New Dolphins prop Thomas Flegler ditched Brisbane to play under Wayne Bennett and join three former Melbourne heroes who he intends to learn plenty from.
Prop Thomas Flegler has completed his first team training session with the Dolphins and revealed the four words from Wayne Bennett that convinced him to leave the Brisbane Broncos.
The 24-year-old was a teenager at the Broncos in 2018 when Bennett was in his final year at the club but he had little to do with the master-coach at the time.
Bennett’s recruitment pitch to lure Flegler away from the Broncos, with whom the forward made his Queensland and Australia debuts, was predictably minimalist.
“Wayne is pretty blunt. He just said, ‘Tom, we want you’,” Flegler said.
“He is probably the greatest coach in the game. With a resume like that he doesn’t need to say too much to get people over the line.
“To be able to come here and get a year with him will be outstanding for me.
“(In 2018 at the Broncos) I was playing Queensland Cup. He was great, but I didn’t have a lot to do with him. I didn’t play under him.”
The Dolphins have put together a forward pack that appealed to Flegler and proved another recruitment magnet.
At the Broncos, he was part of a youthful group of forwards that also included Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura.
Flegler said he had always admired from afar experienced former Melbourne Storm trio Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi – now he gets to play alongside them.
“Not every forward pack has players like that, with the experience they have,” Flegler said.
“That was probably the biggest thing that got me over the line.
“Jesse has got front-rower of the year many times now. The Bromwich brothers and Felise have been in premiership-winning teams and played for their country. They are going to be awesome to learn off.
Thomas Flegler of the Broncos looks on ahead of the round 24 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels at The Gabba on August 11, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
“Hopefully one day, when their time comes to an end, I can step into their role.”
Flegler was a key figure in the Broncos’ surge to the 2023 grand final. He is keen to return to that arena and be part of the first Dolphins side to play finals football.
“Last year we didn’t have too many expectations,” Flegler said of the Dolphins.
“I wasn’t here but we have now established ourselves and we want to be a top-eight team.
“The grand final is the ultimate goal but we have got to take baby steps to get there. A top-eight finish is our first goal.”
The Broncos will find it tough to replace Flegler’s aggression and competitive drive but it is not an issue that is on his mind. He’s a Dolphin now.
“I don’t really care. It is not my problem. I don’t care what happens there,” he grinned.
© AAP
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Round 8’s NRL was a weekend of domination, with an average win margin of 21 points and some teams seeing their finals hopes really…
"Apologise for my appearance as well, boys - I usually look better than this!"
The season is heading into its middle third and there is a clear separation between seven teams who all look playoff bound and the…
Nicho Hynes has not quite made an undeniable case to be Nathan Cleary’s halves partner for NSW but he should be the first five-eighth…
The Sharks halfback backed it up with a try from a few seconds later, through some more tired Canberra defenders.
There is only one Kalyn Ponga but Newcastle have shown they won’t be shot ducks while their Dally M Medal winner is out with…
