Redcliffe Dolphins recruitment targets

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Still some big names on market

10.Taukeiaho
11. Crichton
12. Kaufausi
13. Taupau

looks good

They should sign Joey Leilua. His market value would be at an all time low and he's the sort of player that usually excels under Bennett. Plus he played under Bennett at The Knights, so there's familiarity between the two.

 

[MugaB]

The NRL needs to acknowledge that some clubs have an advantage in the player market due to their location and ownership model. Teams like The Turkeys, The Elmer Fudds, The Donkeys and The Drizzle can poach marquee players without overspending. Smith has reportedly signed with The Turkeys for a lower amount than was offered by The Dolphins. The only way this crap can be corrected is if the rich clubs are forced to pay a tax for every junior they poach from other clubs, with the money going towards the clubs that produced these players and added to their salary cap to help them recruit players from the big guns. If we let things stay as they are then The Turkeys will just buy up the best talent from other clubs because everyone wants to live in or near the Sydney CBD.

Its been like this for over a decade, players know their life span in league is limited, so they go to the clubs they see as potential winners or atleast finals bound, starting at an expansion club or going regional isn't high on the list of wishes to get granted unless they are from that area and want to make an impact.... brandon smith doesn't seem like he would be motivated to be a leader at a new franchise, which is why Capewell and Reynolds should of stayed at their respective clubs till the dolphins came knocking, those two would have been awesome signings for the dolphins under Bennett

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

It’s a tough issue, you could introduce a limited draft for players over 25 or something to counter the blow to teams like Penrith, marquee factory but only after years and years of hard work. Then they get smashed.

I thought the dogs secured Burton at a discount but paid over for Kiks. I’m not sure where the Dolphins were. I would have offered Burto 600.

Even if “we” were not in the nrl yet, he could have been signed on condition the club got the green light. A lot of players could, but “we” were asleep at the wheel.

I am a bit biased here but he’s a formidable player and he’s only starting out really. He could be anything.


When Benny is discussing success with factory players, times are tough.

More regulation of player managers might help too.

 

[blaza88z]

Smith signing with The Turkeys sums up everything that's wrong with the game. I know he's free to sign with whoever he wants and has valid reasons to choose a premiership contender over struggling sides, but it's not good for the viewers as it gets boring seeing the same clubs at the top.

The exact same thing happened when Melbourne poached Xavier Coates from Brisbane but because it's Brisbane and historically Brisbane isn't a club that lingers around the bottom of the table.. people just turned a blind eye.

It's not good for the game at all when clubs camped in the top 4 can sign boom young kids who will undoubtedly have fantastic careers at rep level from clubs that are struggling to get out of their own way and the players are willing to take a pay cut in doing so. He's a winger so I don't think it will matter too much as a Brisbane fan, we aren't a club that has ever had trouble bringing them through.

At least with Brandon Smith it was a Melbourne player going to the Roosters, it's not like it disadvantages Melbourne, they probably knew they couldn't keep him. Bit different when a top club takes one from a bottom 4 club and the player takes a pay cut in doing so.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

The exact same thing happened when Melbourne poached Xavier Coates from Brisbane but because it's Brisbane and historically Brisbane isn't a club that lingers around the bottom of the table.. people just turned a blind eye.

It's not good for the game at all when clubs camped in the top 4 can sign boom young kids who will undoubtedly have fantastic careers at rep level from clubs that are struggling to get out of their own way and the players are willing to take a pay cut in doing so. He's a winger so I don't think it will matter too much as a Brisbane fan, we aren't a club that has ever had trouble bringing them through.

At least with Brandon Smith it was a Melbourne player going to the Roosters, it's not like it disadvantages Melbourne, they probably knew they couldn't keep him. Bit different when a top club takes one from a bottom 4 club and the player takes a pay cut in doing so.

I remember The Broncos doing it to The Cowboys 21 years ago when the poached Scott Prince.

 

[MugaB]

The exact same thing happened when Melbourne poached Xavier Coates from Brisbane but because it's Brisbane and historically Brisbane isn't a club that lingers around the bottom of the table.. people just turned a blind eye.

It's not good for the game at all when clubs camped in the top 4 can sign boom young kids who will undoubtedly have fantastic careers at rep level from clubs that are struggling to get out of their own way and the players are willing to take a pay cut in doing so. He's a winger so I don't think it will matter too much as a Brisbane fan, we aren't a club that has ever had trouble bringing them through.

At least with Brandon Smith it was a Melbourne player going to the Roosters, it's not like it disadvantages Melbourne, they probably knew they couldn't keep him. Bit different when a top club takes one from a bottom 4 club and the player takes a pay cut in doing so.

That's actually the problem though, guys like brandon smith, won't get poached by a struggling club, all it does is keep him circling the top4 sides, instead of someone like the cowboys, tigers or in this case the dolphins having a marquee players star for them.. its just globetrotters moving to another globetrotter team... its sickening to see the roosters claim another marquee signing ahead of a team who would greatly benefit from his services, rather than an all star cast who would most probably make finals even without him there... i actually don't mind that teddy went to the roosters as he had half his playing career at the tigers and felt he was stale, but cooper cronk going to sydney, aswell as SBW coming back from toronto going there too (instead of warriors, who were covid affect and needed players) kinda sickens me moreso

 

[Perth Red]

The exact same thing happened when Melbourne poached Xavier Coates from Brisbane but because it's Brisbane and historically Brisbane isn't a club that lingers around the bottom of the table.. people just turned a blind eye.

It's not good for the game at all when clubs camped in the top 4 can sign boom young kids who will undoubtedly have fantastic careers at rep level from clubs that are struggling to get out of their own way and the players are willing to take a pay cut in doing so. He's a winger so I don't think it will matter too much as a Brisbane fan, we aren't a club that has ever had trouble bringing them through.

At least with Brandon Smith it was a Melbourne player going to the Roosters, it's not like it disadvantages Melbourne, they probably knew they couldn't keep him. Bit different when a top club takes one from a bottom 4 club and the player takes a pay cut in doing so.

yeh Tigers would have been hardest hit in this way in recent times. I suppose its same in most sports around the world. You cant blame good teams for being good and you cant blame players for wanting to play for good clubs. I am really surprised Dolphins didnt have a big name in their pocket given they have been faves all along for the spot.

 

[MugaB]

Smith's agent sent out an email to all clubs on November 1 with expressions of interest for 2023. That is how far our involvement went.
The club never submitted an offer or expressed any interest in him or with his agent.

He was never coming here for 2 reasons.
1. His initial asking price between $800k-$1 mil was far too much money for our club to afford. Even if Kikau and Api weren't retained it would still be far too much money on the cap to balance out further upgrades in the coming seasons. We can't afford a hooker on big money at the moment. If Api is retained it won't be anything near that.
2. The second reason is the big one. There is a significant portion of the players here that do not like Smith at all. A few have had several incidents with him that go further than niggling. Bringing him here could have upset the harmony of the playing group. We don't need to import a dickhead to create problems.

His comments on the podcast linking us to him were no more than him big-noting himself. His initial asking price had scared off a few clubs.

Good luck with BS Baracas

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

It was interesting to hear Cheese reveal segments of the roosters pitch.

There was some outrage about it but sometimes it’s nice to get a player speaking so matter of factly, although he sounded a bit foolish and easily sucked in by nostalgia and rubbish.

He talked about the roosters helping players off the field, but the squids drunken escapade is not the best example of this.

Wade famously spoke about the influence of Gallen on his decision and knowing Adam Elliot people, Ricky Stuart was the major influence in his ambition. The contemporary Ricky is too cool for school!

I suppose the Dolphins recruiters, the package on offer is not working. Clint blathering on about being a man or something juvenile or disposal just doesn’t cut it anymore.

None of the players have ever seen a good Western.

 

[MugaB]

I suppose the Dolphins recruiters, the package on offer is not working. Clint blathering on about being a man or something juvenile or disposal just doesn’t cut it anymore.

None of the players have ever seen a good Western.

What did you just say.....punk!

 

[Perth Red]

Another one missed, the pool is getting shallow!

Wests Tigers sign Apisai Koroisau

Wests Tigers are pleased to announce that representative hooker and dual premiership winner Apisai Koroisau has agreed to join the club from the start of the 2023 NRL season.

www.weststigers.com.au

 

[Knight76]

With all these players signing elsewhere, if this continues and the Dolphins are forced to field a fairly drab team, all you will hear is how there are not enough NRL quality players and the NRL should not have expanded.

 

[Perth Red]

It’s almost like the afl know you need to give some concessions to a new club to help them not be duds from the start.

 

[Perth Red]

Wayne Bennett has called for calm with the Dolphins having signed just one player ahead of their inaugural NRL season in 2023.

Bennett claims he’s not feeling any pressure despite missing out a host of stars who have been connected to the expansion side since November 1.

The Dolphins have been linked to Brandon Smith, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Patrick Carrigan, Reed Mahoney, Christian Welch, Isaiah Papali’i, Harry Grant, Reegan Campbell Gillard and Cody Walker - but they all signed elsewhere.

The coach is confident the rest will fall into place and emphasised he’s not building a “straw” house.

“There’s a word called patience and we can’t just talk it, we have to live it at the moment,” Bennett told The Sun-Herald.

“We’ll just be patient. We’re not building a team for one season, we’re building a team for a lifetime. It’s important that all the decisions are made for the right reasons. That’s being patient, that’s being vision making.

“There’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet.

“Coaches will get disgruntled with players throughout the season, that type of stuff. There’s another off-season in front of us. I’m not fazed.
“We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. It will come together every day as we get closer to another signature, another player. Nobody is disappointed.”

Bennett admitted he would have liked to have signed more players by now but emphasised there is still plenty of time.

“There will be fallout through the season and there’s an off-season still in front of us. I’m confident we’ll have a quality football team,” he said.

“I’m just pleased that [ARLC chairman] Peter [V’landys] knew what he was doing. He didn’t bring two teams in because it would have made it much more difficult. This is the way to do it, with one.

“I was always confident about [there being enough quality players].

“The 17th team, regardless of who it was or where it came from, I was always comfortable that would happen.

‘Vision making’: Wayne Bennett defends recruiting methods as pressure mounts on Dolphins

‘We’re not building a team for one season’: Bennett hits back as pressure mounts on Dolphins

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Perth Red]

There’s been a lot of talk in the media that the Dolphins need to land a big fish or two, and the rest will come.

Much like the Bulldogs signing Josh Addo-Carr kickstarted their 2021 signing spree, numerous pundits have claimed that signing a big name will inspire others to take a leap of faith and join the expansion side in 2023.

It’s been more than a month since all 2022 off-contract players hit the open market, and they’ve signed one player - a second-rower. While it’s a good start, Felise Kaufusi is hardly the player that’s going to draw crowds to their home games.

Perhaps the lure of Wayne Bennett isn’t quite what it was at power clubs like Souths or the Broncos, or perhaps recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan has refused to bite the bullet and pay ‘overs’ to secure his man.


Whatever the issue, the Dolphins need a catch, and soon, because the best offerings are rapidly being snapped up by their rivals.

After missing out on Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Patrick Carrigan and Brandon Smith only recently, the Dolphins need to secure their next target, and perhaps they need to invert their thinking to avoid further embarrassment. Inexpensively bring in smaller fish, and you’ll attract the big ones soon. But act quick, or there’ll be no more fish in the sea at all.

With few big-name stars still on the market for 2023, Reed Mahoney is the clear next choice as a young Queenslander, with the Dolphins having plenty of funds to offer him, provided he hasn't linked up with the Bulldogs.

The challenge is getting he and fellow Queensland star Kalyn Ponga to Redcliffe when other teams can offer stability and a lower, yet still attractive paycheck. They need to be convinced that they won’t spend the prime of their careers collecting wooden spoons

Why the Dolphins need to change their recruitment plan, and fast

The Dolphins are starting to run out of options.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Waiting for players to have a falling out with their contracted clubs seems a bit desperate.

Youd want to create a special ops team to assist in that process. Spread some rumours etc. put thoughts in players head how they are underpaid etc.

Pretty much have a full cap to blow. Obviously the offers haven’t been high enough to create a stir in the loins of marquee and their greedy obese agents.

Maybe they need to offer housing, free travel home, training that involves recreation, study opportunities, jobs and so forth post -career. Other things of value.

Perhaps signing Clint on top dollar, looks to be an error. Emotion over fact. Not many people want to buy into his leadership.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Waiting for players to have a falling out with their contracted clubs seems a bit desperate.

Youd want to create a special ops team to assist in that process. Spread some rumours etc. put thoughts in players head how they are underpaid etc.

Pretty much have a full cap to blow. Obviously the offers haven’t been high enough to create a stir the loins of marquee and their greedy obese agents.

Maybe they need to offer housing, free travel home, training that involves recreation, study opportunities, jobs and so forth post -career. Other things of value.

Perhaps signing Clint on top dollar, looks to be an error. Emotion over fact. Not many people want to buy into his leadership.

They should give prospective players a 20% discount at the Coles supermarket that they own.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

They should give prospective players a 20% discount at the Coles supermarket that they own.

They way things are panning out, they’d be wanting to offer them a cut of the takings!

Marquees like bling. The Dolphins should turn up to the talks in hired Lamborghini’s and stuff. Dress up in all that shite fashionista gear.

Get a couple of high profile investors to tell them they will make a them a shitload for the rest of their lives.

Training to start at a civilised 10.30 or 11am and players are allowed and actually encouraged to get smashed once or twice a week.

If the intended Marquee is single, honeytrap.

Players are usually slobs, so each Marquee gets a cleaner or valet to assist them cleaning up after them.

Satellite internet via agreement with nasa.

Promise anyone anything, worry about the consequences after they’ve signed. Make sure the fine print allows the club to reneg and go back on every promise except salary I guess.

Bait and switch.

I blame the NRL for this as well as much as anything.

They all thought Redcliffe would have the kangaroo side by now. They can barely get a ball boy to show up as it is and they will probably want $500 a game.

Kafusi should demand more money due to the embarrassment caused to him by being the only sucker to sign. People laughing behind his back.

The bloody Titans look a hundred times stronger than the Dolphins.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

They way things are panning out, they’d be wanting to offer them a cut of the takings!

Marquees like bling. The Dolphins should turn up to the talks in hired Lamborghini’s and stuff. Dress up in all that shite fashionista gear.

Get a couple of high profile investors to tell them they will make a them a shitload for the rest of their lives.

Training to start at a civilised 10.30 or 11am and players are allowed and actually encouraged to get smashed once or twice a week.

If the intended Marquee is single, honeytrap.

Players are usually slobs, so each Marquee gets a cleaner or valet to assist them cleaning up after them.

Satellite internet via agreement with nasa.

Promise anyone anything, worry about the consequences after they’ve signed. Make sure the fine print allows the club to reneg and go back on every promise except salary I guess.

Bait and switch.

I blame the NRL for this as well as much as anything.

They all thought Redcliffe would have the kangaroo side by now. They can barely get a ball boy to show up as it is and they will probably want $500 a game.

Kafusi should demand more money due to the embarrassment caused to him by being the only sucker to sign. People laughing behind his back.

The bloody Titans look a hundred times stronger than the Dolphins.

Maybe they could provide contracted players with an unlimited supply of Home Brew from The Dolphins' Coles Supermarket and one free spin on the pokies at the Leagues Club every Wednesday. That should get the drunks and gamblers lining up to play for Wayne.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Maybe they could provide contracted players with an unlimited supply of Home Brew from The Dolphins' Coles Supermarket and one free spin on the pokies at the Leagues Club every Wednesday. That should get the drunks and gamblers lining up to play for Wayne.

Clint is on a massive mega contract because the thinking is so 1980’s.

There was a remark made about his personal wealth and so forth, but it’s not his fault if fools are easily relieved of their money.

So Clint is comfy financially, but on the mighty train of bullshite convincing players everything is “soo” good.

His presence and aura is what he sold, they bought into it and end up with kafusi and promises that marquee players are going to breach their contracts and chance at playing a grand final to jag a finish above 17th.

A free spin on the pokies and all the home brew they chug down on numerous evenings with Clint.

His war stories are apparently enough to entice the next immortals to Redcliffe. To be a part of history… Lol.

These stupendous failures ….keep me hungry for NRL!