Dolphins CEO Terry Reader has expressed that he is content with the speed at which the expansion franchise has been filling their roster ahead of their debut campaign.
Given the Redcliffe-based side has only secured the signatures of two names in Felise Kaufusi and Ray Stone across the course of this off-season, alarm bells from outside of the club's walls have begun to sound.
Still, Reader was happy to echo head coach Wayne Bennett's suggestion that the Dolphins would remain patient in their pursuit of talent.
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“The first thing he [Bennett] thought about when we were putting the squad together, the first thing he said was, ‘We need to have some patience,” Reader told Sportsday listeners.
Reader even went so far as to say that he remained "comfortable" with the strides his side had taken in the player market prior to their first-grade debut in 2023.
“Contrary to what the media sort of might’ve been saying is that we might not have signed enough players already.
“But, we’re actually really comfortable with where we’re at, I mean the player market if you like has only been open for 37 days."
The CEO also suggested that the practice of filling a roster required nuance and an eye for names of all skillsets.
“It’s not just about signing the marquee players … the players 15 to 30 are just as important as one to 15," Reader continued.
“There’s a lot of work going on in the background at all levels.”
Although the club has come under fire for the perception of dragging their feet, Reader revealed that their measured approach to list management was made to retain player privacy.
“We’re building something that’s more than just ’23, we are looking towards the future,” Reader said in finality.
“One thing we’ve been really conscious of is that if we’re negotiating player contracts we don’t do that in the public domain.
“We’re keeping that to ourselves, Ray Stone and Felise [Kaufusi] are good examples of that, there’s a lot of things we’re doing in the background.
“We don’t play it out in the public domain, a lot of negotiations that go on are quite sensitive.
“It’s a moving beast, we’ve got a lot of irons in the fire.”
With more than 15-months up the club's sleeve, both Reader, Bennett and the club's recruiting chief Peter O'Sullivan still have an eon in which to complete their 30-man squad prior to March 2023.
However, the new side's growing fanbase will be hopeful the task is completed well prior to the 11th hour.
