BENNETT VISION FOR DOLPHINS
WAYNE Bennett met Dolphins officials on Friday to formally thrash out a three or four-year $2m package to rubber-stamp him as the first coach of the NRL’S 17th club.
Bennett spoke to Dolphins chiefs about operating in a consultancy capacity in his “gap year”, before stepping into a full-time position as the second Brisbane team’s head coach from 2023.
The 71-year-old is acutely aware of implementing the necessary building blocks to ensure the $70m Redcliffebacked organisation is a competitive NRL force from day one.
The foundation coach of the Broncos guided Brisbane to a premiership after only four years on their way to six titles between 1992-2006.
Now Bennett must create another footballing system in Brisbane and the NRL’S greatest coach has ideas that will underpin the Dolphins’ rise.
He is adamant the 17th team will not be whipping boys.
The Dolphins will enter as arguably the richest club in the NRL code.
Founded in 1947, the Redcliffebacked operation is a powerhouse. With gross assets of $70m across the Redcliffe business empire and more than $20m in cash reserves, the Dolphins will be as rich as the Broncos, Roosters, Melbourne, Souths and newly minted NRL premier Penrith.
Indeed, Bennett sees parallels between the Dolphins’ northern catchment and the footballing nursery that has turned the Panthers into a premiership juggernaut.
“The Dolphins are so similar to Penrith,” he said.
“They have a great catchment, so we have to maximise the talent in the area and capitalise on the same type of nursery that the Panthers have.
“I am really clear on how I want the Dolphins to look and the way we will play our football.”
Bennett and ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys are mindful of the pressure for the Dolphins to succeed given rugby league’s tempestuous history with expansion.
The NRL’S most recent expansion team in 2007, the Titans, have gone bankrupt twice.
In 1995, the Australian Rugby League introduced four new clubs – North Queensland, South Queensland, Auckland and the Western Reds. The Crushers and Reds were killed off as part of peace talks following the Super League war. The Cowboys and Warriors have gone bust and required bailout packages.
V’landys says a major factor in the ARL Commission’s decision to opt for the Dolphins is the knowledge it cannot afford another debacle.
“We took into account the history of expansion and the previous clubs that have fallen over,” he said.
“It is very important that this new 17th team stands on its own two feet.
“There is no way as a game we are going to bail out a new team or prop anyone up.
“We have learnt from past mistakes. We will not allow the 17th team to be a financial burden on the game.
“We are very confident that Redcliffe will never need our help.
“They have given us a $10m bank guarantee, the last thing we wanted
We will not allow the 17th team to be a financial burden. Peter V’landys
was to go with a bid and it financially failed after 12 months or two years.”
Queensland Origin coach and legendary Storm fullback Billy Slater backed the decision, but says the code must be wary of playing depth.
“This is great for the game, Brisbane is a huge market so having a second team is going to be a great result for Queensland rugby league,” Slater said.
“The one concern is we will have to find another 30 players.
“The majority of players will be coming from other NRL teams so there are going to be two or three players from each team that will go to the new Dolphins franchise.
“We have made the decision for a 17th team and now the game has a responsibility to put the effort and energy into developing players.
“Redcliffe deserve it . . . now they get their opportunity.”
Bennett believes there is an additional spin-off – the potential benefits for Queensland in the State of Origin arena.