Wendell Sailor says Wayne Bennett ‘isn’t what he used to be’ as Dolphins miss out on marquee signing

The Dolphins failing to land a notable signing before their debut season is evidence Wayne Bennett ‘it’s not what it used to be’, according to rugby league great Wendell Sailor.

Redcliffe will become the 17th club in the NRL this season and have recruited a number of proven NRL players, with Queensland State of Origin star Felise Kaufusi joining from Melbourne along with Kenny Bromwich and his brother Jesse.

Mark Nicholls arrived from the Rabbitohs, while former Broncos 5-8 Anthony Milford will reunite with Bennett after a lonely season with the Knights.

Wayne Bennett has struggled to recruit notable signings ahead of the Dolphins’ inaugural NRL season, with the Redcliffe-based club missing out on several key targets.

The Dolphins, however, have failed to land a notable signing, with Cameron Munster and Kalyn Ponga turning down his advances to sign new deals with the Storm and Knights respectively.

Melbourne also retained playmaker Jahrome Hughes and hooker Harry Grant, while Penrith star Stephen Crichton will join Canterbury in 2024.

And Sailor, who won four premierships over eight seasons under Bennett in Brisbane, admitted to being surprised by the Dolphins’ struggle to attract superstar names.

“I’m surprised, the magic of Wayne Bennett is that he can sign an outstanding player,” he said on Triple M.

Sailor Wendell believes his former mentor has lost his magic touch

The dual code star won four premierships with Bennett in eight seasons in Brisbane.

‘I know for a fact that he thought he had Munster […] but this is the magic of Wayne Bennett usually, being able to get standout players and high-profile players.

“I think Wayne, along with some of his recruiters, probably would have had the confidence to execute some deals.

“But unfortunately, I’m not saying it doesn’t have the Midas touch, but it’s not what it used to be.

The NRL confirmed that the Dolphins would join the competition in October 2021, leaving Bennett with less than 18 months to put together his roster.

The Dolphins spent months chasing Queensland and Melbourne star playmaker Cameron Munster only for him to sign a new deal with the Storm.

Kalyn Ponga rejected Dolphins’ advances to sign a new deal with Newcastle

Sailor acknowledged that his former mentor was facing a race against time to sign players, and suggested that a longer spell would have made life easier for newcomers to the NRL.

“Personally, I think the Dolphins needed a two-year lead, not a one-year lead, and now it’s proving difficult,” he said.

“I still think he’s going to do a good job on the Dolphins and they’ll be fine.”

Bennett is well aware of the challenges an expansion team faces, having first taken over the Broncos when they were founded in 1988.

The Storm also retained running back Jahrome Hughes (left) and star hooker Harry Grant (right), both of whom were high on Bennett’s wish list.

But speaking in November, the veteran coach admitted that recruiting players had been much more difficult than when the Broncos arrived on the scene 34 years ago.

‘Recruitment has been totally different [to 1988],’ he said.

It’s been a lot more difficult because we can’t get half the Queensland Origin team together because the Brisbane competition was pretty strong at the time and not everyone was in Sydney. But there are 16 other clubs in the NRL.’