Molo won't be able to solve Dolphins issues solo

Yahoo

28-03-2025

The arrival of former St George Illawarra prop Francis Molo at the Dolphins is set to give the winless club much needed forward grunt but the 30-year-old may not be available to play NRL immediately.
Molo secured a release from the final two years of his Dragons contract and will be at the Dolphins until the end of 2026 but due to a stand-off with his former club he had not been playing or at training doing contact work in recent months.
He did train on his own on Thursday at Redcliffe and will re-join the squad next week in the lead-up to the round-five clash with Gold Coast at Robina on Saturday.
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf, speaking after the 20-12 derby loss to Brisbane on Friday night, explained the Molo situation.
"Frank has done his own training and looks really fit but hasn't done anything with a team for eight or nine weeks," Woolf said.
"We need to protect him and make sure we get some training and contact into him. I don't think it would be fair to throw him out there straight away.
"How long that takes, I'm not sure. He won't be too far away and he can help us."
Molo may start his stint at the Dolphins in the Queensland Cup initially.
Woolf was on the Broncos coaching staff when Molo made his NRL debut as a 19-year-old in 2014.
"He was a great young kid coming through that had a real fire in the belly. He had aggression with how he played and carried the ball and how he tackled," Woolf said.
"He was very raw around the edges back then but you could see the power and impact he could make.
"I took him up to the (Townsville) Blackhawks and he was great for us there.
"He fitted into the group, added to us and earned himself an NRL opportunity at the Cowboys after what he did at the Blackhawks.
"He is at a really good time in his life in terms of what he can offer us."
The Dolphins pack has overall been underwhelming so far this season. Molo won't be able to fix the lack of impact on his own after four consecutive losses to start the season.
Prop Daniel Saifiti, recruited from Newcastle, was outstanding against the Broncos but was the only forward to run for more than 100m for the second week in a row.
"Daniel has been the best player for us at the start of the season so far," Woolf said.
"He is certainly putting his hand up and not just with his carries. He is wanting to do the defensive work as well. We do need to support him more at times."
The Dolphins were unable to defend their errors at key moments against the Broncos but were not lacking effort.
"It is mixed emotions," captain Tom Gilbert said.
"Winning solves lots of problems but leaving that field I was super-proud of our effort. Our attention to detail has probably been poor but at the start of our season there has been no lack intensity and physicality.
"We are getting closer to a win but we are also making the same mistakes."