Kenny Bromwich to play prop as Dolphins lose Nicholls

Joel Gould | April 28, 2023

It is a case of “cometh the hour, Kenneath the man” for the Dolphins as coach Wayne Bennett tweaks his forward pack ahead of the clash with Canberra in Wagga Wagga.

Dual premiership-winning forward Kenneath ‘Kenny’ Bromwich returns from suspension where he will showcase his versatility by playing at prop alongside older brother Jesse Bromwich for Saturday afternoon’s fixture.

The proven dynamism on the left edge of Connelly Lemeulu results in him retaining his second-row position while Kurt Donaghue comes onto the bench to replace injured prop Mark Nicholls, who will miss a month of action with a broken thumb.

Bromwich usually plays second-row but Bennett has a high opinion of the former Storm powerhouse.

“We brought him here because of what he brings. He is going to play in the middle this week. He has got nice silky hands and can pass the ball at the right time,” Bennett said.

“He is a bit like his brother. He is a pretty measured guy. What he says he means. He doesn’t talk a lot of rubbish and that is always good in a footy team. I’ve got a couple of other guys that talk a lot of rubbish, but he doesn’t.

“We just think that at the moment that Connelly is doing a great job on the edge and Kenny is really good in the middle,” Bennett added when asked about Bromwich playing prop.

“It is just a case of Connelly getting more games behind him and Kenny filling up the space we need.”

Nicholls’ absence is a blow for the Dolphins who have not fielded their full-strength lineup since round one.

“He has been wonderful for us and we will miss him a bit but the other guys will put their hand up for us,” Bennett said.

“It is only a month (Nicholls is out for). We can handle a month.”

The Dolphins missed out on the signature of South Sydney-bound Jack Wighton this week but Bennett was not fazed by failing to secure the Raiders playmaker.

“We’ve all moved on,” he said.

The Dolphins are on 10 competition points and inside the top eight.

“We are not doing too bad for a team with no big-name stars,” he quipped.

“Teams are more important than stars.

“We can be better and we need to be better but we have all come together as a group … and we are doing OK.”

The Dolphins are fresh from a history-making 28-26 win over the Gold Coast, after trailing 26-0. 

Bennett has been pure entertainment at his recent press conferences and was in fine form when asked how his team had brushed up after last week’s heroics.

“I put them to bed all week, gave them sleeping tablets and said, ‘don’t wake up until tomorrow’,” he joked.

“(I said), ‘You’ve been good guys and I am really happy with you.’ They will come alive tomorrow and we can get on with the game.”