Wayne Bennet has decided to award Mason Teague his debut this week, unveiling the former Panthers junior prodigy to the NRL.
Set to make his NRL debut, Mason Teague is looking forward to making an impact in the Dolphins jersey. Entering the team for the injured Ray Stone, Teague is a former Panthers junior that played alongside Isaiya Katoa.
Alongside Katoa, he captained Penrith to take home the SG Ball premiership last season. The premiership win is regarded as one of the best comeback victories in a Grand Final in SG Ball history.
Trailing 20-0 against the Sydney Roosters at half-time, they took control of the second half and scored 22 unanswered points. The first points being a try by Teague who inspired his teammates.
Through his consistency and hard work, Teague caught the eye of the Dolphins' recruitment staff. In particular, Dolphins recruitment chief Peter O'Sullivan was eager to poach him away from Penrith.
Despite offers from O'Sullivan, Teague was set to stay at the Panthers and come through the system as so many other Penrith players had. However, he instantly changed his mind once he spoke to Wayne Bennett.
"I only spoke to Wayne once," Teague said to News Corp.
"Leading up to that, I wasn't too sure if I wanted to make the commitment to come here. But after speaking to Wayne I was pretty sure I wanted to come here."
"I picked the Dolphins for a fresh start."
"Being coached by Wayne and a few guys that have been around the game for a while like the Bromwich brothers (Jesse and Kenny) … it was good for me to get the experience under my belt and help me in my career."
Playing as a lock, Teague is lucky to be under the mentorship of multiple representative players at the Dolphins.
Felise Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers (Jesse and Kenny) are only a few who will help his development as Teague continues to get better.
Dolphins recruitment chief Peter O'Sullivan also spoke to News Corp, regarding Teague's upcoming debut.
"He won't be overawed, he is ready to go. He will be a good quality first grader for a number of years," he said.
"Wayne's been teaching competing and effort and Mason epitomises that. It's what his game's built on."
"The way he played in the trials was him. He was on the ball, involved in three or four tries, and just competing."