But what nobody can dispute is the "Supercoach's" record as one of, if not the greatest, clipboard-holder in the history of the 13-man code.

Bennett's record speaks for itself. He's coached 981 first-grade games, more than anybody else in rugby league's 115-year history, for an impressive winning rate of 62 per cent.

He's won six premierships - five at the Brisbane Broncos and one at the St George Illawarra Dragons - and coached Queensland in State Of Origin as well as Australia and Great Britain.

But how much do know about Bennett? His surly demeanour and open disdain for the media means, despite being a regular fixture in the sport at the elite level for almost 40 years, fans have rarely been allowed a glimpse inside Bennett's mind and his dealings with staff and players.

That's what makes the first episode of the three-part series Dawn Of The Dolphins such intriguing viewing for NRL fans.

In the opening segment Bennett offers documentary maker, Nick Piper, a more revealing look than the 73-year-old has allowed in decades of press conferences.

"I don't like giving a part of myself publicly," Bennett grimaces as if he's sitting on an echidna. "It's not who introverts are.

"All my life I fought it, but I won the battle with it because I couldn't coach if I was introverted.

"I've got to be able to communicate, but I can't tell you the days and the moments in a day when I have to fight with myself to talk to someone, not because I don't wanna talk, it's just I don't wanna talk then and there and have that conversation. But I have to do it."

For a bloke who doesn't revel in verbiage, Bennett does plenty of talking.

We're given snippets of Bennett's humour. "Rule one, don't be late, because all you're doing is saying you're more important than the rest of us," he tells an audience of Dolphins fans.

"The second is stay out of jail. Sometimes I'll be flexible on that one if I need you for the game."

In another scene Bennett is overheard telling Dolphins staff members about a player who drank a six-pack of beer on the way to the ground to calm his nerves.

A conversation with Dolphins CEO Terry Reader also outlines his well-known dislike of the media.

"As soon as the TV says something about rugby league, just turn it off or go to another channel. It does your head in. It just consumes ya," he says.

"That's why politicians are ineffective, because when you spend all day throwing shit at each other you're not progressing the club or the game."

Except of course when you're posing for media photographs with the Dolphins sponsor emblazoned on the new jersey. Which Bennett does plenty of.

Given the NRL hasn't admitted a new club to the competition since the Gold Coast Titans in 2007, Dawn Of The Dolphins offers a fascinating insight into the development of a sporting franchise.

It's all very positive, in general. There's no mention of the Dolphins' 17^th team rivals the Brisbane Firehawks and the Ipswich Jets or of the commonly-held belief that the Dolphins were backed because the News Ltd-owned Broncos believed they were the smaller rival for their market.

The controversial decision to name the team simply "the Dolphins" over Redcliffe, Moreton Bay or Brisbane is also quickly skipped over, with several commentators agreeing the moniker satisfied nobody.

What real footy fans will be most interested in are the boardroom meetings as Bennett, Reader, head of recruitment Peter O'Sullivan and chairman Bob Jones discuss building a roster from scratch.

Names like Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga are debated. "I'm not confident Ponga will play five-eighth," Bennett says. "I don't think he'd want to."

We're also shown NRL player agents Sam Ayoub and Jim Banaghan wheeling and dealing the contracts of Anthony Milford and Jamayne Isaako.