The guru and the rookie: Bennett on Te Whare
NRL super coach Wayne Bennett puts it down to a change in attitude as the reason why Valynce Te Whare is set to take rugby league by storm.
The Auckland-born centre became an instant cult hero when he scored two tries for the Dolphins on his debut against the Sharks in round 10.
Since then, he has played only four minutes of first-grade footy, but is back on the Dolphins’ interchange bench for their game against the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium today.
Part of the reason Te Whare captured the imagination of footy fans was that he joined the Redcliffe based club without any history in league, having previously played eight games for Waikato in the NPC between 2019-20, followed by two appearances for King Country in 2021.
Speaking after the Dolphins’ captain’s run in Auckland yesterday, which was watched by returning Warrior Tuivasa-Sheck, Bennett said he was impressed with the 22-yearold Te Whare from the first time he had a conversation with him.
‘‘It might have been his personality that got me, I don’t know,’’ Bennett said.
‘‘I saw a bit of vision of him and I remember talking to him on Zoom and that’s how we interviewed him.
‘‘I loved his personality and he didn’t blink about coming and trying to make it in rugby league.
‘‘With the state league [Queensland Cup], we told him we’d bring him over for it last year and he came over to play in that, which he needed, he needed some time playing rugby league.
‘‘It’s been great and this year he’s come along a bit further and next year he’ll be better again. He’ll be a long-term player for us.’’
Bennett is notorious for not talking up the potential of young players, but he would say he likes the fact that Te Whare backs himself.
‘‘The first part is what he thinks about his potential,’’ Bennett said.
‘‘He thinks it’s pretty good and that makes my job a lot easier. He’s not lacking any confidence in himself, I can tell you.’’
Being in a professional sporting environment, like the Dolphins, was a new experience for Te Whare and Bennett said that was something he needed to adjust to.
‘‘He did 12 months with us last year [in the Queensland Cup], which was the best thing he could have possibly done.
‘‘He had to play state league and get used to the game. He had a full preseason with us this year, he developed more and he’s getting better each week.
‘‘You see him in two years’ time. He’ll be a regular first-grader in 12 to 18 months. There’s no doubt about that, it’s just a case of how quickly he gets there now.
‘‘The big turning point for him was he started thinking like an NRL player. He was kicking stones and thinking like a state league player, but he changed his attitude and started behaving like an NRL player.’’
The Dolphins held their captain’s run at Alexandra Park, the usual training base for the Blues. Tuivasa-Sheck came along to the session and had a long chat with the Dolphins’ recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan, who was also previously at the Warriors.
The Dolphins have been the surprise package this season, with many pundits predicting them to pick up the wooden spoon.
Instead, the recruits secured by O’Sullivan have worked out well and they’re inside the top eight, with seven wins from 12 games. Bennett won’t say much when asked to reflect on the season so far, but he did confirm that the good start to their campaign allowed them to avoid early pressure.
‘‘We’re a team now and we’re in the competition,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got all of that behind us and it was important we did what we did, because it took a lot of pressure of us and it allowed us to become a footy team without a lot of unnecessary pressure.’’