Dash after gash: 40 stitches couldn't stop star Dolphin
The Dolphins are creating waves after three weeks of all-time premiership form and hooker Jeremy Marshall-King is just happy to be part of it after surgery.
The 29-year-old missed five games with leg lacerations that required surgery after getting infected. His last two matches have been 58-4 and 56-6 wins over North Queensland and St George Illawarra respectively after he missed the previous 44-8 win over Canterbury.
Those victories made the Dolphins only one of six teams in premiership history to have won three straight games by 36 points.
Marshall-King suffered bad cuts against Penrith in round six and came back too soon in round nine against Sydney Roosters before missing the following four games.
On Tuesday he spoke about his ordeal for the first time.
"Everyone thought it was just a little scratch but it was two cuts on my leg that were pretty deep," he said.
"It got infected at one point and probably didn't heal enough when I came back. I reopened it and had to go back in and get surgery.
"They had to clean it out because it got infected and I had over 40 stitches in my quad - inside and outside.
"It wasn't nice but I had to get it done. It is a little setback in my footy this year but it is good to be back playing and getting the wins."
It is the way the sixth-placed Dolphins are winning that is such a joy.
Their attack is on fire and defensively they have been elite, despite missing Daniel Saifiti, Max Plath and Tom Gilbert to season-ending injuries.
"It's been really fun and enjoyable the last three weeks and breaking those records as well," he said.
"It is all about our connection as a group but it comes back to our defence. The last three weeks we have kept teams to 18 and not many teams do that.
"Adversity has been part of this club since we started. We've had a lot of setbacks but us boys bond and connect a lot better when things happen like (injuries). We've got to keep going and be consistent in what we do."
The Dolphins will miss captain Felise Kaufusi to suspension for the next fortnight with hooker Harrison Graham set to come onto the bench against Newcastle in Perth on Saturday afternoon.
That will allow standout utility Kurt Donoghoe to play longer minutes at lock and not have to slot in at hooker when Marshall-King has a rest. "Kurt's a great player. His ball playing around the middle opens up our edges as well and that is something we had probably been missing," Marshall-King said.
"It takes pressure off our halves. He's done a wonderful job."
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