By Joel Gould and Ian Chadband
Wayne Bennett will be joined by St Helens coach Kristian Woolf for the Dolphins’ inaugural NRL season in 2023 in what has been described as the “dream team”.
Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader confirmed the appointment of the 47-year-old Australian on Thursday at a press conference in front of Suncorp Stadium where the new franchise will play their games.
St Helens coach Kristian Woolf will join the Dolphins.Credit:Getty Images
Head coach Bennett is contracted at the Dolphins until the end of 2024 and Reader said the plan was for Woolf to succeed him at the end of his tenure.
“It is another big day for the club and the key part we have talked about since day one is making sure we are building the blocks around not just 2023, but the future,” Reader said.
“I think it is a wonderful coup for the club to secure Kristian as our assistant coach and our long-term successor to Wayne.
“Kristian is very detailed, exactly like Wayne in how he goes about things. He wanted to know what we had in the building blocks underneath with our academies and pathways … and he was very impressed with that.
“He has already achieved a lot as a head coach and wanted the opportunity to work under Wayne until he takes over.”
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has been attempting to amass a competitive starting side and coaching team since taking the top job.Credit:Getty
It is Woolf’s experience and success as a head coach at St Helens, and earlier in charge of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup and North Queensland Cowboys NYC head coach, which impressed the Dolphins board.
Throw in his role as Tonga head coach where he took the side to the 2017 Rugby League World Cup semi-finals and to wins over Great Britain and Australia in 2019.
“Wayne was very big on that and our board wanted someone who had the runs on the board,” Reader said.
“Kristian is looking at (winning) three Super League premierships in a row and he has turned Tonga into a powerhouse of international rugby league.
“He has been there and done that as a head coach. It is a wonderful appointment that he will come in and form a dream team of coaching. Wayne and Kristian will kick us off in 2023.”
Reader said Woolf’s impending arrival sent a message to prospective players that the club would be in strong hands into the future.
Woolf, a Queenslander, has already guided St Helens to back-to-back grand final triumphs and is on course to achieve a unique coaching hat-trick of three successive victories, having wrapped up the league leaders’ shield earlier this week.
Woolf announced on Wednesday that he’d be leaving the all-conquering Saints at the end of the season to take up a new opportunity back home.
He has also won a Challenge Cup victory during his three-season spell to enhance his reputation as one of the most successful coaches in the Super League era.
“This has not been an easy decision for myself or my family, but it’s time for us to return home,” he said on Wednesday.
“We made a decision a little while ago due to personal factors that have played their part in our decision. The timing has also combined with an opportunity that has arisen in Australia.
“I have been here for three years and I have loved every minute of it. I love the club and what it has provided for both me and my family.”
AAP
