One-one-one with the Dolphins’ Kristian Woolf
Published 9:03am 9 December 2024
By Kylie Knight
Kristian Woolf has been instrumental in creating a culture of hard work and tenacity at the Dolphins since they made their NRL debut two years ago.
He spoke with Moreton Daily about taking his squad to the top eight, the 2025 draw and who will lead the team as they hit the ground running at preseason training.
“It (preseason training) is about getting fitter and it’s a really good opportunity for our staff to work on the players with their bodies … increase their fitness, increase their strength and help them be slightly better as athletes,” Woolf says.
“We also want to make sure we’re developing how we want to play as a team, trying to allow some opportunities to develop more skills and improve as individuals.”
The Dolphins were looking to the future, when they appointed Woolf as Assistant Coach to Wayne Bennett for the club’s first two years intending to elevate him to the top job for the 2025 season.
His resume is impressive, but his reputation for fostering a culture of hard work and improvement were just as important when the club made the decision they believed would set the Dolphins up for the future.
Woolf, a former Assistant Coach at the Cowboys, Broncos and Knights, has also been Head Coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup, winning a Grand Final in 2015.
He was at the helm of St Helens when they won two English Super League Grand Finals, the 2022 Minor Premiership and the 2021 Challenge Cup Final.
Notably, he’s led the Tongan revolution in international rugby league for the past 10 years, with the side playing the Kangaroos in the Pacific Championships final in November.
“It (Head Coach of the Dolphins) is a role or position I’m really comfortable with. I’ve done it at different times, at different levels … obviously most recently in England,” he explains.
“When I came back from England, I was very clear in my head as to what the role looked like in terms of the first two years … my role was to support Wayne (Bennett) and make sure it was his team … and do that to the best of my ability.
“I learnt a hell of a lot from Wayne. It was really enjoyable working under Wayne. He’s a straight-up kind of guy and that’s what I deal with best. There’s a lot of things that I’ve seen that will certainly be part of my coaching going forward as well.
“What I really like about the group and the club is … it was a big task coming together with everything being new and every person being new … I like the trajectory we’re on. My job is to make sure we continue that.”
FULL ARTICLE
www.theredcliffepeninsula.com.au
Published 9:03am 9 December 2024
By Kylie Knight
Kristian Woolf has been instrumental in creating a culture of hard work and tenacity at the Dolphins since they made their NRL debut two years ago.
He spoke with Moreton Daily about taking his squad to the top eight, the 2025 draw and who will lead the team as they hit the ground running at preseason training.
“It (preseason training) is about getting fitter and it’s a really good opportunity for our staff to work on the players with their bodies … increase their fitness, increase their strength and help them be slightly better as athletes,” Woolf says.
“We also want to make sure we’re developing how we want to play as a team, trying to allow some opportunities to develop more skills and improve as individuals.”
The Dolphins were looking to the future, when they appointed Woolf as Assistant Coach to Wayne Bennett for the club’s first two years intending to elevate him to the top job for the 2025 season.
His resume is impressive, but his reputation for fostering a culture of hard work and improvement were just as important when the club made the decision they believed would set the Dolphins up for the future.
Woolf, a former Assistant Coach at the Cowboys, Broncos and Knights, has also been Head Coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup, winning a Grand Final in 2015.
He was at the helm of St Helens when they won two English Super League Grand Finals, the 2022 Minor Premiership and the 2021 Challenge Cup Final.
Notably, he’s led the Tongan revolution in international rugby league for the past 10 years, with the side playing the Kangaroos in the Pacific Championships final in November.
“It (Head Coach of the Dolphins) is a role or position I’m really comfortable with. I’ve done it at different times, at different levels … obviously most recently in England,” he explains.
“When I came back from England, I was very clear in my head as to what the role looked like in terms of the first two years … my role was to support Wayne (Bennett) and make sure it was his team … and do that to the best of my ability.
“I learnt a hell of a lot from Wayne. It was really enjoyable working under Wayne. He’s a straight-up kind of guy and that’s what I deal with best. There’s a lot of things that I’ve seen that will certainly be part of my coaching going forward as well.
“What I really like about the group and the club is … it was a big task coming together with everything being new and every person being new … I like the trajectory we’re on. My job is to make sure we continue that.”
FULL ARTICLE
One-on-one with the Dolphins’ Kristian Woolf
Kristian Woolf has been instrumental in creating a culture of hard work and tenacity at the Dolphins since they made their NRL debut two years ago. He’s now in the top job and speaks candidly about taking his squad to the top eight, the 2025 draw and who will lead the team
www.theredcliffepeninsula.com.au
