The Dolphins were something of a surprise packet for much of their first season in the NRL before fading late, at one point being well in contention for a top-eight finish.
Wayne Bennett's side were widely tipped to be a bottom-four contender in their first season, and while they finished at the wrong end of the table, a mix of the lack of depth and injuries impacted them greatly.
2024 will see the arrivals of Herbie Farnworth and Thomas Flegler from the Brisbane Broncos which will help things in the right direction, but there are still additions needed for 2025.
With plenty of talent off-contract and the club to enter their second era in 2025 - that being the end of Wayne Bennett's coaching stint and the start of Kristian Woolf's, this shapes up as an incredibly important 12 months to build the team with key signings from elsewhere.
In this series, Zero Tackle are running the rule over each team's state of play for 2025, and the players they need to be targeting from the November 1 deadline when all players off-contract at the end of 2024 become available to negotiate.
Current squad for 2025
Jake Averillo, Jack Bostock, Kenneath Bromwich, Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler, Tom Gilbert, Harrison Graham, Jamayne Isaako, Isaiya Katoa, Felise Kaufusi, Josh Kerr, Connelly Lemuelu, Jeremy Marshall-King, Sean O'Sullivan, Max Plath, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Current best 17 for 2025
1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
2. Jack Bostock
3. Herbie Farnworth
4. Jake Averillo
5. Jamayne Isaako
6. Isaiya Katoa
7. Sean O'Sullivan
8. Thomas Flegler
9. Jeremy Marshall-King
10. Josh Kerr
11. Kenneath Bromwich
12. Felise Kaufusi
13. Tom Gilbert
14. Harrison Graham
15. Max Plath
16. Connelly Lemuelu
17. No player signed.
Players off-contract at end of 2024
Euan Aitken, Jesse Bromwich, Robert Jennings (mutual option), Brenko Lee, Edrick Lee, Anthony Milford, Mark Nicholls, Kodi Nikorima, Tesi Niu, Ray Stone, Valynce Te Whare, Mason Teague (mutual option), Jarrod Wallace
Here are five players available to negotiate for 2025 from outside of the club the Dolphins could target for 2025 and beyond.
EVERY PLAYER OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2024
The Dolphins have plenty of needs heading into 2025, but they need another genuine backline star to continue their push up the ladder from what was an impressive inaugural season.
The inclusion of Herbie Farnworth will go a long way to complement the already excellent season Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow put together in 2023, while continued improvement from Isaiya Katoa and Sean O'Sullivan in the halves will push the club to new heights.
Manu though would take things to a whole new level in the backline.
With the ability to play in the centres, at fullback, or even five-eighth, he would add plenty to a club like the Dolphins in versatility, but his talent is what would be the driving force.
With Tabuai-Fidow potentially shuffling into the centres and Manu at fullback, the backline would suddenly become elite, and one that could easily be part of a premiership-winning outfit.
While the Dolphins will be looking for more inclusions in the backs, a refresh of the forward pack in some areas is also likely to be on the cards in 2025.
The NRL's newest team struggled for depth in the forwards during 2025,. and while that is an issue that may still need to be addressed, and could be a little bit as the likes of Mason Teague continue to improve and gain experience, bringing in a few outside influences with experience will be important.
Even more so as the likes of the Bromwich brothers and Felise Kaufusi all hit the end of their careers, although of that trio only Jesse Bromwich is currently off-contract at the end of 2024.
A player like Angus Crichton could be looking for a new start in 2025 though, and would walk into this Dolphins' side without a problem. He would also come on a likely reduced salary to his current one given his things have played out over the last 12 months at the Sydney Roosters.
Speaking of forwards, and refreshing the middle third may be of more importance than the edge positions heading into 2025 for the Dolphins.
Wayne Bennett - soon to be Kristian Woolf's side - not only potentially lose Jesse Bromwich, but also Mark Nicholls and Jarrod Wallace for 2025.
That is a lot of experience and talent out the door in the same instance, so bringing in a few players to help that situation will be crucial.
Arguably the best forward on the open market is Jacob Saifiti, who has impressed for the Newcastle Knights and has State of Origin experience.
He would be a perfect fit in Redcliffe if he does exit the Knights.
Back into the backline, and the Dolphins, in addition to Many, could do with a specialist try-scorer who runs the ball hard in Nick Cotric.
I've said it before in this series, but the fact Cotric is only 24 years of age seems baffling. He is an Origin player, and unfortunately has struggled with form and injuries since he left the Raiders for the first time.
But despite some lean years, he still has plenty to offer this competition, and could be a great fit at the Redcliffe-based club who have some other big decisions to make ahead of 2025.
Cotric's ability to line up at either centre or wing is also a big boost for any club looking to lock him down, of which I expect there to be a number.
This list has felt very Roosters' based, but when you look at young props coming off-contract who have enormous upside but probably won't wipe out too much salary cap space, Terrell May is very close to, if not at, the top of the list.
The young prop has shown plenty for the Roosters, and nowhere was that more evident than during the 2023 finals series where he was superb for the tri-colours.
That level of standing up may not have quite as much chance to continue next year with Spencer Leniu coming in to take minutes, and despite the loss of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves being likely to retirement at the end of 2024, it's unclear whether May will want to hang around at Bondi into 2025.
He may not walk into a starting spot at the Dolphins, but he wouldn't be far away, and could ultimately in the long-term become one of the club's most important players if he was to- make the switch.