Katoa quashes Sydney scuttlebutt, confirms Blues dream
Joel Gould |
Prodigious halfback talent Isaiya Katoa has no intention of leaving the Dolphins and has rubbished suggestions he is considering moving back to Sydney to continue his career.
The 21-year-old has, however, confirmed why playing for NSW at State of Origin level, as Blues great Andrew Johns predicted he would do for a decade, is a long-held goal.
Katoa is signed at the Dolphins until the end of 2028 and plays his best football under his club and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf.
The possibility of Manly captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans linking with the Dolphins next year had led to Sydney media speculation that Katoa, a Penrith junior, was angling to return south.
“I don’t know where that chat came from but I am definitely not going back to Sydney,” Katoa said after shining in the 30-12 win over Penrith on Thursday night.
“I love the Dolphins and playing under a coach like Woolfy. I feel my best footy is definitely played under Woolfy.
“The trust he instils in me, the only way I can repay it is by playing well so I am definitely not going anywhere.
“My family love it here and moved here from Sydney. My partner loves it up here as well.”
New Zealand-born Katoa moved to Sydney when he was nine and played his juniors with Glenmore Park Brumbies before rising through the Panthers system. He qualifies to play Origin football for NSW and was humbled by Johns’s praise in his newspaper column.
“It is great to receive comments like that, especially from someone like Joey Johns,” Katoa said.
“As a kid I knew I was eligible for (Origin) and in the back of my mind it was always a dream. What if one day I would be able to represent the NSW Blues?
“I know that only comes by playing good footy with the Dolphins and there are still so many areas of my game I need to work on.”
Former Penrith and NSW playmaker Jamie Soward and idol Nathan Cleary are two Blues that inspired Katoa.
“Obviously, being a Penrith junior, Sowie was there when I was fairly young and I saw his development as a player,” Katoa said.
“Nathan has been awesome as a mentor. I don’t speak to him much but when I do you can tell how calm he is.
“It is just his presence on the field. One thing I took out of his game last year, when they beat us (28-26) with his field goal after being down by 12, was the only way they got back in the game was because he was on the ball, demanding it and making plays.”
Katoa wasn’t happy with the way he finished 2024 and worked on his defence and running game in the pre-season, both qualities which have impressed this year.
His tackle efficiency is 87.2 per cent and he is averaging 105m per game, both career highs.
In the 36-10 win over the Gold Coast in round five he ran for 193m.
“It was more of a mindset change for me, just wanting the ball in my hands,” he said.
“The way I can do that is by organising shape where I get my hands on the ball more and play out the front rather than sitting behind the forwards and waiting for the ball.”
AAP
