Dolphins overcome loss of star centre to take thriller
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."
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."
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."
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Sydney Morning Herald
6 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Absolutely insane': Harris wins first gold as Short digs deep after hospital visit
'I'm stoked,' Harris said. 'I'm sure I'll process it later, but I'm so happy. That's the most fun I've had in a race.' Short, who trains alongside Harris, watched her swim from the marshalling room ahead of his own 30-lap battle. 'It was absolutely insane,' Short said. 'She said to me, 'imagine if we both win gold'. I was thinking 'jeez that's going to be a tough ask for me'. But I wanted to pull my weight. She has worked so hard.' While Harris, McEvoy, Mollie O'Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown all claimed individual golds in Singapore, as well two from Moesha Johnson in the open water, Short left the meet with a trio of what-ifs. He missed gold in the 400m freestyle by 0.02 seconds, was forced to withdraw from the 800m due to illness, and fought bravely for fourth in the 1500m final, clocking 14:43.08 — the second-fastest time of his career. Short had to cancel lunch plans with his parents at a Singapore pub on Saturday, convinced he'd be too battered by illness to even qualify for Sunday's final. 'It's been a pretty horrible week, to be honest,' said Short, who lost three kilograms while sick. 'The 800 heat felt phenomenal and the next two days were horrible. 'I couldn't really leave my bed. I was just throwing up and had really high temperatures. I was really down the dumps. I'm just stoked to get in the final. '14:43 is a pretty good time after the week I've had.' Head coach Rohan Taylor added: 'That was unbelievable. He's a fighter.' With Australia's men's medley team failing to make the final, it was up to the Dolphins' women to try and land a final blow on the USA. With the men's medley relay team failing to make the final, it was left to McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and O'Callaghan (3:52.67) to chase one last gold for the Dolphins. But the Americans, anchored by Torri Huske, were too strong, taking the title in 3:49.34. O'Callaghan, stuck on 11 world championship golds, will now have to wait until Budapest 2027 to surpass Ian Thorpe's Australian record. There were more memorable moments on the final night: France's Leon Marchand claimed gold in the 400m individual medley, though fell short of his own world record. Summer McIntosh won her fourth gold of the meet in the same race. If McIntosh were a country, she would have finished fourth on the medal tally. And 12-year-old Chinese sensation Yu Zidi, turned heads again with another fourth-place finish but did become the youngest medallist at an international swimming meet in 89 years after helping China to a relay medal as a heat swimmer. Forrester's silver medal — shared with Japan's Mio Narita — was especially sweet after she missed the final in Paris. 'I was honestly just in disbelief. That was crazy,' Forrester said. 'I feel like it's been a really tough two years. I'm super proud of myself.' The USA pipping Australia on the medal tally will be salt in the wound but it was one of those weeks, with illness affecting both camps. Australia could have won more and the same could also be said for the USA. With no Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown dropping the 50m backstroke, and Short robbed for the chance for supremacy in the 800m freestyle, there were golds left on the table in the first major international swimming competition since the Olympics. There was also a bad mixed 4x100m freestyle heat that Australia will learn from. Loading The Dolphins' haul of eight golds wasn't quite the 13 they collected in Fukuoka in 2023, but it remains their second-best world championship return since 2007. 'There was a lot of turmoil through the week but I think we handled it well,' Taylor said. 'Obviously, we were one gold medal short [of the USA]. It's nice for it to come down to the last relay. We did our best but they were too good on the day. It makes us more hungry. 'Jenna Forrester getting back on the podium is a great story. Harrison's Turner's bronze from lane eight. Jeez, that 800 freestyle final with Lani [Pallister] was special. 'The relays at the beginning were great. Sienna Toohey making a semi-final. Each moment was special to me.'
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
‘Absolutely insane': Harris wins first gold as Short digs deep after hospital visit
'I'm stoked,' Harris said. 'I'm sure I'll process it later, but I'm so happy. That's the most fun I've had in a race.' Short, who trains alongside Harris, watched her swim from the marshalling room ahead of his own 30-lap battle. 'It was absolutely insane,' Short said. 'She said to me, 'imagine if we both win gold'. I was thinking 'jeez that's going to be a tough ask for me'. But I wanted to pull my weight. She has worked so hard.' While Harris, McEvoy, Mollie O'Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown all claimed individual golds in Singapore, as well two from Moesha Johnson in the open water, Short left the meet with a trio of what-ifs. He missed gold in the 400m freestyle by 0.02 seconds, was forced to withdraw from the 800m due to illness, and fought bravely for fourth in the 1500m final, clocking 14:43.08 — the second-fastest time of his career. Short had to cancel lunch plans with his parents at a Singapore pub on Saturday, convinced he'd be too battered by illness to even qualify for Sunday's final. 'It's been a pretty horrible week, to be honest,' said Short, who lost three kilograms while sick. 'The 800 heat felt phenomenal and the next two days were horrible. 'I couldn't really leave my bed. I was just throwing up and had really high temperatures. I was really down the dumps. I'm just stoked to get in the final. '14:43 is a pretty good time after the week I've had.' Head coach Rohan Taylor added: 'That was unbelievable. He's a fighter.' With Australia's men's medley team failing to make the final, it was up to the Dolphins' women to try and land a final blow on the USA. With the men's medley relay team failing to make the final, it was left to McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and O'Callaghan (3:52.67) to chase one last gold for the Dolphins. But the Americans, anchored by Torri Huske, were too strong, taking the title in 3:49.34. O'Callaghan, stuck on 11 world championship golds, will now have to wait until Budapest 2027 to surpass Ian Thorpe's Australian record. There were more memorable moments on the final night: France's Leon Marchand claimed gold in the 400m individual medley, though fell short of his own world record. Summer McIntosh won her fourth gold of the meet in the same race. If McIntosh were a country, she would have finished fourth on the medal tally. And 12-year-old Chinese sensation Yu Zidi, turned heads again with another fourth-place finish but did become the youngest medallist at an international swimming meet in 89 years after helping China to a relay medal as a heat swimmer. Forrester's silver medal — shared with Japan's Mio Narita — was especially sweet after she missed the final in Paris. 'I was honestly just in disbelief. That was crazy,' Forrester said. 'I feel like it's been a really tough two years. I'm super proud of myself.' The USA pipping Australia on the medal tally will be salt in the wound but it was one of those weeks, with illness affecting both camps. Australia could have won more and the same could also be said for the USA. With no Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown dropping the 50m backstroke, and Short robbed for the chance for supremacy in the 800m freestyle, there were golds left on the table in the first major international swimming competition since the Olympics. There was also a bad mixed 4x100m freestyle heat that Australia will learn from. Loading The Dolphins' haul of eight golds wasn't quite the 13 they collected in Fukuoka in 2023, but it remains their second-best world championship return since 2007. 'There was a lot of turmoil through the week but I think we handled it well,' Taylor said. 'Obviously, we were one gold medal short [of the USA]. It's nice for it to come down to the last relay. We did our best but they were too good on the day. It makes us more hungry. 'Jenna Forrester getting back on the podium is a great story. Harrison's Turner's bronze from lane eight. Jeez, that 800 freestyle final with Lani [Pallister] was special. 'The relays at the beginning were great. Sienna Toohey making a semi-final. Each moment was special to me.'
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Harris puts gold stamp on Australia's swim world titles
Swimming with her eyes shut, Meg Harris has put a golden exclamation mark on Australia's world titles with victory in the women's 50m freestyle. Harris' gold medal on Sunday's last night of the titles in Singapore came amid silver medals to compatriot Jenna Forrester (women's 400m medley) and Australia's women's 4x100m medley relayers. Australia, with eight gold, six silver and six bronze, finished second on the medal tally behind the United States (nine, 11, nine). The 23-year-old Harris, who is partially deaf, was stunned at her success - not least, because she swims the entire lap with her eyes closed. "It's normal for me," Harris said of her shut-eye habit. "I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. "So I'm not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100 per cent, that's just what happens." Harris clocked 24.02 seconds to claim her first individual title in a career also featuring nine relay golds at Olympics and world championships. "Stoked ... I have achieved what the dream that I've been dreaming of this whole time," said Harris, who won silver in the event at last year's Paris Olympics. In the women's 400m medley final, Australia's Forrester finished second behind Canadian megastar Summer McIntosh, who won four gold medals in Singapore. Sam Short's illness-troubled titles finished with fourth place in the men's 1500m, Isaac Cooper was seventh in the men's 50m backstroke and Brendon Smith came last in the men's 400m medley. And the Dolphins' women's 4x100m medley team of Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and Mollie O'Callaghan took silver in the last race of the championships, won by the US in a world record time of three minutes 49.34 seconds. O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful swimmer of the meet with three gold medals and two silvers. Kaylee McKeown collected two golds, repeating her 100-200m backstroke double from last year's Olympics, plus a silver while Cam McEvoy became Australia's oldest gold medallist at a world titles, winning the men's 50m freestyle aged 31. Another veteran, 27-year-old Kyle Chalmers, won gold as part of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in the individual 100m. Meanwhile, in the diving world titles in Singapore, Australia's Cassiel Rousseau won the men's 10m platform for the second time. The 24-year-old produced consistent excellence in Sunday night's final - he led after the first dive, was second after the next two, then held the gold medal position for the final three dives. Rousseau described his gold, which follows his victory in the event at the 2023 world championships, as "unexpected". "It definitely feels amazing," he said. Swimming with her eyes shut, Meg Harris has put a golden exclamation mark on Australia's world titles with victory in the women's 50m freestyle. Harris' gold medal on Sunday's last night of the titles in Singapore came amid silver medals to compatriot Jenna Forrester (women's 400m medley) and Australia's women's 4x100m medley relayers. Australia, with eight gold, six silver and six bronze, finished second on the medal tally behind the United States (nine, 11, nine). The 23-year-old Harris, who is partially deaf, was stunned at her success - not least, because she swims the entire lap with her eyes closed. "It's normal for me," Harris said of her shut-eye habit. "I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. "So I'm not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100 per cent, that's just what happens." Harris clocked 24.02 seconds to claim her first individual title in a career also featuring nine relay golds at Olympics and world championships. "Stoked ... I have achieved what the dream that I've been dreaming of this whole time," said Harris, who won silver in the event at last year's Paris Olympics. In the women's 400m medley final, Australia's Forrester finished second behind Canadian megastar Summer McIntosh, who won four gold medals in Singapore. Sam Short's illness-troubled titles finished with fourth place in the men's 1500m, Isaac Cooper was seventh in the men's 50m backstroke and Brendon Smith came last in the men's 400m medley. And the Dolphins' women's 4x100m medley team of Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and Mollie O'Callaghan took silver in the last race of the championships, won by the US in a world record time of three minutes 49.34 seconds. O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful swimmer of the meet with three gold medals and two silvers. Kaylee McKeown collected two golds, repeating her 100-200m backstroke double from last year's Olympics, plus a silver while Cam McEvoy became Australia's oldest gold medallist at a world titles, winning the men's 50m freestyle aged 31. Another veteran, 27-year-old Kyle Chalmers, won gold as part of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in the individual 100m. Meanwhile, in the diving world titles in Singapore, Australia's Cassiel Rousseau won the men's 10m platform for the second time. The 24-year-old produced consistent excellence in Sunday night's final - he led after the first dive, was second after the next two, then held the gold medal position for the final three dives. Rousseau described his gold, which follows his victory in the event at the 2023 world championships, as "unexpected". "It definitely feels amazing," he said. Swimming with her eyes shut, Meg Harris has put a golden exclamation mark on Australia's world titles with victory in the women's 50m freestyle. Harris' gold medal on Sunday's last night of the titles in Singapore came amid silver medals to compatriot Jenna Forrester (women's 400m medley) and Australia's women's 4x100m medley relayers. Australia, with eight gold, six silver and six bronze, finished second on the medal tally behind the United States (nine, 11, nine). The 23-year-old Harris, who is partially deaf, was stunned at her success - not least, because she swims the entire lap with her eyes closed. "It's normal for me," Harris said of her shut-eye habit. "I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. "So I'm not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100 per cent, that's just what happens." Harris clocked 24.02 seconds to claim her first individual title in a career also featuring nine relay golds at Olympics and world championships. "Stoked ... I have achieved what the dream that I've been dreaming of this whole time," said Harris, who won silver in the event at last year's Paris Olympics. In the women's 400m medley final, Australia's Forrester finished second behind Canadian megastar Summer McIntosh, who won four gold medals in Singapore. Sam Short's illness-troubled titles finished with fourth place in the men's 1500m, Isaac Cooper was seventh in the men's 50m backstroke and Brendon Smith came last in the men's 400m medley. And the Dolphins' women's 4x100m medley team of Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and Mollie O'Callaghan took silver in the last race of the championships, won by the US in a world record time of three minutes 49.34 seconds. O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful swimmer of the meet with three gold medals and two silvers. Kaylee McKeown collected two golds, repeating her 100-200m backstroke double from last year's Olympics, plus a silver while Cam McEvoy became Australia's oldest gold medallist at a world titles, winning the men's 50m freestyle aged 31. Another veteran, 27-year-old Kyle Chalmers, won gold as part of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in the individual 100m. Meanwhile, in the diving world titles in Singapore, Australia's Cassiel Rousseau won the men's 10m platform for the second time. The 24-year-old produced consistent excellence in Sunday night's final - he led after the first dive, was second after the next two, then held the gold medal position for the final three dives. Rousseau described his gold, which follows his victory in the event at the 2023 world championships, as "unexpected". "It definitely feels amazing," he said.
