New South Wales great Mark Geyer has called for the NRL to lend a hand to the Dolphins following the announcement that Cameron Munster will remain in Melbourne.
Munster re-signed with the Storm until the end of 2027 last week, rejecting a four-year $5.6 million deal tabled by the competition’s newest franchise.
Geyer believes the Dolphins should be given special dispensation by the competition to negotiate with players before their rivals table offers to off-contracts stars from November 1.
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“I must confess I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t see that he would stay with Melbourne,” Geyer told Triple M.
“I’m glad he did, I’m really glad because money doesn’t buy us happiness always and I think Cameron Munster weighed up the options.
“Will I take the extra $300,000 a year and go to a club that’s basically going to be bottom feeders for the first three or four years and then most of the blame will go on me, or stay at an established club, be a one club man, see out my time in the purple jersey.
“Look I feel for Wayne Bennett. I think that the NRL have to do more for the Dolphins for dispensations.
“I think they’ve got to have a marquee exempt from salary cap or something for the first three years.”
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Munster joins the likes of Brandon Smith, Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh as missed Dolphins targets.
However, Geyer believes that player managers are using the Dolphins as a “leverage” play so their clients will be offered more to join a rival or remain at their current club.
“They’ve got to do something to help them out because what’s happening with the Dolphins every player manager has said that their client is going to the Dolphins,” Geyer said.
“Then they get leverage from that from their own club so they stay at their own clubs for more money, if you can’t see what’s happening you’re Stevie Wonder.
“It’s happening right before our eyes and Wayne Bennett’s pissed off about it.”
It comes after Bennett urged the NRL to better support expansion teams given the struggles of past sides in similar positions.
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“The NRL did the right thing by creating a 17th team, we all knew what the rules were, if we didn’t like the rules we didn’t have to make an application to be admitted to the competition,” Bennett told Triple M.
“The other 16 teams don’t want you, is that clear, they don’t want you because they are about their possession, their little bit of turf, and a 17th team is an inconvenience because they are going to lose a few more players.
“What the game has never done is supported a new team coming in, in terms of recruitment or whatever.
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“Broncos, Gold Coast when they first came in, Newcastle, a whole lot have never been supported by the game with players.
“I honestly believe the game should, as the AFL does, when the two new teams came in, Western Sydney and the Gold Coast, each club had to give up one or two players to make it more viable.
“It has never happened in our game, it is not going to happen now, but we knew the rules, we just get on with life and we are going to do our best to prove them all wrong.”
