Standout 2025 Dolphin who needed two needles a game among players facing NRL exile

1 month ago 11

Dolphins enforcer Felise Kaufusi believes the allure of achieving “something special” will keep his off-contract teammates from being lured to rival outfits, despite the looming selection battle that leaves even his own place in the NRL uncertain for the first time in 13 years.

The veteran proved one of the club’s saviours last year in an injury-plagued forward pack – managing 16 games either side of knee surgery to help keep his side’s finals ambitions alive heading into the final round of the campaign.

But despite boasting two premierships and 17 State of Origin caps for Queensland, Kaufusi faces a rare stint on the outer as coach Kristian Woolf prepares to welcome back Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti, Tom Gilbert and Max Plath from season-ending setbacks.

Felise Kaufusi in action for the Dolphins against the Cronulla Sharks.

Super League champion Morgan Knowles’ arrival at Redcliffe has added another contender for the middle forward rotation, while Kurt Donoghoe’s emergence as a lock and Francis Molo’s mid-year signing in 2025 has Woolf blessed with options at full strength.

Kaufusi, who inked a two-year contract extension last year, admits he has never featured in such a congested pack – not even during his days with the Melbourne Storm.

But he told this masthead the chance to inspire the Dolphins’ first premiership would ensure a host of off-contract contenders – Molo, Ray Stone, Selwyn Cobbo, Kodi Nikorima, Jake Averillo, Trai Fuller, Jamayne Isaako and Brad Schneider – were not swayed by rival offers and easier paths to first-grade.

“You want to be a part of something special, and I think that will keep boys here to try and do it with the Dolphins – that’s definitely a drawcard,” Kaufusi said.

“We still haven’t made finals yet, which will be a big push for us this year, so we’ve got plenty of firsts to come. You look at our roster, if everyone’s fit it’s a pretty stacked forward pack.

“I’m on my toes with the pack we’ve got and everyone is fighting for positions – we all want to be playing first-grade, we all want to be in that 17, and it’s a good healthy headache to have.”

Kaufusi is joined by Stone in facing an uphill battle to feature extensively in 2026.

While he appeared in the NRL just 31 times from his debut in 2018 for Parramatta until joining the Dolphins in 2023, Stone has since featured in 61 of a possible 72 games – 22 of which were last year.

Such was the Dolphins’ injury crisis, Stone revealed he spent much of the season playing with two busted shoulders – going into battle despite damage to both AC joints in the early rounds, before undergoing surgery in the off season.

“They were both busted, so I pretty much just needled them before every game … and if I needed a needle at halftime I would do that just to get through. The needles were the only thing I could really do to get through the game,” Stone said.

“Once the needle was in it was pretty much sweet until it wore off – it was probably my favourite time of the week getting them. I barely trained, I just ran and didn’t do much contact throughout the week, it was pretty much just trying to maintain my body to get to game day.”

Now, Stone faces the prospect of biding his time in the Queensland Cup, as he fights for his future beyond the end of his 2026 deal.

“This is home for me. I’m not really thinking outside of this club or anything like that,” Stone said.

“I’m literally just thinking of next week. I don’t really think long-term too much, I just worry about what’s going on at the moment. I love it here, I love the club and the people so it’s definitely where I see myself.

“If I miss out, I miss out – that’s part of it. The way the boys have come back and everyone’s been training, I’m not going to be offended by it, I’m not going to be upset about it.”