The boxer, teacher and curse breaker: The coach who shone from Bennett’s shadow

Soon after the Dolphins squad had gathered for a 2026 preseason camp on the Gold Coast, Kristian Woolf stood in front of his players and threw down the gauntlet.

Long before he was an NRL coach, Woolf fought in the Fred Brophy Boxing troupe throughout his late teens. The group is a travelling boxing tent show in Queensland that offers everyday people the chance to step in the ring. Roughly 30 years later, Woolf called on the men under his tutelage at the Dolphins to step into the ring and go toe-to-toe with him.

“He went head-to-head with Ray Stone I think it was,” Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako said. “Everyone fears Ray a little bit in the game, but for him to have held his ground and give it back to him certainly showed to the playing group that’s the kind of coach you want to have.”

“What he was trying to show to the players is something we want to try to show him when we suit up each week. It just shows you want to go to war with him.”

Halfback Isaiya Katoa added: “The boys loved it, it was probably the first and only time they’d be able to punch him.

“It gained the respect of the boys straight away knowing your coach is willing to do that.”

The early days of Woolf’s tenure at the helm of the Dolphins was marred by chatter of the Wayne Bennett curse. It was a regularly floated phenomenon which dictated that mentors following in Bennett’s footsteps struggled to leave a mark, and were swiftly moved on.

Having served as Bennett’s assistant in 2023 (13th) and 2024 (10th), Woolf has not only defied the narrative, but taken the club forward. Last year they came ninth and this season they finished the regular season third and are through to the preliminary final next weekend at Suncorp Stadium after upsetting the Warriors in New Zealand in a 26-16 qualifying final victory.

In 2026, six Dolphins featured in State of Origin; Queensland mainstay Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow joined by Selwyn Cobbo and Thomas Flegler – making their first Maroons appearances since 2024 and 2023 respectively – and debutants Max Plath and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.

Jack Bostock also debuted for NSW, while Katoa was ushered into Blues camp to cover for Mitchell Moses.

So how did Woolf achieve what Anthony Seibold and Ivan Henjak (both Broncos), Steve Price (Dragons), Rick Stone (Knights) and Jason Demetriou (Rabbitohs) could not, and take a team further forward in a post-Bennett era?

“He’s really calm, and I think the calmer you are as a coach, the calmer your group will be. We’ve been in so many positions in games ... understanding how to deal with those situations, a big part of that is the way Woolfy handles situations like that,” Katoa said.

“There was that saying of whenever Wayne would pass on his coaching role to his assistants they’d probably struggle, but we had all the confidence we wouldn’t be another team to go down that path.

“I think the biggest part around him is understanding our players and what our players need. Every group is different, every group is really unique, and I think the way he’s dealt with that has given us a lot of confidence to back our own abilities.

“One thing he does well is coach to what his team needs, rather than what his own game plan is.”

A feather in Woolf’s cap, according to Dolphins veteran Felise Kaufusi, is his teaching background.

Before joining the North Queensland Cowboys as an under-20s coach, Woolf taught at Townsville’s Ignatius Park College where he led the high school to a Queensland Schoolboys Championship title.

That was his first experience of getting the best out of a large group of different, and at times conflicting, personalities – both in the classroom and on the field.

“For sure [you get the teacher vibe from Woolf], he’s a good communicator, but what I do like about him is he’s a straight-shooter. He’ll tell you how it is and if you need to improve on stuff you’ve done on the weekend,” Kaufusi said.

Isaako added: “I’m always one of the early risers and the first here at training, but every time I come in, Woolfy’s car is the first one I see in the carpark. I swear that guy stays here late at night dissecting through video.

“He reminds me a lot of Wayne to be honest with coaching tactics and the way he talks to the players. He reminds me a lot of the master coach, he’s a very smart coach, and the way he approaches players is certainly reflecting in the way we play together.”

As the Dolphins prepare for next week’s sudden death showdown at Suncorp Stadium, with a spot in the grand final on the line, Woolf’s triumphs have freed him of the same shackles of expectations which have seemingly derailed Bennett’s successors.

Such is the success Woolf has cultivated in Redcliffe, the club faces a salary cap crunch in its bid to retain their stars. From November 1, 15 players will be able to negotiate with rivals for 2028 – spearheaded by Herbie Farnworth, Cobbo, Tabuai-Fidow, Bostock and Finefeuiaki.

Dolphins squad movement

Unsigned beyond 2026 

• Brad Schneider, Brian Pouniu

Off contract (end of 2027) 

• Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Morgan Knowles, Thomas Flegler, Connelly Lemuelu, Jack Bostock, Felise Kaufusi, Trai Fuller, LJ Nonu, Elijah Rasmussen, Sebastian Su’a, Tevita Naufahu (reportedly re-signed), John Fineanganofo

Gains (2027) 

• George Williams 

Losses 

• Jamayne Isaako (Storm), Oryn Keeley (Storm, mid-season), Daniel Saifiti (medical retirement), Ray Stone (retirement), Kodi Nikorima (Dragons), Jake Averillo (Tigers)

Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader was confident the culture which had been built would entice players to stay for less, and stressed “our intention is we’ll be able to hold on to, hopefully, all of them”.

While Woolf’s contract also ends after the 2027 season, Reader declared he was their man for the long haul.

“He wants to be the coach long-term here, and we want him to be a coach for long-term here. That’s something that will be taken care of quite quickly,” he said.

The Dolphins will face the winner of the Roosters and Sharks semi-final to take place on Saturday.

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