How NRL’s most lethal attack let golden chance slip, but set up breakout 2026

It will be an off-season spent lamenting what might have been for the Dolphins.

As the NRL’s newest outfit put an under-strength Canberra Raiders to the sword in a 62-24 triumph at Kayo Stadium, they took themselves to clear frontrunners as the competition’s most lethal attacking side.

And yet, for a third straight season, they will not play finals.

Their 721 points throughout the campaign overtakes their crosstown nemeses the Brisbane Broncos (680), while winger Jamayne Isaako - who scored and kicked nine goals in Redcliffe - will finish as the year’s leading individual point scorer.

But after their inaugural coach Wayne Bennett was unable to conquer a South Sydney upset against the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters, Sunday’s affair was not enough to reach the business end.

What went wrong

Instead of preparing for do-or-die football, the Dolphins will be celebrating the careers of retiring veteran Mark Nicholls – who scored with his first touch against the Raiders – and Kenny Bromwich, while local junior Josh Kerr will return to the Dragons.

They will also be assessing the fitness of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, whose hat-trick took his season tally to 22 before he was forced off with a suspected MCL concern to his knee.

“It’s always a good sign he walked off, he looked fairly comfortable walking off, so I don’t think it’s going to be a major drama, but exactly what timeline I’m not sure,” coach Kristian Woolf said.

Defeats to Canberra and the Broncos – despite leading in the second halves – came back to bite them, as did a pair of losses to wooden spooners Newcastle.

But according to Woolf, the 64-12 round 23 loss to the Roosters – after winning 10 of 15 games – proved the straw which broke them, with a further 96 points following in their next two losses.

“If you look from round five to round 22 we were exactly what we wanted to be. We know we can find points, we were defending points, and we were playing to our potential,” Woolf said.

“I don’t have a clear-cut reason, but there’s no doubt our defence fell away. To finish ninth and score more points than any team in the competition, it’s outstanding for us and our attack, but we know we need to be better defensively.

“It’s what we’ve had to build on for the last three years to be fair, and when we find that we’ll start to see what we’re capable of.”

How injury carnage hurt them, but set up future

Injuries ultimately ravaged the Dolphins, but presented a silver lining.

Marquee prop Thomas Flegler never returned from nerve damage suffered in his shoulder last year, while Tom Gilbert (pectoral), Max Plath (ACL) and Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) missed most of the campaign.

Outside backs Jack Bostock (ACL) and Herbie Farnworth (hamstring) failed to finish the year, while Kulikefu Finefieuaki and Connelly Lemuelu were sidelined for extended periods.

“We’ve had lots of disruption, but I still think we could have handled that a little bit better than we did, and that’s what we need to find,” Woolf said.

But the carnage helped offset an area which had cruelled the Dolphins’ past two campaigns: build their depth.

Rookie winger Tevita Naufahu, who crossed twice in Sunday’s win and ran for 247 metres, starred in Bostock’s absence, while fullback Trai Fuller (232 metres, two try assists, two linebreaks, three linebreak assists) has dazzled four games into his comeback from a ruptured ACL.

Kurt Donoghoe was also illustrious stepping into Plath’s courageous, ball-playing lock role – averaging 92.5 running metres and 41 tackles a game in the No.13 jumper.

Woolf confirmed that while Gilbert, Saifiti and Flegler were hopeful round one returns in 2026, Plath and Bostock would take more time to get back onto the field as recruits Morgan Knowles, Selwyn Cobbo and Brad Schneider prepare to arrive.

Nicholls, meanwhile, delivered a message to the emerging Redcliffe crop - which includes their under-20s, who went through the inaugural competition between the Queensland clubs undefeated - which Naufahu especially took on board.

“I’ve noticed as an older bloke in the last three years the guys who have good preseasons go on and have pretty good years, and Tevita was someone who really stood out,” Nicholls said.

“He was competing on everything, and he just looked like a first-grader. Kurt did that, Plathy was unreal in that preseason, so the message I gave on the first day of preseason is if you rip in as a young fella you never know what might happen.

“All those young guys who could play this year because of the injuries we had, they’ll all be better for it, and all those guys who were injured will come back.

“The foundation is here, everyone knows that.”

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