Wayne Bennett has earmarked England as a key battleground, defending the Dolphins’ NRL recruitment efforts and their hunt for Cameron Munster.
Bennett on Tuesday stuck to his guns despite the Dolphins’ failed attempts to land a big fish, most recently Kalyn Ponga, for their maiden 2023 season.
Munster remains on contract at Melbourne until the end of next season, coach Craig Bellamy last week adamant there would be no early release for the Storm five-eighth.
Current rules allow Bennett to meet with Munster, but not table a contract for 2024 until November in a cagey predicament ARLC boss Peter V’landys thinks could be improved.
“I’m not unconfident,” Bennett said when asked how he felt the pursuit of the State of Origin star was faring. “We’re still in process of talking to Melbourne, and finding out what his future is there and talking to us in between.
“We’re quite comfortable with our position … the NRL haven’t told us we are (breaking rules) so we’ll continue doing what we’re doing.”
The Dolphins added BlueBet as a sponsor on Tuesday while St George Illawarra junior Jack Bostock became the latest signing, the 19-year-old centre on a development contract next year before moving into the squad’s top 30 in 2024.
Felise Kaufusi, Mark Nicholls, Ray Stone, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich form an experienced forward pack for their entry, while they have also signed Isaiya Katoa from Penrith’s development system and lured highly-rated North Queensland forward Tom Gilbert south.
“There’s criticism we haven’t signed anybody, criticism about dad’s army and there will be criticism about something else in the future,” Bennett mused.
“My position on all that stuff is that if you start listening to the fans you’ll be sitting with them.
“We know what we’re doing, we’re confident in it and no-one’s going to distract me personally from doing what I think is the best thing in the club.
“There’s a lot of things sitting in the cupboard back home we haven’t released yet.
“No-one’s telling any lies here … it’s not in our best interests to come out and make statements (today) until we’ve got some things secured away.”
The former England coach did confirm he had used his connections to begin talks with Super League players and coaches.
Multiple NRL clubs are reportedly keen on 21-year-old Wigan centre Kai Pearce-Paull, despite him currently nursing a serious knee injury.
“That’s a possibility; we’ve talked to some players over there already,” Bennett said of the prospect of recruitment out of England.
“When I coached (England), out of the 20-odd players … there were 20 of them in my opinion who would make good players in the NRL.”
DOLPHINS’ 2023 ROSTER: Jesse Bromwich, Ray Stone, Kenny Bromwich, Tom Gilbert, Jamayne Isaako, Felise Kaufusi, Mark Nicholls, Jack Bostock, Harrison Graham, Isaiya Katoa, Michael Roberts, Valynce Te Whare.
Phil Gould was making waves on Channel 9 and Fox Sports on Monday night over his influence at Canterbury’s training and his controversial views on the Karl Lawton send-off.
Gould on 100% Footy teed off on his critics following reports claiming he had undermined coach Trent Barrett by taking over a video and field session at the Bulldogs last week in the lead-up to their upset win over the Roosters.
Gus was in the firing line on NRL 360 with Paul Kent accusing him of hypocrisy after he said last Friday that Lawton should not have been sent off for his dangerous throw on Rabbitohs skipper Cameron Murray, bringing up comments from 30 years ago when he was Penrith coach and Brad Fittler was on the receiving end of a similar tackle from Broncos forward Alan Cann.
Fittler was also commentating on Channel 9 last Friday and backed up Gould’s view that Lawton should not have been marched.
“The offence is the worst act of foul play imaginable,” Gould said at the time in response reference to the Cann tackle. Fittler added: “Most of the players agree it is time for the dangerous tackles to be cleared up.”
Kent responded by saying “30 years ago it was the worst act of foul play immagineable and Friday night it was OK. There are rules in place and if you upend anybody, which we all agree, which is why Lawton copped four weeks and accepted the four weeks. That’s the truth of it. To try and spin this other stuff I don’t know what planet they are on.”
Gould claimed on 100% Footy that he has ignored the views of his critics but blasted them for being “childish and agenda driven”.
“I do know Trent Barrett coached the team this week, Trent Barrett will be the coach of the Bulldogs long after I’m gone, long after I’m gone, and he’ll be the long-term coach of the club,” Gould said.
“All this stuff that was misrepresented and misspoken about, most of it’s so childish and agenda driven and personal grievances, I’ve been dealing with for the most part of my career. It doesn’t affect me, I don’t worry about it and I laugh in their face with it.
“What they then try to do is get at people around me so I’ll respond. They’ll write rubbish, they’ll write lies and hope that I’ll respond and tell the truth. I’ve never done it, I’ve never tried to protect my own image by putting others down.
“I don’t care what the media says, I don’t care what the commentary says, I know the truth. That’s all I need to know. I’m satisfied with that.”
Ryan Papenhuyzen. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Former NSW coach Laurie Daley has named five Origin bolters that the Blues and Maroons should consider when picking their teams for this year’s series.
The former Raiders, Blues and Kangaroos captain nominated Rabbitohs forward Keaon Koloamatangi, Bulldogs star Matt Burton and Ryan Papenhuyzen as three uncapped players that NSW coach Brad Fittler could call up while he added Broncos winger Selwyn Cobbo and Cowboys forward Jeremiah Nanai as potential Queensland selections in their bid to regain the shield.
“[Koloamatangi] is someone that to me looks that he will be able to handle that next step up in class,” he said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“Burton might be an option as a left centre or someone who could play on the bench as a utility. He’s got that relationship with the Penrith players, that’ll be so important.
“Papenhuyzen’s form is so irresistible and I think they’ll have to find a spot for him somewhere and that’d be on the bench. The way he’s playing at the moment, he’s a threat every time he’s got the football.
“You could only imagine the damage he could do in an Origin game when everyone’s fatigued, if you injected him into the contest and had him playing as a second fullback in that 13 role, just pushing around the middle in support.”
As for the Maroons, he thinks Nanai is likely to make the team for Origin I on June 8 while Cobbo is more of a player of the future who could get a run during the series if others are unavailable.
“I think Cobbo at this stage will be highly unlikely to make their side but if they do have an injury or two, he will be in the frame. He will develop into a Latrell Mitchell-like player. I don’t think the big occasion would scare him off,” he said.
“[Nanai] there’s something about him that things happen, whether it’s scoring a try, he’s good with the ball in the air, he’s good at running a hole, he whacks in defence, he just looks like someone who’s going to have a massive future.”
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