Wayne Bennett has spent his lifetime proving people wrong. Winning premierships and being one of the greatest managers of men in the history of the sport is one thing – but he’s also built clubs from nothing. Just like what he’s doing with Redcliffe right now.
Here is a man that has seen and experienced more in the game than most could only dream about.
Bennett could fill nine or ten books with the stuff he knows.
The Dolphins have the perfect boss for their first season.
While they won’t snag every player but why do you need every gun in the competition when your coach is Wayne Bennett?
Experts are worried that time is running out for the Dolphins as they fill their roster for their inaugural season.
What people aren’t seeing is that Bennett already has the winners – a nucleus of players that he can build around.
The Bromwich brothers from Melbourne.
Felise Kaufusi – also from the Storm.
What about Mark Nicholls? Who started in the grand final for South Sydney last year and played in preliminary finals for the club in 2019 and 2020 respectively?
He has the engine room.
Wayne Bennett will find the players he needs to make the Dolphins competitive next year.
The legendary mentor was asked about Gold Coast Titans monster David Fifita who is on-contract with the South-Queensland franchise until the end of next year.
“It’s not my job to coach other players at other clubs, but I have a lot of respect for Dave,” Bennett said.
“If he is on the market, yes, I would be interested in David Fifita.
“You can’t walk away from quality players, but he isn’t on the market just yet, so we will have to wait.
“I know what a wonderful player that he can be.”
In recent times, Bennett and the Dolphins have been pinged by rival clubs worried about what they are doing and the communication between said people.
After already losing the Bromwich brothers and Kaufusi, the Storm contacted the NRL to make an official complaint about some of Redcliffe’s manoeuvring to chase Cameron Munster who is under contract and not able to talk to rival clubs for 2023.
“We are quite comfortable with our position,” Bennett added.
“The NRL haven’t told us we have broken any rules, they are the governing body, so we will continue doing what we are doing.”
The Raiders were a mess in the early 1980s before they got Bennett to the club.
Canberra appeared in their first grand final in 1987 [Bennett was co-coach].
When the Brisbane Broncos began sketching out what their future looked like, they went after Bennett.
They even camped in Canberra until Bennett took their meeting. He did and went back to Queensland.
This is a guy that punted Wally Lewis.
The following year, Brisbane won their maiden NSWRL premiership.
Unlikely halfback hero Shane Perry can thank Wayne for a title in 2006.
In 2009, Bennett took a job at the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Despite all the detractors and how they played, which included the old-school ‘take a penalty goal whenever you can’, the Dragons won their first premiership since becoming a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999.
In reflection, Gold Coast made the finals in 2021 with a 10-14 record.
A blight on the game but it still happened.
Don’t question Wayne Bennett.
His team will probably beat yours in 2023.
Check out the League World Podcast – Episode 1!
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