Why Woolf is poised to break the Bennett curse, and build his empire

The Age

15 hours ago

It did not take long for Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader to know Kristian Woolf was the man to spearhead the NRL's newest outfit into the future.
Even though the shadow of Wayne Bennett was going to loom over whoever took the reins, they knew they had their man.
'He was the number one target for us at the start,' Reader declared.
'Even with Wayne as our coach, we still had a lot of questions. He said 'we'll do it together, let's find the best coach, and he'll be the assistant and take over at the end'.
'I don't think there's ever been a better transition of NRL coaches than what's happened. We weren't building a house of cards, we were setting up a club for the future.'
Thus far, Woolf has dared to orchestrate a miracle – overcoming four-straight defeats in the first month to have his side one-point shy of the top eight.
He has done so amid a concerning injury toll – one which has claimed stars Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti, Max Plath and Jack Bostock for the rest of the season.
Felise Kaufusi will also be sidelined with a knee concern, while Ray Stone has been playing with two busted shoulders.
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Given their season even began with a last-minute relocation to Sydney due Cyclone Alfred, Reader did not hesitate to claim 'I don't think a first-year coach has ever gone through what Kristian has'.
And yet, as he plots a boilover of his former mentor against South Sydney on Saturday, Woolf turned his nose up at excuses.
'I've never seen anything like what we've had, particularly with season-ending injuries. That's footy, we're not going to get frustrated or whinge about it,' Woolf said.
'We need to go out with a mindset that we'll be at our best, be hard to beat and give ourselves a really good chance.
'I know how hard they worked in pre-season, I know how hard they work for each other. They haven't given me any indication that they're going to change anything because we've lost a couple of players.
'If anything, they're more committed to working hard for each other.'
Building his empire
Barely 24 hours before the Dolphins announced Selwyn Cobbo would join the fold in 2026, Reader hinted the Broncos' flyer was not in their sights.
How things can change quickly in rugby league.
'He's one of those blokes that can do things other people can't. He's a guy you want in your team rather than the opposition,' Woolf said.
'I don't think it was ever no interest, it's about availability, spots and things like that. A fair bit has changed in 24 hours … there's a bit of movement all over the place and both ways for us.'
That movement suggests those off contract face uncertain futures, but points to Woolf assembling the squad he believes can deliver a premiership.
Cobbo will be joined by St Helens lock Morgan Knowles, while Francis Molo and Sebastian Su'A arrived mid-season.
Flegler, Gilbert, Bostock, Plath, Saifiti, Isaiya Katoa, Jeremy Marshall-King, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Kurt Donoghoe are signed until at least 2027, while Herbie Farnwort expressed his desire to remain.
Reports also emerged England halfback George Williams could be signed, and even swapped with Kodi Nikorima. Woolf dismissed the notion.
'Kodi Nikorima is not up for sale or going to be swapped – that's not going to happen,' he said.
'He's playing his best footy at the moment. That's one thing we wouldn't entertain.'
Breaking the curse
Woolf tasted success before taking over from Bennett – guiding St Helens to three Super League titles while transforming Tonga into a global force.
But given the history of Bennett's successors, the question was asked: could he break the Bennett curse?
'Coming into the NRL and the expectations and toughness of the competition, there are nerves anyway,' Woolf admitted.
'That [replacing Bennett] can certainly add to it. I thought about all that well before I came, [but] my two years working with Wayne gave me some confidence.'
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Bennett has proven a tough act to follow. Jason Demetriou, Ivan Henjak, Steve Price, Rick Stone and Anthony Seibold did not last long.
Yet after a winless first four rounds, Woolf did not panic.
'He's held up a high standard for us as a team. I think you can see from the way we started the year, to have a plan, now everyone's bought into what he's been teaching us,' Dolphins star Herbie Farnworth said.
'He's very calm, he's pretty much the same as what you see him on TV the whole time. The goal now is to make finals.'
That mentality has guided them to seven wins their past 11 games, including triumphs of heavyweights the Storm, Bulldogs and Panthers while boasting the competition's second-best points differential.
Despite losing 15 of 20 games across their past two campaigns from round 17 onwards, Woolf believed history was in no danger of repeating.
'It's always a challenge, when you don't get the start or results you want. That's part of the challenge,' Woolf said.
'I'm going to trust the work we've done, we've got great assistant coaches that put some new things in place. We've got to keep trusting each other.
'What's going to stop us falling into freefall is I trust the group.'