It seems the Dolphins are the ones flying the flag for the Queensland NRL teams right now. That’s not to take away from the efforts of their fellow players at the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans, but given where all the teams are currently sitting on the points ladder, the Dolphins have somewhat of an advantage at this point in the season.
When we last left the Dolphins at the end of last month, they were gearing up for some big games and the results certainly didn’t disappoint. Round 13 against the Raiders went down to the wire with a one-point difference (26-25), sadly not going in the Dolphins favour.
Not letting it get them down, they took a well-earned week off for a bye before hitting the field against the Sharks for Round 15. And what a game that proved to be! Another five-star display from superstar Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow led the Dolphins to an upset 30-28 win over the Sharks at PointsBet Stadium.
With centre Herbie Farnworth and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima also dominating the field, the Dolphins exploded out of the blocks to go up 22-0 before giving up their lead, taking it back thanks to a Hammer special on the hour mark and surviving a late scare when Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes had a chance to send the game to golden point (more on that in a moment).
The Sharks finally got on the board in the 29th minute when bench forward Royce Hunt took a short ball from Hynes and powered over from close range for his first try of the season. Hynes added the extras to cut the margin to 16.
It was in the 53rd minute of the game when the Sharks took the lead, but the Dolphins answered back, regaining the lead courtesy of a length of the field try by Tabuai-Fidow, who left five Sharks defenders in his wake to post what is being labelled one of the tries of the season.
Getting down to the wire and with the score at 30-24 to the Dolphins, it looked like they had it in the bag. A last minute try to the Sharks had everyone on tenterhooks, but Hynes kicked wide and missed the chance to send the game into golden point territory, handing the Dolphins their first win in Sydney for the season.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett is usually a man of few words, but was impressed with the skill and determination of his winning side.
“You can’t afford to turn your TV off when the Dolphins are playing,” Bennett said after the match. “It’s remarkable the way they can hang in there, get in front and come back, all the things they did there tonight (June 13), pretty special.”
Bennett praised the efforts of Hammer in his contributions to the match, even comparing him to another legend of the game.
“Hammer is a special player, we’re very lucky to have him,” Bennett said. “Hammer and Steve Renouf would be the two players I’ve coached that have that absolute magic to get to the try line and create that special moment.”
What’s next for the mighty Dolphins? Round 17 (June 30) they’re back in Sydney against the Dragons, before another bye gives them a week off for Round 18. Back on home turf at Redcliffe for Round 19, where they tackle the near the bottom of the table Rabbitohs before they head to Penrith for a match against the Panthers in Round 20 (July 21). Let’s see if the Dolphins can hold tight in the top eight. Phins up!
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