The Dolphins are continuing to build their roster for the 2023 campaign, and while plenty have written about their perceived disappointing recruitment run, they are a lot closer to a competitive side than many are willing to give them credit for.
The problem the Dolphins faced throughout their recruitment run was one born out of time, and needing players to take a risk on the club being able to build a premiership-winning roster to attract talent.
The time factor meant they had to go for everyone and see what came off, and the players taking a risk factor simply hasn't fallen in their favour all that often.
Not getting a leg up from the NRL in terms of being able to start talking to players before November 1 didn't help either.
Regardless of the potential excuses, coach Wayne Bennett and the board of the club haven't looked for any, rather, talking up what they have signed, and to think they may only be a couple of players away from a decent looking roster is a testament to what the club have been able to do with limited time.
And there are plenty of impressive components that they have managed to snare for the inaugural campaign as they become the NRL's 17th team in 2023.
From an experienced crop of forwards led by Jesse Bromwich, Kenneath Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Mark Nicholls, to Anthony Milford playing at five-eighth where he will reuinte with the coach who turned him into a player who made a grand final in 2015, and onwards to Sean O'Sullivan's kicking game and the potential of Jeremy Marshall-King to continue thriving under a coach known for getting the absolute best out of everyone he coaches.
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The Dolphins may not be premiership hopefuls right now - even their most one-eyed fans would probably stop short of calling them so - but it doesn't mean they won't be competitive.
The side they have managed to build would already give many of the sides in the bottom half of the ladder more than a gentle shake most weeks.
Of course, they will have higher aims than that, and while their forward pack is strong, and the halves have the potential to form an excellent combination, it's the backline where they must look to bring in more talent and depth.
There are very few players left on the open market for 2023 without a contract - the best among them at this stage appear to be the likes of Daejarn Asi, Taane Milne, James Roberts, Isaiah Tass, Dean Ieremia, Josh Mansour, Corey Oates (who is set to re-sign with the Broncos) and two-game rookie Izaac Thompson.
That said, none of those players (maybe outside of Oates) would bring the club what they are looking for which, with all due respect to some of the backline players they have signed, is an upgrade.
The two glaring issues right now are at fullback, and in the centres.
Their current best 17 will see Jamayne Isaako line up at the back, and while he can do a serviceable job in the role, there is also a reason he often hasn't been picked there, and at the Titans, is struggling to even find a role on the wing.
That's not to say he won't find strong form under Bennett, but relying on him as a winger is exactly what should be happening.
Of the best 17 (linked above) that would then see Robert Jennings able to push into his more preferred centre position, with Brenko Lee then used as a depth option, as he has been for much of the season at the Brisbane Broncos.
That's not to say Lee isn't a serviceable starting option, but it's an area the side need to be looking at upgrading.
As mentioned, the list of off-contract players doesn't exactly blow the hair back - particularly at fullback and centre - so the Dolphins need to get smart in what they are doing and find players who could be suffering from reduced roles, or those who need a refresh to their careers.
Fullback and centre are covered in these areas though from clubs in the region, with AJ Brimson at the Gold Coast Titans and Tesi Niu from the Brisbane Broncos surely the most two hotly-pursued targets for the 17th club right now.
Both players are in a logjam at their current clubs, but also could do with a potentially fresh start in a different system under a coach like Bennett.
The ability to potentially have Brimson take over at the back and Niu in the centres - although Niu wants to be a fullback - would simply put the Dolphins in a far better spot than the one they currently are in.
At the Gold Coast Titans, Brimson has been shifted to five-eighth this season, although it'd be fair to say it's a move which simply hasn't worked.
The halves combination has gone through a number of different options, with Brimson also moving to fullback for a handful of games when Jayden Campbell was out injured.
Arguably, Brimson has played his best football even this season at fullback, but in a misfiring Titans side who sit at the bottom of the table, it's hard to get a grasp on jut what Brimson has brought to the table.
However, we know exactly what he can bring to the table. He was one of the game's best fullbacks in 2020 and made his State of Origin debut in the same year before a lisfranc fracture of the foot ruined his series.
That was under Bennett, and Brimson was outstanding in a Game 1 win for the Maroons. The bond between Brimson and Bennett created in Origin camp could be enough to convince the Titans' star that a move to Redcliffe is on the radar.
The move to the halves hasn't worked, and is even less likely to continue when Foran arrives to play in the halves next year, with his primary job to act as an on-field sort of mentor to players like Toby Sexton, Tanah Boyd and Paul Turner, with the three young halves the future of the club.
Continuing to play the 23-year-old Brimson in the role next year would defy all logic given the way he has proven he can play in the number one, and what he has dished up in the number six this year, even if that has been without a strong halves partner.
Is it realistic?
Brimson is contracted until the end of the 2026 with the Titans, so they clearly see him as the centre of the club, but with the aforementioned issues, it may even be in the Titans' best interests to release Brimson if they have put the future of the number one jumper on Campbell's shoulders.
If they would prefer to keep Brimson in the number one role once Kieran Foran arrives next year, then it could be Campbell who ultimately becomes available for the Dolphins, however, the Redcliffe-based club need to be chasing one of them and ringing the club to the south of Brisbane to the point they switch off the phone out of frustration.
At Brisbane, Tesi Niu faces an even tougher situation with the arrival of Reece Walsh.
While Te Maire Martin's departure to the New Zealand Warriors leaves no doubt as to his standing as the first reserve, that is all he will be in Brisbane colours next year.
Walsh will take the number one jumper, while Kotoni Staggs and Herbie Farnworth have a mortgage over the centre jumpers.
With Farnworth off-contract at the end of 2023 and seemingly set to chase big dollars elsewhere - something he almost did this time around before re-signing for a single year - Niu may only have to wait a single year before shifting back into Brisbane's best 17.
But he won't want to spend a year playing QLD Cup - it's not something that he should be doing with the level he is able to possess either.
Already impressing on the global stage for Tonga as a never heard of before young gun, Niu has had some strong performances at fullback since his return from injury this year, but has also at times struggled with defensive position at the back.
His long-term best position will be fullback, but for now, it could well be worth simply working on the art of becoming a centre.
He has the size, strength, speed and agility to get the job done to a remarkably high level, and it's something the Dolphins could certainly use in upgrading their side to become the competitive force that they are close to being already in 2023.
The problem, like at the Titans, is that the Broncos may be simply unwilling to offer a release for Niu despite the signing of Walsh.
He is a future star and has proven it at NRL level, even if only in glimpses so far, yet, the best thing for the player's young career could be to link up with Bennett and play consistent first-grade minutes, as well as learn from Brimson each week and be able to play games there if Brimson suffers an injury, suspension or drop of form during the season.
The move for Niu himself is a no-brainer, and chasing him relentlessly as far as Brisbane are concerned should also be a no-brainer.
It all comes down to the Titans and Broncos' willingness to let two players walk to Redcliffe, however, they seem the most realistic targets for the Dolphins right now.