BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

Three months ago, Dolphins head coach Wayne Bennett told everyone he wouldn’t poach players and take them to the South Sydney Rabbitohs for 2025.

Bennett’s flirty whispers were believed by everyone.

The aura of Bennett, the magnitude of what he says, is seemingly always snapped up like a wafting perfume for all to believe.

At the end of the day, Bennett is a calculating man-manager of players, fans and journalists alike.

We all get sucked in.

The Dolphins are on the cusp, or still fighting, for their maiden NRL finals appearance.

Wayne seems to know more than we do.

Are the Dolphins more cooked than we know?

Slapped into a tuna can, ready for a sandwich, ready for off-season?

All while ‘Uncle Wayne’ prepares for his mighty return to Sydney and the ‘Pride of the League’?

“I won’t be taking any of their kids that they want to keep,” Bennett told media in May.

“That’s not going to happen. I didn’t build this club to try and destroy it.

“If there is a guy that they are not offering a contract to or he is looking to go somewhere else and I think he can play a bit, then that will be a different thing, but I want all these players to stay.”

Bennett said that after the Dolphins beat Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium in May.

The dolphins were 7-3 and a bye already in their back pocket.

A day after a must-win 34-32 victory over the New Zealand Warriors in Brisbane, the Rabbitohs announced the signing of Euan Aitken until the end of the 2027 season.

Aitken was originally a centre at St George Illawarra, who had some great moments but has stepped up as a second-rower under Bennett and the Dolphins in 2024.

“Euan is a proven performer at NRL level and has also played representative football, all ingredients that will bring experience and ability to our forward pack over the next three seasons.” Rabbitohs head of footy Mark Ellison said in a statement.

Some, most in the media world, started to raise their eyebrows.

Aitken has been somewhat of a cult hero at the Dolphins.

Bennett’s comments in the background – floating in the air like we’ve heard this all before.

Then there’s Lachlan Hubner.

Born months before Wayne Bennett’s fifth premiership as a coach at the Brisbane Broncos in 2000.

Hubner has played three NRL games in 2024.

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Two as an interchange – one as a reserve.

“Hubner, 24, made his NRL debut for the Dolphins in round six of this season against the Broncos and has played three NRL games so far this year,” rabbitohs.com.au spruiked on Monday.

“Hubner has also played 70 games in the Queensland Cup competition over the past four years with the Central Queensland Capras.

“He has been part of the Dolphins system for the past two years, completing pre-season training regimes with the Club before making his debut against the Dolphins’ cross-town rivals, the Broncos, in April this year.”

“Hubner has shown leadership from a young age, captaining the Capras under 20s team in 2020 as well as captaining his school’s, Emmaus College’s, first XIII at the Confraternity Carnival.”

That’s a fair statement for a player with three NRL Games.

Dolphins fans should be concerned that their club is still in the finals race, one win out of the top 8, and their head coach is more worried about signing players for Souths.

Something he said, he wouldn’t do.

@woodward_curtis