12 months ago, he was axed by Bennett. Now he holds the Dolphins’ fate

2 weeks ago 9

This time last year, inaugural Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett axed his halfback for the club’s most crucial clash in its fledgling NRL tenure.

Having been dropped to the bench for the season’s penultimate round, Isaiya Katoa was left out of the side to travel to Newcastle, where a win would seal a maiden finals berth.

Fate was not on their side that day. Ironically now, their destiny is in the hands of Bennett’s South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Wayne Bennett talks tactics with Isaiya Katoa during a Dolphins NRL training session in 2023.

Should Bennett triumph against the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters, a Dolphins’ win against Canberra will force their way into the top eight – provided they wipe out a 15-point differential gap.

Katoa laughs he will be dialling his former mentor’s number throughout the week to remind him of what is at stake.

“I don’t even know if he’s got my number saved,” the 21-year-old jokes.

Isaiya Katoa celebrates with Dolphins teammates after scoring on Sunday.

But while Bennett has departed Kayo Stadium, his shadow still looms, and that demotion a year ago could prove the trigger which helps Katoa orchestrate Dolphins’ history.

“First and foremost I’ve got to focus on my defence, I know my attack comes when I defend well,” Katoa said.

“I don’t need to go out there and make a hero play or do anything fancy, I just make sure I do my role for the team, and make sure I’m giving the boys outside me confidence as a leader of this team.

“Not giving up: that’s something he [Bennett] always harped on about.”

It is that Bennett motto which has been picked up by new coach Kristian Woolf, and needed to be believed as the club endured a horror injury run.

Thomas Flegler never returned after suffering nerve damage in his shoulder last year, and he was joined by Tom Gilbert (pectoral), Max Plath (ACL), Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) and Jack Bostock (ACL) in season-ending setbacks.

Herbie Farnworth (hamstring) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (ankle) were also missing from Sunday’s 36-30 win against the Gold Coast Titans.

Woolf hinted Farnworth could be fit to take on the Raiders, but stressed they would not be “reckless” in rushing him back.

“He ran really well last week, he’s started doing a little bit of skills towards the end of the week, so it is some possibility,” he said of Farnworth.

“If he’s 100 per cent right to play, we’ll consider playing him. But if he’s not, we make sure we get it right first.”

In his absence, Trai Fuller has emerged as a potential saviour – slotting in at fullback, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow reverting to the centres.

Just three games into his comeback from a ruptured ACL, the 28-year-old’s try, two try assists, three linebreaks and 203 running metres proved the difference against the Titans.

It also cast aside a frustrating year of recovery.

“It’s been a tough one. This was my first big injury, and it took a while for me to get my confidence back running off it,” Fuller said.

“I feel like I’m back up around top speed. I was limping a bit when I first came back, but that’s gone out, and I’m not worried about it too much any more.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to put three games together, so to play like that I was pretty happy.”

At the centre of the Dolphins’ ambitions will be Katoa.

The Tongan halfback sits atop of the competition for line engagements (233), second for try assists (22) and linebreak involvements (21) and fourth for linebreak assists (21).

Only Nathan Cleary and Jamal Fogarty have kicked for more metres, illustrating the importance to the Dolphins that has been thrust onto his young shoulders.

The jury is still out on his ability to consistently guide his team to victory in tight contests, and there were signs of concern against the Gold Coast after squandering an early 18-0 lead.

But while the Dolphins pack struggled to contain the Titans at times, Katoa was adamant they had the tools to shift the tide.

“I don’t think you can point your finger at something and say that that’s the sole reason why,” Katoa said.

“Defence has been a massive focus for us, but it’s about transferring that focus on the field and showing it through our actions.

“The last three weeks when we let in 150-odd points, that’s not showing how much we care about each other, how much these results mean to our club.

“Whether we have a chance to go play finals or whether we’re just playing the last game of the season, we’re going to go out there and do our club proud.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.