The Dolphins have won the race for the signature of prestigious young talentย Kingston Seve, the most sought-after junior player since Joesph Sua'ali'i.
The 14-year-old Keebra Park fullback has knocked back the advances of the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers, the latter two even flying him down to Sydney, due to the allure of super coach Wayne Bennett.
"He's an amazing talent and at 14 is already as big as Latrell Mitchell," Seve's manager Mario Tartak said viaย Wide World of Sports.ย
"I've never had a kid on my books who was in so much demand.
"In Queensland, they regard him as the best young talent in the state, and Wayne and (Dolphins recruitment manager) Peter O'Sullivan were super keen to sign him, and that clinched it."
The last time a junior garnered this much interest from NRL clubs was back in 2020, when South Sydney, the Roosters and Rugby Australia found themselves in a three-way tug-of-war for Joseph Sua'ali'i.
On that occasion, Bennett and his South Sydney Rabbitohs missed out after turning down Sua'ali'i's plea for a 'get out' clause in his contract.
This time however, Wayne has found his man and while it will be some time before we see Seve in the NRL, it is promising to see the league's newest franchise begin to establish a strong junior development system - something CEO Terry Reader and coach Bennett have been strong on wanting to develop in all of their dealings thus far.
The Dolphins have added a number of local juniors to their initial squad on train and trial deals, with the Dolphins having spent decades in the QLD Cup and having some of the best facilities in the country at Redcliffe.
Seve spent 2022 playing in the under 13s Renouf Cup for Keebra Park State High School, taking the side to a Grand Final victory in which he was awarded Man of the Match, scoring a hat trick against Ipswich.
Seve will complete his schooling before joining the Dolphins, hopefully fulfilling his potential in red, white and gold.
