Incoming Dolphins prop Jarrod Wallace has revealed how a ‘three-minute' conversation with Wayne Bennett was all he needed to persuade him to join the NRL's newest franchise.
Ahead of the team's inaugural season in the NRL, Wallace says that he played his best football under Bennett during their brief time together in Brisbane, and he's quietly confident he can return to his best after reuniting with the master coach.
Speaking to AAP, Wallace shared the very casual details of Bennett's original approach.
“I was laying in bed and I was going to ignore (the phone call) because I'd been asleep, but I looked over and saw it was Wayne-o. I thought I'd better answer it,” Wallace said.
“Our conversation went for three minutes. Wayne said ‘I want you to come up and play with me'. I said ‘OK, send through the contract'.
“That's about as long as all Wayne's conversations are.”
Though Bennett was the one to approach Wallace, the 31-year-old prop had already deemed the Dolphins as his desired destination.
“The day I saw the Dolphins come in, I sent a text to my manager Isaac (Moses) and said ‘I want to go up there'.
“Then I saw Wayne had become head coach and I said ‘if you don't get me up there, I'll fire you.'
“I'm stoked to be here. It's a new start in life for me.”
Though Wallace leaves the Gold Coast with fond memories of his time with the Titans, the opportunities presented by the Dolphins' arrival proved too enticing to ignore.
“It was time for me to move on and get a fresh start mentally and physically. I think this is the perfect place for me,” Wallace continued.
“I remember Wayne coming to Brisbane, he gave me the opportunity to prove myself.
“He pulled me into his office and said ‘you've got one game to prove yourself or you can find another club'. Wayne knows he can say that stuff to me, he knows I can handle it.
“He knows whether you need a rev up or some tender loving care.
“Wayne has always got the best out of me. I don't know whether it's the respect I have for him or the respect he has for me. He's only got to say one thing and I make sure it happens.”
