1 month ago
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A slip while playing with his kids derailed Jeremy Marshall-King’s season, but his plight has opened the door for an unheralded prospect to earn his NRL chance.
The Dolphins hooker was injured while taking family time at home, suffering a meniscus issue in his knee, on which he has since had surgery.
He is not expected to play for the Redcliffe outfit until round seven, at a time when his deputy – versatile forward Max Plath – continues his rehabilitation from a ruptured ACL sustained last year.
John Fineanganofo pictured at Dolphins training.Credit: Dolphins NRL
Harrison Graham was also not retained by the club, leaving utility Kurt Donoghoe – who shone at lock in Plath’s absence – and halfback Brad Schneider as the only options with some dummy-half experience in the NRL.
It is hardly a start to the campaign the Dolphins would have envisioned. A plethora of injuries has bedevilled the team, losing Tom Gilbert (pectoral), Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) and Plath to season-ending injuries in 2025.
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Winger Jack Bostock (ACL) suffered a similar fate.
But with Plath set to be sidelined until round four, and Donoghoe proving to be a first-grade calibre lock, the door is now ajar for John Fineanganofo to announce his ascent to the top ranks.
The Kiwi rake has spent the past three seasons plying his trade in the Queensland Cup, having been brought over by the Dolphins from New Zealand in 2022 despite growing up in rugby union.
He proved a try-scoring threat at close range for the Central Queensland Capras in 2025, scoring nine tries from 15 appearances, and looms as an option for coach Kristian Woolf to use off the bench until his mentor Marshall-King makes his comeback.
“I’ve been here nearly three years and just been learning off him, soaking up everything at hooker, and he’s been a good mentor I’d say,” Fineanganofo said.
“Coming from union, there’s a lot of different stuff you have to learn, so I’m soaking in everything from Jeremy Marshall-King.”
The Dolphins have runs on the board when it comes to promoting reserve grade talent and turning them into NRL sensations – Plath and fullback Trai Fuller the leading examples, while forward Aublix Tawha impressed last season before joining the Brisbane Broncos.
While Fineanganofo has proven an attacking threat in the lower ranks, he admitted he was partaking in a gruelling transformation to ensure he would be ready to answer a call from Woolf.
“It’s obviously a massive opportunity for myself, but at the moment I’m just focusing on getting fitter. That’s one thing I’ve lacked in the last few years,” Fineanganofo said.
“It’s another door that can be opened. It’s just up to me if I take it with both hands and run away with it.”
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