‘I love everything about Redcliffe’

Dolphins NRL young gun Tom Gilbert has inked a long-term contract with the club that will make him ‘Phin until the end of the 2028 season.

Earmarked as a future leader, he’s thrilled to commit to the club, its fans and his teammates long term.

Dolphins’ CEO Terry Reader and the 22-year-old prop made the announcement this morning.

Reader said it was a good move for the club’s future along with contract extensions with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Connelly Lemuelu and Jeremy Marshall-King, and new signings for 2024 with Herbie Farnworth, Tom Flegler and Jake Averillo.

|“Tom’s presence since he got here has been outstanding both on and off the field not just with the coaches but with the admin staff. His leadership … we’re really excited to have him here for at least another five years,” Reader said.|

He said he and the coaching team believed Gilbert had ‘wonderful leadership attributes’ and ‘extra honours’ would come his way.

The Dolphins have signed Gilbert as he recovers from shoulder surgery following an injury suffered in the first State of Origin game this year.

It’s a vote of confidence in his work ethic and ability to return to his best form in 2024.

Gilbert said he had another scan in six weeks to see how he has recovered from surgery and then he will work on building strength.

He’s hoping to be back close to the beginning of preseason in November and in full-contact training in December.

Gilbert said there was a lot of promise in the way the club is developing and moving forward.

“I’m really excited to put that potential into action on the field with some of the blokes we have now, some of the blokes coming in and some of the coaching staff as well,” he said.

“It’s a really exciting time. I never had second thoughts about extending my time here at the club. I love it here. I love being in Brisbane. I love being home. I love what this club’s built on and we’re still building so I’m excited to be a part of that.

“We weren’t tipped to achieve much I think but, as a group, the standard we’ve set is to achieve a lot. There’s a lot of drive and a lot of sense of boys wanting to be successful and successful for a long time. I really enjoy that about a club. I really enjoy that about the teams I’ve been able to play in. I think this group and this team, with some of the players coming in, that’s going to be a big motivation and something I have a lot of confidence in.”

For him, signing for five years was the right decision for his family, offering stability.

|“I’m happy here. I’m happy with the playing squad, the football department, the admin, the community. I love everything about Redcliffe and I need to show that commitment,” he said.|

It’s a commitment also to the club, members, fans and teammates.

“It’s a club I definitely want to be a leader at. It’s something that motivates me as a player … to sustain success for a long period of time. I’m very fortunate there are some great leaders here now and we’re bringing in a couple of good leaders next year as well,” Gilbert said.

He said Head Coach Wayne Bennett had been a terrific mentor and coach for him this season and he had a good relationship with Assistant Coach Kristian Woolf and was grateful for the faith he had in him as a player.

Gilbert is confident the club can and will be successful.