While Wayne Bennett has struggled at times to attract the right players, the same can't be said about his coaching staff as he chases a Dragons premiership-winner to join his side.
Having already secured premiership-winning coach Kristian Woolf as one of his inaugural assistants at the Dolphins,ย The Courier Mailย reports that Bennett is closing in on securing the services of Nathan Fien for the club's maiden season.
The former utility made his Origin debut for Queensland in 2001 before switching allegiances, managing 22 caps for New Zealand, as well as the pinnacle of his career, the 2010 NRL Grand final victory under Wayne Bennett.
His switch to the Kiwis wasn't without drama, being kicked out of the 2006 Tri-Nations tournament over an eligibility issue, his move to the New Zealand Warriors handing him residency grounds to re-qualify for New Zealand.
Coaching in the Wollongong local leagues, Fien coached Collegians to a premiership this season, something Bennett is hoping the 43 year-old can emulate in Redcliffe.
โYes, Nathan will be joining us,โ Bennett told The Courier Mail.
โI identified him. I called him. I tried to get him to South Sydney 12 months ago but he felt it wasn't the right time for him to come.
โNathan has been coaching Thirroul and Collegians and has won four premierships in six years. He has won competitions with both clubs so he's a promising coach.
โThat completes my coaching team.
โWe are all there, I have a head of performance in Jeremy Hickmans and we have our physios and medical staff, so everything is in place for us to compete in our first season.โ
Despite Fien's obvious credentials, Bennett confirmed Woolf is the next man in line for the Dolphins head coaching role after the 72 year-old retires, however don't discount Fien from stepping up in the future.
โI think Nathan has head-coaching qualities down the track,โ he said.
โIt won't be at the Dolphins in the short term. Kristian is the next coach after me and that is set in stone, that won't change, but Nathan will hopefully be a long-term assistant and an opportunity will be there for him in the future.
โNathan has done it all in the game. He played Origin for Queensland and then he played for New Zealand when he thought his grandmother was a Kiwi, but she wasn't.
โI coached Nathan at the Dragons in 2009 and he was part of our premiership team.
โI am happy with what he has done in coaching and how he has done it.
โHis coaching record is pretty good, he has had to get results with limited resources and limited staff which is my ideal model for coaches coming into the NRL.
โHe is a good person, a good communicator, he will be good for us.โ
The coaching team will be fully assembled after what is proving to be a mixed World Cup for the Dolphins, star signing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow breaking his leg before a starring performance from yet-to-debut half Isaiyah Katoa.
