The Dolphins have missed out on securing the services of Cameron Munster for 2024 and beyond, with the star Storm, Queensland and Australian five-eighth going against all of the speculation to add four years to his time in the Victorian capital before November 1.
It's something of a crushing blow for coach Wayne Bennett, who has spoken out regarding his level of confidence over securing Munster for the future, having originally been knocked back on the idea of a release for Munster to join the club for their inaugural season.
It was believed Bennett may well have looked at Ben Hunt had he missed Munster, however, the Dragons' halfback re-signed 24 hours before Munster did.
The Dolphins missing Munster (and possibly Hunt) follows a long line of players who have gone elsewhere instead of the Dolphins for the inaugural season.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow became the club's latest signing this week following his release from the North Queensland Cowboys, however, the club are skinny for marquee players, especially when it comes to the spine.
Their opening halves combination is likely to be Sean O'Sullivan and Anthony Milford, while Jeremy Marshall-King will take the number nine jumper.
That said, the Dolphins will continue to push for an increasing talent list in 2024, and there are plenty of big names who could potentially hit the open market from November 1 unless their current clubs re-sign them in the next three weeks.
With the Rugby League World Cup happening in England, it appears more and more unlikely any players playing in the tournament will be dealing with contracted-related issues between now and then, which means the list of players off-contract on November 1 is unlikely to undergo anything more than minor alterations between now and then.
That said, the Dolphins must add talent, and these are the best five options for the club to chase.
Bennett and Cody Walker are noted friends, and there was plenty of speculation that the star five-eighth would ultimately join the Dolphins for their inaugural season, before he re-signed with South Sydney on November 1 for 2023.
But it was only a one-year extension, and 12 months later, Walker finds himself back off-contract at the end of next season, but this time, without an excellent season under his belt.
There is little doubt that Walker's form has dropped in 2022 without Bennett at the helm, and while he was still a solid performer for the Rabbitohs, the difference between his 2021 season, which led the Rabbitohs to the grand final, and his 2022 season, was night and day.
Whether Walker would entertain not finishing his career as a one-club player remains to be seen, but the lure of playing under Bennett again could be enticing.
His level of skill and off-the-cuff play flourished under Bennett, who clearly let him play his natural game, and finishing his career in Queensland could be how Walker winds up.
Brown is coming off the best season of his career and is off-contract at the end of the 2023 campaign.
While there is little doubt that the Eels will want to retain the star New Zealand-born five-eighth, there is a part of the neutral fan who would likely love to see Brown playing under Bennett.
While his 2020 was superb, 2021 saw Brown fall right away, his level of involvement in try-scoring plays dropping right off for Parramatta.
The blue and gold saw him back at his best in 2022, and while he took the player option in his deal for 2023, it's likely they would need to up their offer to retain Brown in 2023.
That is something they may not be able to do with a number of other players coming off-contract, including halves partner Mitchell Moses and likely commanding big dollar upgrades.
Brown is off to the World Cup with the Kiwis, so will still likely be unsigned come November 1, and he is a player the Dolphins should absolutely go after.
Moses is reportedly set to spark a bidding frenzy on the NRL free agency market in the coming weeks, with no new deal signed and November 1 approaching.
He will play for Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup, meaning that he is now unlikely to re-sign with Parramatta before the deadline, despite the speculation that Parramatta have presented an enormous offer his way.
Plenty of other clubs, including the Wests Tigers, have already been rumoured to have shown interest in Moses.
The star halfback hit something near his potential in 2022, and more impressively, did so on a consistent basis.
Bennett is a master at getting the most out of his players, and Moses could be the sort of player who changes the fortunes of the Dolphins.
As part of their recruitment strategy, the Dolphins have made it fairly clear they want to make smart signings who the club believe Wayne Bennett can get the best out of.
Reece Robson is a player who screams just that.
The former Dragon has come on in leaps and bounds at the Cowboys during 2022, and while some wouldn't consider him a 'marquee' signing in the same way that the other players on this list are, there is little doubt he is now among the best dummy halves in the competition.
A hard worker on the worst of days, Robson is an excellent defender who has added multiple strings to his attacking bow over the last 12 months in helping the Cowboys to a preliminary final.
The Townsville-based club will be desperate to re-sign him, and it's something of a surprise that the deal hasn't gone through yet, but if it doesn't by November 1, expect the Dolphins to become interested.
Mitchell has been a long-term target for the Dolphins, and Bennett himself has previously stated that while they can't sign everyone, if Munster doesn't come to the club, a lot of that money could be channelled in the direction of Mitchell.
The South Sydney star, who plays centre for New South Wales and is about to do the same thing for Australia at the Rugby League World Cup, is off-contract at the end of 2023 and is arguably now the best player left to be so.
He has a close relationship with Bennett as well, which could only aid the Dolphins if they decide to pursue him on a new deal.
Mitchell loves the Rabbitohs - that he has made clear on multiple occasions - but South Sydney are dealing with a potentially bloated salary cap as they look to hang onto Mitchell, Walker and Damien Cook, who are all off-contract at the end of next season.
That could leave one of the players to exit, and if the Dolphins come to the table with a huge deal, it could be too much to resist.