A frustrated Wayne Bennett has called out Melbourne five-eighth Cameron Munster for failing to front up and tell the Dolphins coach he would be staying with the Storm.
Bennett claimed Munster went "missing" by getting his high-profile agent Braith Anasta to inform the NRL's new side, who enter the competition next year, of his plans.
The Storm had refused to grant Munster a release from his 2023 contract, with the five-eighth subject to significant interest from the NRL's newcomers for the 2024 season.
On Thursday Munster inked an extension with Melbourne until the end of 2027, but Bennett couldn't hide his displeasure at the fact it was Anasta not Munster who informed the Dolphins of his decision.
"It's pretty ordinary stuff," Bennett told Triple M Brisbane.
"I understand about managers and all that and there is a need for him.
"But what I struggle with is the fact that the players, all the tough conversations that you have to have are missing.
"They don't ring you up and tell you they are not coming.
"That's a tough phone call none of us want to make.
"If you want to be a man then you've got to behave like one and (not) have your manager ring up and tell (us) you're not coming."
Munster adds to a growing list of misses for the Dolphins, who have also unsuccessfully tried to lure Kalyn Ponga to the club.
The club did capture exciting North Queensland fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow this week but Bennett bemoaned the attitude of the other 16 clubs to the Dolphins' NRL admission.
"The 17th team is an inconvenience because they're going to lose a few more players," he said.
"What the game has never done is support a new team coming in, in terms of recruitment.
"The game should, as the AFL did with GWS and the Gold Coast, each club had to give up one or two players from their roster to make it more viable."
