Wayne Bennett lost count of the broken promises.

The number of times a prospective Dolphins recruit would look him in the eye, sometimes even shake hands on a deal to become the club’s marquee signing, only to renege at the last minute.

“I can’t tell you the amount of guys that said they would come and then didn’t turn up because their [incumbent] clubs upped the offer,” Bennett recalls.

“They just used us up to get a better price. That’s OK, I don’t like that, but I understand that. They will have to get used to that.”

They are the Perth Bears. As of November 1, the new NRL franchise can enter the market for players. Handed a blank canvas and a blank cheque, the Bears are trying to build a competitive roster from scratch. They have just begun the process of selling the dream, a chanc

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