Wayne Bennett says some NRL players need to grow up as the Dolphins coach opened up on the team’s recruitment struggles ahead of their inaugural season.
Bennett spoke earlier in the week of his “worry” for players who lacked confidence in their own game and instead wanted to know they would be playing with at the new franchise.
Now, speaking to Triple M on Sunday afternoon, Bennett revealed his frustrations with the current state of player negotiations after a few potential recruits backflipped on the Dolphins.
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“There were certainly two guys that had committed, done the deal, everything was done and then they had a change of heart,” he said.
“I don’t know [if it was the manager]. Everyone is a part of it. It’s like a lot of things in life, we blame everyone else — the referees, the manager — that’s the problem we’ve got with a lot of players at the moment, they’re not growing up.
“Everybody is protecting them, we want to blame the manager because someone said he was going to come, committed to come and then changed his mind. Then it’s the manager’s fault, I don’t get that. [Players should say] it’s my decision, I’ve got to own it and if I’m not strong enough to stand up to my manager, I pay a huge price for that.”
While missing out on those potential recruits did initially “disappoint” Bennett, he did admit to having “dodged a bullet” by not landing uncommitted players.
“There’s more to life than being football players,” he said.
“I spent a lifetime trying to convince players that I’d coach that. You want them to be men and say: ‘Listen mate, I’m not coming or whatever’… for them to own it. I realise that [it is a blessing in disguise].
“You realise you just dodged a bullet but at the time you’re emotionally involved, want the player and think he is all the things you think he is and then find out that’s not what you’re dealing with.”
Bennett will be hoping he does not run into similar issues with Melbourne Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster.
A News Corp report on Saturday claimed that Bennett’s Dolphins are looking to offer Munster a record-breaking deal in a bid to lure him up north for the 2024 season.
“He’s in one of the group of players we’re looking at,” Bennett said on Sunday of Munster.
“We’ve made it known where we stand and our position with that. We’ve got to play the waiting game, see what happens and in 2024 hopefully he’ll come to the Dolphins.”
The Dolphins still have 11 spots to fill in the roster for their inaugural season, with that uncertainty making it hard for Bennett to predict how successful they will be.
“I can’t really talk with any clarity about next year because I don’t know what the football team will look like yet,” he said.
“The only thing I will guarantee is that we’ll do our best and that’s just everything to me. I’ve driven that my entire coaching life. We’ll go in and be the club everyone wants us to be. It might take a little bit longer than we want but that’s OK.
“You’ve got to be patient. Nothing is built overnight.”
Originally published as ‘They’re not growing up’: Bennett’s brutal reality check to NRL players after duo backflips on Dolphins
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