The Dolphins have already signed their marquee

The lack of a major, competition-breaking signature for dolphins is no secret. Colin Ponga, Harry Grant, Jahrom Hughes and Reed Mahoney have been tossed around as potential signings and have all landed elsewhere.

The two most exciting young Queensland talents in the league, Rees Walsh and Selwyn Cobo, are ready to stay with their current club.

So where does the NRL’s 17th club go?

Many believe it is Cameron Munster. Storm Five-Eight is still contracted for the 2023 season, where he is expected to earn close to $ 1.2 million and will not join the Dolphins until their second year in the league.

Undoubtedly the Maroon and Kangaroo star will be a brilliant acquisition for any club, but if he does not come to Radcliffe it is far from a disaster – because the Dolphins have already signed their big marquee.

Wayne Bennett.

Supercoach has arguably been the greatest rugby league coach of all time and has seen success at every level. He has coached Queensland to historic Origin wins, won seven Premierships at the NRL level and has coached Australia and England internationally.

Most importantly, he was the opening coach of the Brisbane Broncos and for decades initiated success for one of the biggest clubs of the modern era.

The Broncos defeated ruling Premier Manley in their first game and sat in the top four for most of their debut season. In their fifth season, Bennett trained them to be the first of six flags in 15 years.

No single player has been able to build that level of long-term success and lay the groundwork for a new expansion club that will become a league powerhouse. But Wayne could.

Wayne Bennett’s coaches at every club have struggled infamously for years since his departure. South Sydney is clear evidence this season that the infamous Bennett curse still haunts the NRL.

Admittedly, last year’s grand finalists were without superstar halfback Adam Reynolds, but there is much more to this than Banij’s current form and Cody Walker’s preferred performance.

Apparently, Bennett’s influence in the playing group has been severely underestimated. It’s a team that has State of Origin representatives on every line who were away from the Stephen Crichton Premiership under Bennett – yet without him they are lost and constantly flipping the ball.

Bennett makes each of those players better and under him they can be jailed as a team. Without him? Well they are separated.

The three-time Daly M coach of the year has never been known for tactics, but has always gotten the best out of the players he has made available instead.

The 2020 Queensland team had no right to win that series, but again Bennett made the most of what he had and took his Underdog Maroons to a low chance of winning against a powerhouse Blues lineup.

The squad that Bennett has assembled in Dolphin so far consists of strong role-players, strong leaders and young stars full of promise and potential.

The Mark Nichols and Bromwich brothers provide great leadership for the club, Ray Stone is a workhorse who will give everything every week, Felice Kaufussi is an original gun that has strengthened their forward pack and Tom Gilbert could become one of the mainstays of the league. Forward

Between Edrick Lee and Robert Jennings, Bennett has two big-bodied tri-scorers, where Jamain Isaaco has a very good back three round out.

Isaaco won the Rookie of the Year in 2018 under Bennett but has so far failed to retain his talent and there is no doubt that the New Zealand international under coach can restore his absolute best who brought him to the top flight.

After its tumultuous departure from Brisbane in 2018, a Bennett-led dolphin outfit will create a strong rivalry with neighboring Broncos and could become a derby for some of Sydney’s fiercest rivalries, such as the war in the West or pure hatred. Between the two oldest clubs in the league, Rooster and Rabitos.

Bennett has everything to make a tough team of dolphins. The roster still has room to grow and there is plenty of excitement to wait for from the club in 2023.

Of course they will be far from competing for a premiership, but NRL’s new franchise will surely be full of surprises and they have a huge future ahead of them.

With or without the marquee player, don’t underestimate Wayne Bennett and his men.