Rugby league legend Wendell Sailor believes super coach Wayne Bennett “is not what he used to be” following the Dolphins’ failed pursuit of a marquee star.
The NRL’s 17th franchise went hard for Storm playmaker Cameron Munster, and also were knocked back by a host of other big names, including Kalyn Ponga, Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes and Stephen Crichton.
NRL bosses made the announce in October 2021 the Dolphins would make their NRL debut in 2023 — leaving the franchise with less than 18 months to build a competitive squad.
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Sailor, who played under Bennett for four seasons at the Broncos and one at the Dragons, has been left surprised that the NRL maestro has been unable to lure elite talent.
“I’m surprised, the magic of Wayne Bennett is that he’s able to sign a marquee player,” Sailor said on Triple M.
“But obviously, Ponga, Munster, I know for a fact he thought he had Munster… but this is the magic of Wayne Bennett usually, being able to get marquee players and high profile players.
“I personally think the Dolphins needed a two year lead in, not one year and it is proving hard now.
“I think Wayne, along with some of his recruitment people, they probably would have had the confidence to execute a few deal.
“But unfortunately, I am not saying he hasn’t got the Midas touch, but he is not what he used to be Bennett.
“I still think he will do a good job at the Dolphins and they are going to be okay.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have another headache on their hands in terms of their salary cap.
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.
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Therefore, Rothfield believes the Dolphins will utilise the funds elsewhere and pay some of their big-name players forward — freeing up cap space to make a big play for the 2024 season.
“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 on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“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.
