Although an official announcement to welcome Redcliffe into the NRL fold is yet to be made, Monday's multi-million dollar commitment by News Corp now sees the Dolphins' bid for the league's 17th licence as a fait accompli.
And even though outgoing Souths steward Wayne Bennett has yet to publicly throw his hat in the ring for a role with the expansion side, many within the media believe that a deal to do so has already been made.
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Speaking to SEN 1170 on Tuesday morning, Michael Carayannis of The Daily Telegraph explained that it would not be long before the competition's oldest coach and its youngest side will walk hand in hand down the aisle.
“I think Wayne’s already had discussions with Redcliffe,” the journalist divulged.
“Amongst the two other potential bidders, it will be Redcliffe, once expansion gets the green light this week it’ll be the Redcliffe Dolphins.
“You’ll find that Wayne Bennett will be the coach, it’ll be interesting to see what he does next season.”
While still shrouded in the thinnest veil of secrecy, the impending announcement will mean that Bennett is without a permanent role for the 2022 season, as the Dolphins will only enter the competition 12-months later.
However, Cararyannis explained that although Bennett will call Queensland home next year, the seven-time premiership coach will likely work as a consultant for the Rabbitohs whilst also establishing Redcliffe's inaugural roster.
“He’ll spend time piecing together that squad, but I think the Rabbitohs might be open to the prospect of keeping Wayne at the club for another 12-months until he steps into another full-time day-to-day role,” he expounded.
“He could be there as an official mentor and leadership coach to Jason Demetriou and the rest of the coaching staff.
“Wayne could have two roles next season and not coach an NRL club.”
Though this may appear some what of a conflict of interest on first glance, but given that the Moreton Bay-based club has yet to be granted first-grade status, Bennett will lurk safely within a murky gray area.
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With the league set to meet with the heads of the 16-clubs already within the competition this Thursday, a declaration to award Redcliffe their golden ticket has already been slated for Friday afternoon.
Whether Bennett's impending dedication directly follows the league's growth is yet to be determined.
But as he was not prepared to rule out the possibility of another full-time post when speaking after his former side's Grand Final defeat on Sunday, it seems as if it's only a matter of time before Bennett will coach his sixth NRL club.
