BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 27: Wayne Bennett poses for a photo with the revealing of the Dolphins Heritage Round jersey during a Dolphins NRL press conference at Suncorp Stadium on October 27, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Success is hard to come by in professional sport, especially when you’re building something from scratch.
This is the predicament facing The Dolphins in 2023 as fans and pundits alike speculate on whether this new club can be a force in their debut year or a retirement home for older players until proper foundations are built.
But what are the foundations for success in your first year in the Telstra Premiership and how well have Wayne Bennett and his team checked off these criteria?
To answer these questions let’s explore the inception of the NRL’s last two new institutions, excluding joint-ventures like the Dragons and Wests Tigers.
The Melbourne Storm found success almost immediately when they finished third on the competition ladder in their first season in 1998. Then went on to do something unprecedented the following year when they claimed the Provan-Summons trophy in just their second year of existence.
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast bid their way back into the top grade in 2005, and the Titans played their debut season in 2007, finishing twelfth.
Funnily enough, when Gold Coast initially pitched their new side they were going to be dubbed the Gold Coast Dolphins before the name was dropped to avoid legal trouble with Redcliffe.
A look back at 1998 and 2007 can show just what The Dolphins must do to thrive in 2023.
1. Getting the right coach
This is undeniably the first thing any new club has to get right if they want some early success.
Although Melbourne’s head coaching role is now synonymous with Craig Bellamy, their first head coach Chris Anderson was also premiership calibre having won with the Bulldogs in 1995 before moving to Victoria.
His trophy cabinet also boasted the 1993 Dally M award for Coach of the Year, and he coached the Kangaroos 25 times.
The Titans’ first head coach, John Cartwright was the assistant coach under Ricky Stuart at theRoosters between 2002-04 and was promoted to head coach when he made the move to Robina in 2007.
This is something the Dolphins have got right, as Bennett brings his 888 games and seven premierships worth of experience to the table.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 01: Wayne Bennett, coach of the Broncos looks on during the launch of NRL Nation at Darling Harbour on October 1, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
The allure of working with Bennett not only exists for players, but also for coaches with Tongan international coach Kristian Woolf and former Origin representative Nathan Fien joining the side in assistant coaching roles.
2. Snagging the marquee man
The Dolphins’ recruitment push for the elusive ‘marquee signing’ has been the club’s greatest failure thus far.
The club has publicly pursued the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Munster, Latrell Mitchell, Reece Walsh and now Dylan Brown, but despite getting a few nibbles and starting plenty of conversations, Bennett has been unable to land the big fish.
The importance of a marquee signing is evident in Melbourne’s 1998 campaign after, Anderson recruited now Rugby League Hall of Famer, Glenn Lazarus.
The lovingly named ‘Brick with Eyes’ was a NSW rep, four-time premiership winner, Dally M Prop of the Year and 210-game veteran when he joined the Storm.
His on-field efforts as captain were an essential part of the Storm’s run to the ’98 preliminary final against Brisbane, but even off-field his signing was seen as a drawcard for other players considering signing with Melbourne.
Unlike the Storm and Dolphins, the Titans had two seasons to seek out big-name signings before the squad had to take to the field.
They picked up established names with premiership and representative credentials like Scott Prince, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey and Mat Rogers.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JULY 09: Preston Campbell of the Titans makes a line break during the round 18 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Gold Coast Titans at Campelltown Sports Stadium on July 9, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
While these signings paid dividends down the line for the Titans, they failed to gel in that opening year when they bowed out on the back of eight losses from their final 10 games.
Perhaps this demonstrates that jagging the ‘big name player,’ or players, is not always a shortcut to immediate success – so there’s still hope for the Dolphins in 2023.
3. Mixing youth and experience
The Storm’s 1998 side contained the experience of Glenn Lazarus, but it also housed plenty of young talent.
Such as future NSW halfback Brett Kimmorley, Stephen Kearney and potent attacking fullback Robbie Ross.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – 1998: Brett Kimmorley of the Storm looks to offload during a NRL finals match between the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney City Roosters at Olympic Park 1998, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Getty Images)
Papua New Guinean outside back Marcus Bai was signed after one season with the Gold Coast Chargers and went on to win the 1997 Dally M for Winger of the Year.
An inspection of The Dolphins’ squad reveals a similar mix of youth and experience.
Early signings such as the Bromwich brothers and Felise Kaufusi certainly help to bring the Dolphins’ average game tally up, while young talent like Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Isaiya Katoa and Tom Gilbert help to balance the squad out.
VERDICT:
Even now that we have a full squad list for The Dolphins, they are still an enigma for next season and how they do will also depend on factors such as the draw, injuries and State of Origin.
If I had to predict their inaugural year being more like the Storms or Titans I would probably lean towards the latter.
With the experience of Bennett, his coaching staff and a number of the players on staff I can’t imagine them as cellar dwellers.
However, the lack of their own Glenn Lazarus-type marquee signing is why most can’t see them breaking the top eight just yet.
What I will say about Bennett’s recruitment campaign is that he’s drawn from a list of players that he’s worked with before and who have played their best football under the super coach.
Anthony Milford, Kodi Nikorima, Jamayne Isaako and Herman Ese’ese were at the top of their games during Wayne’s second stint in Brisbane and have seemingly faltered since parting ways with him.
Bennett also clearly saw something in Mark Nicholls during his time at South Sydney, and the same can be said of Brenko and Edrick Lee, whom he coached during the 2020 Origin series.
Much like the 2007 Titans side, this squad may take a while to gel and find its feet and there will certainly be some low points but it will all be in service of future success.
Source:: ZeroTackle
