Katoa leads Dolphins to comeback stunner over Storm
Joel Gould |
The Dolphins have stunned Melbourne in an extraordinary comeback win, with half Isaiya Katoa putting on a masterclass.
Trailing 16-2 after 20 minutes at Suncorp Stadium, the Dolphins scored 40 unanswered points on Good Friday in surely the greatest performance of their short history.
Last year’s 40-6 win over Brisbane was a breakthrough victory against their cross-town rivals but this display was against one of the great NRL teams.
Katoa, 21, had five try assists and outplayed opposite number Jahrome Hughes in a performance that earmarked him as the best young playmaker in the NRL.
Tough forward Ray Stone, with two tries, and rampaging prop Josh Kerr, in his 100th NRL match, had the best games of their careers. It was the Dolphins’ first win over the Storm.
The Storm were completely stunned by the hosts, who blew them off the park with razzle-dazzle attack and steely defence.
“I’m really proud of our blokes,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said after his side’s third win in a row.
“At 16-2 down, it could have been a very different game.
“We were up for the fight and when we had our opportunities we were doing something with it. We were outstanding in the second half.”
The Storm had won 79 of their previous 80 games when leading by 14 points.
“I am really disappointed. I can’t remember coaching a Storm team that’s been up 16-2 and then gets 40 in a row put on us,”: Storm coach Craig Bellamy said.
“That is embarrassing really. Hopefully we will learn from that.
“Jahrome (Hughes) made a good point in the dressing room. We have been winning games on our attack. Today we had to stump up defensively … but we couldn’t do it.”
There was injury carnage with Storm centre Jack Howarth dislocating a shoulder in the 17th minute, after Dolphins forward Max Plath suffered a foot injury two minutes earlier. Dolphins forward Felise Kaufusi also came off with a knee injury which Woolf said had been diagnosed as an MCL.
Melbourne dominated early with three tries in the opening 20 minutes. Winger Kane Bradley leapt high to snaffle a Hughes bomb before electric outside backs Xavier Coates and Ryan Papenhuyzen crossed to give the visitors a 14-point advantage.
Kerr then brought his side back into it. The Dolphins’ offload king was heavily involved before beating five players to barnstorm his way over.
Pressure from Kerr after a Katoa bomb led to Storm forward Shawn Blore dropping the ball. The next aerial assault from Katoa was brilliantly caught by winger Jack Bostock and it was game on at halftime.
The Dolphins overhauled the Storm when hard man Stone charged like a runaway train onto five-eighth Kodi Nikorima’s pass to give the hosts an 18-16 lead.
Katoa’s genius then came to the fore with a dummy and double-pump to put second-rower Connelly Lemuelu over.
The incredible comeback wasn’t over. Katoa lofted another pinpoint bomb. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow caught it and found that man Stone again storming over.
Katoa capped a career-defining display with two more kicks for tries – a grubber for Nikorima and another bomb for Herbie Farnworth.
AAP
