Wayne Bennett casts his eye over the team of the century pictured on the wall of rugby league’s Moore Park base.
“I’d like to bring a couple of them back,” the incoming Dolphins coach said as he pieces together a roster for the NRL’s expansion team.
Bennett and Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader met with NRL boss Andrew Abdo in Sydney on Friday to provide a vision for the club ahead of its debut season – which includes the eventual introduction of an NRLW team – and to outline their desire for an opening-round clash against the Sydney Roosters next year.
Abdo says the Dolphins have presented a portfolio of secured sponsorships that will comfortably put the expansion club inside the NRL’s top four from a sponsorship perspective. The NRL chief says the Dolphins are ticking all the boxes from a commercial point of view and pathways for men and women are being strengthened throughout the Redcliffe region.
But how they fare on the park remains to be seen.
Bennett is still building his squad ahead of the Redcliffe-based club’s first season in the NRL next year, with a handful of places to fill in his top 30. Outside backs are high on the agenda, while Cameron Munster remains on the Dolphins’ radar for 2024.
Wayne Bennett speaks to media with NRL chief Andrew Abdo on Friday.Credit:Getty
The ideal scenario is Bennett’s team – headlined by the likes of Anthony Milford, Sean O’Sullivan, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi, Mark Nicholls, and Kodi Nikorima – is competitive from the opening whistle.
Yet even Bennett admits he doesn’t know what to expect, but the seven-time premiership-winning coach is relishing the challenge ahead.
“I was a foundation coach at the Broncos, so I’ve been on this journey. I’m a lot wiser now than I was back then. I don’t fear it,” Bennett said.
“I know there will be some tough days and some tough moments, but that goes with the job. I’ve enjoyed watching all the football this year.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has been attempting to amass a competitive starting side and coaching team since taking the top job.Credit:Getty
“I’ve missed it. I haven’t missed the losses, but I’ve missed the wins. I’ve missed being around the players and being a part of the team.
“I’m pretty pleased with where we’re at. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s never going to be perfect either. We won’t be a perfect football team. The coaching staff is just about all organised [following Kristian Woolf’s appointment]. The physical staff are all in place.
“I think we’ve got about four or five places to fill on our 30-man roster. [The World Cup] is probably going to be a curse. I’m pleased there is a World Cup and players are going to play in it, but for us as a new club, it’s going to make it more difficult because we’re going to have a lot less time with the players.”
Among the names on the wall as part of Australia’s team of the century is Arthur Beetson, the man who has inspired Reader’s ambition to open the 2023 season against the Roosters.
The prospect of a Brisbane showdown between the Dolphins and the Broncos to kick off the new season has set tongues wagging, but Reader has torpedoed those hopes as NRL officials piece together a fixture for a 17-team competition.
Roosters officials have thrown support behind the concept which would see the two sides play for the Arthur Beetson Cup.
“Arthur Beetson, obviously a great Immortal of the game, is obviously a legend of the Roosters but also the Dolphins. He was part of our first ever premiership-winning side in 1965,” Reader said.
“Arthur actually wrote in his book that it was his dream to see the Dolphins play the Roosters in the NRL. Obviously, Arthur is not with us any more, but we’d like to bring that to life for his family and for the memory of Arthur.
“That’s what we’ve pitched, we’re working with his family and the Arthur Beetson Foundation on that. What a wonderful story for the game. We’re not an expansion team without history, we’ve got a wonderful history. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game have come from our club. We’ve been developing players for 75 years and our current Queensland captain is a Redcliffe Dolphins junior.
“What a wonderful way to start the game. A Sydney team and a Brisbane team, what better way to start?”
