Dolphins overcome loss of star centre to take thriller
Melissa Woods |
A high-risk, high-reward play has paid off for the Dolphins, who have given their NRL finals hopes a major boost with a last-ditch 20-18 win over the Warriors.
The Dolphins looked down and out at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium in their Friday night clash, trailing 18-16 with just over two minutes remaining and down a man.
But they earned a penalty 35 metres out and opted against going for a score-levelling kick, instead chasing a match-winning try.
It paid off, scoring on the final tackle, with Jeremy Marshall-King sending a long ball out for winger Jamayne Isaako to break the hearts of the Warriors.
Daring Dolphins skipper Isaiya Katoa said he believed they had to attack to roll the dice.
“I thought we were attacking really well, we just needed to give ourselves an opportunity to go down there and play some footy,” the halfback said.
“I was definitely confident that we were playing good enough and I was confident in the attack and being able to score a try to win the game.”
Starting round 22 in eighth spot and chasing a maiden finals berth, it helps the Dolphins keep Manly and the Sydney Roosters at bay.
The win was all the more remarkable with strike centre Herbie Farnworth assisted from the field with a hamstring injury.
The England international, who has been the Dolphins’ most consistent performer in 2025, opened the scoring in the fourth minute, crossing for his 12th try of season.
But tragedy struck soon after when the 25-year-old made a break and was charging downfield, only to crash to the turf clutching at his hamstring.
Initial reports from the Dolphins were that Farnworth was looking at four to six weeks on the sidelines, with scans booked back in Brisbane.
The Dolphins had only got playmaker Kodi Nikorima back for the clash with the fourth-placed Warriors after five weeks on the sidelines with his own hamstring injury.
Despite missing key trio Chanel Harris-Tavita, James Fisher-Harris and Wayde Egan, the Warriors looked like they had bounced back to form after their shock loss to battling Gold Coast.
Hard-running winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak crossed twice in the first half although the Warriors trailed 16-12 at halftime, with Marshall-King and Oryn Keeley also getting on the board for the visitors.
The home side took the lead in the 60th minute when second-rower Leka Halasima leapt high to take a Tanah Boyd bomb and dived across the line for a converted try.
Nikorima blew a chance to take the lead with seven minutes remaining when he knocked on an Katoa grubber in the in-goal.
The visitors then lost veteran forward Felise Kaufusi to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle, taking out the legs of Jacob Laban.
But Watene-Zelezniak’s penalty for a high tackle on Max Fegai gave them another sniff and Isaako, who normally would have taken the penalty goal, still delivered.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster said his side wasn’t going to “kick stones” over the defeat.
“There’s so many good signs but it’s hard to take obviously because it’s such a dramatic finish,” he said.
“No-one is going to lie, you get your hopes up … and then it gets taken away from you and that’s hard, but we’ve got to move on.”
AAP
