Katoa ready to show Cleary he’s a much wiser Dolphin
Joel Gould |
It is the classic master versus apprentice showdown but Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa has learned plenty since his one and only match against Penrith maestro Nathan Cleary.
Last year in a humdinger it was Cleary who landed a golden-point field goal to secure a 28-26 home win. That was just minutes after 21-year-old Katoa had wasted an opportunity down the other end, electing to put a bomb up rather than shoot for a match-winning field goal himself.
The pair clash again at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night. Katoa, who otherwise had a wonderful game against the Panthers last year, said recently the lost opportunity was one he had analysed.
“I go back to when we played Penrith. I had an opportunity there that I missed and I remember speaking to Wayne (Bennett) after and he was really calm in the way he approached me,” Katoa said.
“He was just making me feel a little bit better about the situation and making sure that if I see something, next time to just back myself and go for it. That’s something I want to work on this year.”
Katoa, once in the Panthers system, showed he was a quick learner. Last November he iced a 30m field goal for Tonga in the 76th minute to give his side a 25-24 win in the Pacific Cup to qualify for the final.
“In terms of that (Penrith field goal) situation … if you look at his performance for Tonga against New Zealand he showed he has learned from that experience and how to ice those situations,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said.
“We played really well that (Penrith) game and put ourselves in a great position but couldn’t quite finish the job. For a young playmaker that’s an important part of his development.
“I sometimes think the things you don’t get right are the ones you learn the most from. That was one of those experiences. He is going to be better for that experience and better for a whole lot of experiences he’s had since.”
Katoa has been one of his side’s best this year, including the 36-10 win over Gold Coast last week where he ran for 193m and put on a kicking and passing clinic.
“He is continually showing improvement and more confidence in what he can do at this level,” Woolf said.
“Isaiya is very mature and level headed and that’s why at 21 he is playing his 50th game this week. He is only going to get better because he wants to be the best player he can be.
“He is owning our team and owning our attack. The weekend was the best example with the way he kicked and shared the load with other members of the team and showed trust in them. He has always been at his best when he is running the footy.
“It’s a great challenge for him (against Cleary). They are a great team.”
The win last week was the first of the Dolphins season.
“It lifts the mood around the place and gives you confidence in what you are doing going into a big game but if we don’t back that performance up it counts for very little,” Woolf said.
AAP
