s no easy way around it — you can’t just stuff around at training and expect it to happen.”
And if you ask Jesse Bromwich, Kaufusi absolutely has been delivering as a leader.
“It’s been really good having him here, he’s really come out of his shell,” Bromwich told foxsports.com.au.
“In Melbourne we had a lot of good leaders so I guess ‘Fusi’ didn’t have to do too much down there in the leadership space but up here we need him to be a leader. He’s done a really good job.”
