Former St Helens and current Dolphins head coach Kristian Woolf said that tying down England international and NRL star Herbie Farnworth is a “priority”.
The Dolphins are the newest team to the NRL, since their arrival in 2023. They currently sit 10th in the league and are only two points off a top eight playoff spots.
Woolf has this week confirmed that they will be looking to extend Farnworth’s contract, with the Englishman one of their star players this season.
Farnworth is not out of contract until the end of next season, however NRL rules state that clubs can approach players from November 1 of this year, so getting a deal over the line is paramount.
“I like what Herbie brings,” Woolf said, speaking to The Canberra Times. “I love his personality and presence around the group and him as a player.
He added: “He’s a guy we want to be a Dolphin going forward and build the team around.”
Farnworth has a wealth of NRL experience and is the one of the best centres in the world at the moment.
“It’s a priority of ours,” Woolf said. “He’s playing his best footy and the great thing about Herbie is he’s got improvement left in him. He’s still on an upward track.”
Fox League, ahead of the Dolphins’ clash with North Queensland Cowboys, said that the Redcliffe team are willing to pay close to $1 million per season for him to stay. That would make him the highest paid centre in NRL history.
With Perth Bears entering the NRL in 2027, Farnworth is expected to be one of their top targets, as a player of his quality potentially on the open market is rare.
Farnworth key for both club and country
The 25-year-old will be part of Shaun Wane’s England squad in the historic Ashes series against Australia, and will be expected to play a huge role if England are to compete with the Kangaroos.
He will be one of many Englishmen in the NRL that will take on the best the NRL has to offer come October. Canberra Raiders duo Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson, and Newcastle Knights winger Dominic Young will also line up for Wane’s England.
