This was published 6 months ago
Hope remains: How a 15-game late bloomer kept Dolphins’ finals quest alive
They will need a little bit of luck to go their way – and to overcome the minor premiers in the process – but Trai Fuller has kept the Dolphins’ hopes of a maiden finals campaign alive.
The 28-year-old late bloomer, playing in just his 15th NRL game, proved the livewire his side needed to overcome a plucky Gold Coast Titans outfit 36-30 and set up a grandstand season finish at Redcliffe.
Finishing with 204 running metres, three linebreaks and six tackle busts, the fullback toyed with his under-siege rivals at times, who are now on the cusp of claiming the wooden spoon.
It has been a remarkable comeback from Fuller late in the season, having suffered a ruptured ACL in the Queensland Cup preliminary finals last year and only returning to the NRL in round 24.
A hamstring injury to Herbie Farnworth triggered Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s move from fullback to the centres, accommodating Fuller. With Farnworth nearing a return to fitness, the Redcliffe junior may have sealed his place in the side.
Within two minutes, Fuller had made his presence felt, slicing through at close range after a Titans knock-on to score under the posts.
He was at it again 10 minutes later, bursting through the middle during the Dolphins’ first set after a Tevita Naufahu try and finding Tabuai-Fidow to score again – a play he replicated in setting up Isaiya Katoa’s try in the second half.
While Tabuai-Fidow left the field for a period reporting blurry vision after copping a finger to the eye, coach Kristian Woolf confirmed his star was fine.
The triumph means that if the South Sydney Rabbitohs – ironically coached by the Dolphins’ inaugural mentor, Wayne Bennett – can defeat the Roosters next week, a Dolphins win against Canberra will seal their maiden finals campaign, provided they close a 15-point differential gap.
The 11 minutes that will raise the Dolphins’ alarm bells
Everything seemed to be going according to the script early on for the Dolphins, but an 11-minute lapse raised alarm bells.
Within the opening 12 minutes, the Dolphins were humming, however after leading 18-0, they quickly faded.
A lack of line-speed in defence opened the door for the Gold Coast, who scored through Brian Kelly and Jaylan De Groot.
Both of those tries came on the back of Dolphins errors, and it was the same case on the stroke of half-time – Klese Haas firing a miracle around the back offload for Kieran Foran to level the scores.
Even after the Dolphins struck through Katoa, Naufahu and Kodi Nikorima, the Titans would not budge – AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell keeping them within six points.
It leaves Woolf with some serious concerns to address to keep his side motivated for one final tilt at the finals.
Molo the man to make history
The Dolphins’ forward pack has been under the hammer all year, having lost first-choice starters Daniel Saifiti, Thomas Flegler, Tom Gilbert and Max Plath for the season.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki was also missing with an ankle issue, and the remaining engine room appeared to be running out of steam after three-straight defeats before Sunday’s win.
It makes Francis Molo arguably the most important man to their cause.
The former Queensland Maroon has grown with each outing, finishing with 127 running metres from 12 carries to go with 27 tackles.
His leg speed and powerful drive got the Dolphins on the front foot early, but he was not supported well enough by his teammates up front.
In contrast, Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa’asuamelaui (149 metres), Moeaki Fotuaika (116 metres) and Beau Fermor (127 metres) began to win the territory battle to trigger their comeback.
While the Raiders are likely to rest a host of their stars at Kayo Stadium next week after sealing the minor premiership, the Dolphins will need Molo to continue setting the tone if they are to have any chance of playing sudden death football.
Dolphins vs Titans: How the game played out
2nd minute - After Tony Francis dropped an Isaiya Katoa bomb, Trai Filler scores from the scrum - shoving off a Jaylan De Groot tackle. Jamayne Isaako converts, 6-0.
10th minute - Jeremy Marshall-King fires a long short-side pass for Kodi Nikorima on the last tackle, who finds Tevita Naufahu to score for the Dolphins. Isaako converts, 12-0.
12th minute - On the first set off the kick off, Fuller bursts through the middle of the field, before finding Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score. Isaako converts, 18-0.
29th minute - Finally, the Titans are in, and it’s come from a Dolphins’ blunder. AJ Brimson’s grubber into the in-goal is missed by Marshall-King, with Brian Kelly happily accepting the ball. Campbell converts, 18-6.
36th minute - Two Dolphins errors on the attack have let the Titans off the hook, and the visitors have made them pay. A Chris Randall flick pass finds De Groot to score, however replays show it going forward. Campbell converts, 18-12.
40th minute - In the shadows of halftime, the Titans have struck again. On the last tackle, a miraculous offload from Klese Haas finds Kieran Foran to score. Campbell converts and we’re locked at 18-18.
47th minute - The Dolphins retake the lead - a slick pass from Nikorima finding Kurt Donoghoe, who fends off a tackle and offloads for Naufahu to score his second. Isaako converts, 24-18.
49th minute - For the second time this afternoon, the Dolphins have scored in back-to-back sets. Josh Kerr finds a late pass for Fuller, who breaks into the backfield and finds Isaiya Katoa to score. Isaako converts, 30-18.
62nd minute - Some ad lib football swinging the ball to their left edge ends up with Kelly, whose grubber finds Beau Fermor. The one-time Maroon finds AJ Brimson to score. Campbell converts, 30-24.
67th minute - The Dolphins have extended their lead, Nikorima running it on the last play of the set and slicing through at close range to score. Isaako converts, 36-24.
73rd minute - Fuller is unable to reel in a Foran bomb, with Campbell scooping it up and scoring. Campbell converts his own try, 36-30.
Time for Titans to look ahead
A bottom-place finish beckons for the Titans, and the final round of the campaign may be the time for them to blood some new talent and look towards the future.
While a win next week and a Newcastle loss would help coach Des Hasler avoid the wooden spoon in his final year on the Glitter Strip, the men named on his extended bench this weekend could yet be given a taste of the NRL.
Cooper Bai, the son of Melbourne Storm great Marcus Bai, is still just 18 but has dominated his opening stint in the Queensland Cup, scoring five tries in six games, while averaging 154 running metres per outing.
Former Wallabies five-eighth Carter Gordon, meanwhile, looms as a future contender to replace the retiring Foran, and has managed two games for Ipswich since returning from a cerebrospinal fluid leak – a condition affecting the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
While Hasler will not be at the helm next year, although he confirmed he still desired to keep coaching, the Gold Coast must start planning ahead.
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Nick Wright covers sport for Brisbane Times.