Bennett: ‘Commit to being the best you can’

In his last duty as outgoing Dolphins NRL head coach, Wayne Bennett spoke at a Moreton Bay business luncheon on October 28 which focused on the club’s impact on the broader region in its first two years.

Bennett delivered the keynote address, which was followed by a panel discussion including Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery, Dolphins Group CEO Tony Murphy, and new Dolphins NRL Assistant Coach Rory Kostjasyn.

The event, at Eatons Hill Hotel, was delivered by Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism (MBRIT) in partnership with Moreton Bay City Council.

The super coach said his experiences growing up on the Darling Downs, in a community of hard-working farmers, had shaped his approach to coaching and gave him an insight into how much the Dolphins would mean to the people of Moreton Bay.

“My number one priority as a coach is to make sure the players do the best they can. I believe that was born out of watching those men play (rugby league) as a little boy growing up because I always felt they did the best they could ... what it meant for the town and what it meant for the community,” Bennett said.

“I knew how much the Dolphins would mean to the community in Moreton Bay, Redcliffe ... because it becomes a way of life to us, it becomes a talking point, it becomes engagement with our families and with our friends.

“Nobody wants to talk about a team that doesn’t try, nobody wants to talk about a team that doesn’t give their best, nobody wants to talk about a team that’s in the papers and the headlines for all the wrong reasons.”

He said those were the pillars of his coaching – to not let the fans, club or game down.

“If you commit to being the best you can, you’ll be absolutely amazed at what you’ll achieve,” Bennett said.

“I think that’s our biggest challenge in life is to be our best.”

He said he didn’t spend time lamenting the players the Dolphins could have had, but didn’t sign.

“What I had was a group of men, the best we could get, and I was going to make that the best that we could possibly be. If I hadn’t taken that approach, I’m sure we wouldn’t have had the results that we had,” he explained.

He asked his players to do their best and he believes they did.

“I know, as a community, you’re proud of them. I’m certainly proud of them. It gives us a lot of hope for the future,” Bennett said.

Strong foundation

It’s a philosophy new Assistant Coach Rory Kostjasyn said had laid a strong foundation.

Kostjasyn, a former Ireland international player who also played for Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys, comes to Redcliffe from the Newcastle Knights where he has been part of the coaching department.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this club,” he said.

“Before I came here, it was exciting. You could see the support and the excitement for the club, even from Newcastle. It didn’t matter where you were in Australia, you could feel the support and the traction that the club got over its first two seasons.”

He will part of the Dolphins’ next chapter with Kristian Woolf as Head Coach.

“It’s an exciting challenge. Wayne’s done a terrific job, creating a team that ... if you’ve watched them play over the last two years ... with 10 minutes to go in the game, most of the time the Dolphins are in the fight and they have an opportunity to win the game,” Kostjasyn said.

In his view, Bennett’s philosophy to go out there and do your best was a “great foundation for a footy side”.

“Hopefully we can play some finals footy soon.”

Kostjasyn said there would be player testing on November 7 before pre-season training starts ahead of the 2025 season.

“The foundation has been laid for two years and hopefully we can continue to build on that. I think there’s plenty to be excited about on the field and plenty for businesses to be excited off the field.”

Economic boon

Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery said the Dolphins’ early success had been an economic boon for the region.

“It’s put the City of Moreton Bay on the map,” Mayor Flannery said.

“The success of the Dolphins breeds success for many, many businesses in the City of Moreton Bay. To me, the Dolphins gave the City of Moreton Bay the ability to cheer for our own team that we feel very close to and also drives the economy.

“It’s had a significant increase of many millions of dollars. When the Dolphins play at Kayo (Stadium) for example the benefit to the local hotels, accommodation, restaurants, Uber drivers ... whatever it might be ... It’s a huge economic driver. It would be close to $100 million in the figures that we’re looking at.”

Dolphins Group CEO Tony Murphy said the club had big plans for the future which would further benefit the local economy.

He would like to see Kayo Stadium become a ‘displacement stadium’ for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics for those sports unable to play at their usual venues due to the Games.

“We’d like to take it to about a 20,000-23,000-seat stadium. We’d love to build some accommodation. We know there’s a huge calling out for accommodation, especially in Moreton Bay City,” he said.

The first step is an excellence centre for the football department at a cost of $42 million.

“When we set out our masterplan for our whole site, we see ourselves as a tourist destination and that’s why we want to build accommodation and that type of infrastructure,” Mr Murphy said.

This could include tours of the facility, as happens at other NRL clubs.