Unlikely hero saves fade-out: Four things learnt from Dolphins’ thriller

At last, the Dolphins have prevailed in a thriller – courtesy of a hero few would have expected.

Sean O’Sullivan came to the club intent on becoming their premier halfback. After a round-one capitulation this year, he was sent to reserve grade and has needed to be content with earning occasional sparring minutes off the bench.

And yet now he stands as the man who may have saved his side’s season, his clutch golden point two-point field goal edging them into the top eight with a 34-32 triumph over the Warriors.

“I just knew he would bring something,” Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett said.

“You’re in that situation where both teams are trying to score in that one set of six … I thought he could help us there a bit. I just knew I needed to get him on the field.”

But the reality Bennett needs to address is why it was that close after they set up the win with a gritty first half.

Within the opening 20 minutes, they had thwarted six sets on their own goal line, but despite taking a 14-point lead into half-time and playing against 12 men following Dylan Walker’s sin-binning, the Dolphins conceded straight out of the break.

Errors from the likes of Jake Averillo, Isaiya Katoa and Ray Stone all directly led to points – including the Mitch Barnett penalty try after Kodi Nikorima was deemed to have held him off the ball, stopping him from scoring.

It threatened to repeat their defeats to the Panthers and Titans, given they also led by 14 points only to lose.

While O’Sullivan’s heroics have lifted them back into the top eight, harsh tests against the Broncos, Storm and Bulldogs ahead will prove punishing if they continue to cruel their own chances.

“Our second halves need a bit of work,” skipper Jesse Bromwich said. “The effort and grit we put in that first half in our defence – especially on our edges – we were defending really well, and I was really proud of the efforts.

“Then we go out in that second half, and we were up by eight points but playing like we were losing. It’s something we’ll look at … we will enjoy that, but we do have a bit of work to do.”

Farnworth injection could be Dolphins’ finals saviour

Herbie Farnworth arrived from the Broncos as a grand finalist, and his relentless ball-running and strong defensive reads punished New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium.

Traditionally, it is the 24-year-old’s tackle-busting carries that prove so difficult to contain, but the sight of him running 70 metres to score gave pundits the chance to see him in full flight.

After their rivals gained the momentum in the second half, Farnworth gave the Dolphins a chance to strike before scoring his second off a deft Nikorima short ball.

What has been noticeable has been Farnworth’s willingness to shift across the field, popping up on either side and making an impact.

He finished with two tries, 277 running metres and 11 tackle busts, and both his flare and work coming out of his own end could guide the Dolphins to a maiden finals’ appearance.

Golden point and decisions draw ire

Player welfare is obviously vital, but some of the decisions around head-high contact have been perplexing.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster was livid at the decision to penalise Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in front of his own posts for a tackle on Ray Stone, despite replays suggesting no contact came above the shoulder.

The decision to send Walker to the sin bin also drew ire, however his hit on Mark Nicholls did force the Dolphins prop out of the contest.

“I don’t know why they gave that,” Webster said of Tuivasa-Sheck’s penalty.

“Then Walks has a head clash and goes in the bin. I just don’t understand it. I’m sure they’ll let us know this week why it went that way, but Roger … you watch the replay three times and do you think he hit him high? No.”

And while his side got the win, Bennett continued to oppose the golden point system and called for an overhaul.

“The disappointing thing for me was both teams put a lot of effort in today. When you get to that place, both teams have played with a lot of effort and there’s no reward,” Bennett said.

“I know it excites the fans, but I know the losing team’s fans aren’t excited.

Will the son outgun the father?

Max Plath earned his chance through injuries, but if he continues on his current trajectory, he appears certain to achieve what his famous father could not – enter the State of Origin arena.

Brought into the fold at lock when Tom Gilbert suffered a season-ending ACL rupture in the preseason, the 22-year-old son of former Brisbane Broncos utility John Plath has since moved to hooker in the absence of Jeremy Marshall-King (foot injury).

And Plath’s work around the ruck was paramount in the Dolphins ending a three-game losing streak to squeeze back into the top eight – a series of probing first-half runs getting his side out of trouble, while his kick coverage and offload unleashed Farnworth for his first try.

By full-time, the workhorse had made an incredible 63 tackles, and he seems destined to one day don the Queensland Maroons’ colours.

“He’s pretty impressive. We’ve had him come off the bench, he’s played starting lock, he’s been our starting hooker since Jeremy’s been out, and I think he’s won the Players’ Player in every position he’s been in,” Bromwich said.

“He’s just someone who consistently works hard and gets the results. As long as he keeps doing that, he’s going to be a very good player for a long time.”