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These were not the signs of an NRL premiership contender. But they are ones the Dolphins cannot afford to forget if they are to rewrite rugby league history.
Saturday’s 66-0 capitulation against Cronulla in Redcliffe – the same scene as their 52-18 defeat to Manly in round five – was the most embarrassing in the club’s four-year history, and came despite having built a reputation as a team who, even in defeat, would always be in the fight.
Either side of their eight-game winning streak were tight losses to the Panthers, Knights (one point) and Warriors (two points). The Sharks’ implosion left Dolphins forward Felise Kaufusi flabbergasted.
“Embarrassed would be an understatement. It’s hard to put it on anything because we were all pretty ordinary,” Kaufusi said.
“What I do know is we’ve been in this same position before. We know what we’re capable of, and I think we’ve got too much of a quality team to go backwards from here.
“You can’t afford to dwell on losses like that, you’ve obviously got to learn and go through it which is tough, but we’ve got too many quality players to not do anything about it.”
The Dolphins will seek to cast aside their disappointment for Sunday’s clash with the Cowboys.
These are the moments from the Cronulla horror show they cannot erase from their memory if they are to keep their hopes of not only a top four finish, but a maiden finals campaign alive.
Desperation in defence
Early in the Sharks’ humiliation, the Dolphins appeared in the grind, after try-saving tackles from Trai Fuller and Herbie Farnworth kept the scores locked at 0-0.
But from that first try to prop Oregon Kaufusi, when he fended through flimsy tackle attempts by Morgan Knowles and Fuller, defensive lapses were exposed.
By the second term, the desire seemed to completely leave the Dolphins – highlighted by the way Sharks enforcer Tom Hazelton charged through the middle en route to 155 running metres.
Against a forward pack boasting representative props Kaufusi, Thomas Flegler, Francis Molo and Tom Gilbert, Hazelton found open space far too easily.
After halfback Nicho Hynes attempted to cut back on the inside for his middle man, only for the pass to hit the turf, the No.7 attempted the same on the next play, with Hazelton scoring untouched.
The lack of inside cover defence showed a lack of intent, and Hazelton helped himself to another linebreak soon after which led to Jesse Ramien scoring.
While Cronulla’s middles had a field day – Kaufusi (134 metres), Addin Fonua-Blake (131 metres) and Cameron McInnes (121 metres) joining the carnage – hooker Blayke Brailey pulled the defence apart.
“It just compounded with their quick play the balls – Brailey was having plenty of joy throughout the middle,” Kaufusi said.
“Our commitment to stopping tackles and being in the grind wasn’t there.
“That’s something we’ve addressed and have got to be better at. With how tight the comp is, wins at any cost are so important.”
Kaufusi stressed that against a Cowboys pack spearheaded by resurgent lock Jason Taumalolo, such lapses would be even more unforgivable, particularly given his expectation the latter will come with a point to prove to Dolphins and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf.
“We had bloody Addin off the back of Origin come out, and he played one of his best games against us through the middle,” Kaufusi said.
“Any Tongan coming through wants to prove a point to coach.”
Reading the game
The absence of halfback Isaiya Katoa with a fractured arm has been glaring.
The way the 22-year-old digs into the line before unleashing his outside backs has made the Dolphins one of the NRL’s most lethal attacking outfits, only for them to score just twice in the past two weeks.
But Kaufusi backed reserve No.7 Brad Schneider to lead the side out of the doldrums.
Schneider was error-free aside from two missed tackles from 30 attempts, but his final play options were lacking threat.
The Dolphins still had 28 tackles – essentially six sets – inside the Sharks’ 20-metre zone compared to Cronulla’s 29, but failed to capitalise.
In the territory battle, 51 per cent of the game was played inside the Sharks’ half.
Execution in those moments could have flipped the script, as could have the decision to turn down a two-point penalty goal after 15 minutes – with the scores still tied and the Sharks showing plenty of defensive resolve – only for Flegler to knock on over the line.
The Sharks scored off the following set.
“I think Brad’s a good player coming in there. We’ll get [Katoa] back in a few weeks, and we have to work with what we’ve got,” Kaufusi said.
“Everyone has injuries throughout the year. We were flying with Izzy – we all know what type of player he is, and how much he adds to the team – but it’s the next man up.”
The return of State of Origin trio Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow – who has been nursing an ankle injury picked up playing for Queensland – Selwyn Cobbo and Jack Bostock will be a timely boost, particularly after fullback Fuller was caught out of position on two kicks for Cronulla tries.
While he could be forgiven for the first, seen blistering to get to the Braydon Trindall kick only to be beaten by KL Iro, he was out of the picture for the second as Will Kennedy found Ramien.
Tabuai-Fidow has developed a strong instinct on where to position himself, and Kaufusi believed the injection of the Origin stars would deliver a telling boost.
“The confidence just goes to another level being around that environment and arena. What they bring back is even better for us,” Kaufusi said.
“We get a bit of a boost knowing they’re back playing with us.”
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