Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins have a whopping $2 million left in their 2023 salary cap which could see the NRL’s newest franchise armed with a war chest to sign a marquee star in 2024.
As per NRL rules, every club must spend 95 per cent of their salary cap each season and as it stands, the Dolphins have only spent around 75 per cent according to The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield.
The Dolphins have so far missed out on a host of marquee stars, including Kalyn Ponga and Cameron Munster, but could use their remaining cap space wisely — leaving a mammoth amount of funds left in their cap for the 2024 season.
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While they may have the funds, Rothfield also believes the super coach has lost his “attraction” which could also hinder the Dolphins’ recruitment.
“The Dolphins are an extraordinary story that I wanted to talk about, they are the 17th team, they are six weeks off their first game,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“But they still have a $2 million dollar cheque book, so they have only signed 27 players for this season, so everyone else is right on their cap and have just about decided their 30 man squads.
“Wayne Bennett, for all his seven premierships, I think has lost a little bit of his attraction as a head coach and a magnet for new players.
“You look at Cameron Munster who knocked him back, Kalyn Ponga, Brandon Smith, keep going, Dylan Brown, Reed Mahoney, so they weren’t able to sign a marquee player.
“But the problem they have got is, every NRL club has to spend 95 per cent of their cap, so at this stage they have only spent what, 75 per cent of it.”
Currently there are no superstar free agents ready for the Dolphins to sign ahead of their inaguaral NRL season, but their leftover funds can be utilised elsewhere.
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Rothfield believes the Dolphins will pay several players a portion of their 2024 salary, freeing up cash to make a marquee signing.
“There are really no superstar players who are prepared to go there this year, unless someone in the next five weeks has a major falling out at a club and wants to go and join Wayne,” Rothfield said.
“What happens with this $2 million, if they can’t sign any big names before the start of the season, what they will do to get to 95 per cent of the cap, is they will start prepaying current players for next year.
“So they will go to the Bromwich brothers or Felise Kaufusi and they will say look ‘we will pay you all an extra four-hundred thousand this year’ which will come off their contracts next year.
“That will put them in a really good position for 2024, they are going to be $1.5 million more than the cap to spend to try and find these superstar players.
“To be this close to the season with a $2 million cheque book is unheard of.”
With cash to spend, the Dolphins will be hoping to finally secure the elite talent they have been searching for — and a number of players are available for the 2024 season.
English international Herbie Farnworth, alongside Broncos teammate Tom Flegler are both available to negotiate with rivals.
Meanwhile, Titans wrecking ball David Fifita, Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Cowboys young gun Jeremiah Nanai and Tigers playmaker Adam Doueihi are all off-contract after the 2023 season.
