The Dolphins have been slow to recruit their side for the 2023 NRL season. Should we be worried and can Wayne Bennett become an attraction?
It’s all questions and very few answers at this point of the NRL season. Still, we’re going to answer a few while waiting for it all to kick off in March. This one comes from NRL Reddit and is for 2023 but you can submit your own questions here or through any of our social media channels.
The Dolphins haven’t made much of a splash in the player transfer market since winning their bid to join the NRL on October 13, 2021.
It’s the October 13 that is important to note first of all. That’s just over two weeks before all 16 NRL clubs can start talking to players about contracts for 2023. While it’s the date players, managers and clubs and legally begin negotiations, it would be foolish to think a few discussions hadn’t already taken place before November 1.
A late and rushed acceptance of their bid put the Dolphins on the backfoot when it comes to recruitment from the start and not even Wayne Bennett can make up for it.
Recruiting players was going to be hard enough already.
History, tradition and success is a massive part of player recruitment, especially when trying to sign high profile players.
The fallout from Brandon Smith’s podcast appearance meant a lot of the interesting little nuggets went missing amongst the hysteria. He talked about the pride Sydney Roosters players had in their club, the culture and the feeling of family being a big part of his reason behind signing with them. It’s likely that the North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans could offer him more money but Smith insinuated they tried a little bit too hard to impress, showing him off to press and members and using facilities and superficial fluff to sell themselves to one of the best hookers in the game.
Despite the history of the Redcliffe Dolphins, The Dolphins NRL team doesn’t have history, tradition and success is a long way away regardless of who they manage to sign between now and Round 1 in 2023.
Some players will be enticed by the challenge of starting something new. The Dolphins have cash to splash and will look to balance what should be a big dip into reserve grade with a few slightly overpaid players. Many, however, will take the comfort of remaining at their current club or, at worst, their current city. Asking players to pack up and move to a different city or state and take on the uncertainty of a brand new NRL club is a big ask and is a sell The Dolphins will need a lot more time to complete.
Most of the elite players available for 2023 have taken the security and comfort offered to them already. Bennett is arguably the greatest coach of all time, but he can’t keep kids happy at their current school or partners employed at current jobs.
As for the media’s reporting of potential Dolphins recruits, it has gone how most would have expected.
Blake Austin and Konrad Hurrell have both been linked with the club in the last two weeks for no other reason than they have one year remaining on their deals at current Super League clubs. Some of these rumours will stick. After all, being available for 2023 means they are a chance of signing with the club. Still, reading between the lines and having seen what we have so far, Bennett and the Dolphins are looking for value and reliability. It’s no coincidence that both Jamayne Isaako and Felise Kaufusi have both played good football under Bennett.
Dolphins Signings: Valynce Te Whare
— Rugby League Writers (@rlwriters) December 26, 2021
“He wasn’t asked to do much to score this one but you can see his acceleration into open space.”
📎: https://t.co/B0eLy2RUwS pic.twitter.com/mXHPQNQb9a
There will be opportunities to sign players mid-season. Think Addin Fonua-Blake to the Warriors and Josh Aloiai-type signings. The sort that are playing above their current contract after 13 or 14 rounds and are looking to capialise on their hot form. Whether it be home-sickness, the need for a change of scenery or whatever other reason that has been used to get out of an NRL contract early over the years, the Dolphins can use the flimsy nature of the competitions contract system and nab a player few expect.
READ – The Dolphins: NRL Signings & Analysis
Putting together a whole NRL club in 18 months is a massive challenge. There are a lot of moving parts, and in the case of player recruitment, a lot of parts that are difficult to get moving. It’s going to be a long slog so the slow nature of how the Top 30 is coming together isn’t a surprise. Nor is the lack of Bennett-inspired signings only two months into the recruitment process.
I anticipated one big-name signing by now but am not shocked to see it not play out. Little is expected of the club on the field in 2023 so they don’t need to rush into hasty decisions. It’s important to remember the difficulties the Dolphins face but also how their recruitment is reported on when assessing how they’re tracking right now.
While underwhelming overall, it’s not a huge concern.
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