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ABC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Why the Dolphins-Roosters clash doubles as a Dally M showdown for Isaiya Katoa and James Tedesco
With six points on offer in every game and anonymous judges, the Dally M race has become murkier and harder to predict than ever before. But with five rounds remaining, the Dolphins-Roosters match at Lang Park on Saturday should double as the opening salvo of the final run for this year's version of rugby league's ultimate individual prize. Relying on the votes to reliably make sense is an easy way to get your heart broken, and given the judges are now anonymous, it's a game of shadows even before it goes behind closed doors. But anything less than a race to the finish between Phins halfback Isaiya Katoa and Tricolours fullback James Tedesco simply won't match up with the reality that has unfolded before us in 2025. Canberra's top contender is Joseph Tapine, but a prop has to practically walk on water to win an award like this, while Canterbury has experienced a season which has been a triumph of the many rather than one built on the excellence of the few. Despite its dynasty, Penrith is yet to win the big Dally M prize and its slow first half of the year just about ensures that streak will continue. New Zealand's Luke Metcalf led at the halfway point of the season but has since succumbed to a knee injury. Cronulla's Will Kennedy was second, but that form has been harder for him to come by in the months since, and while teammate Blayke Brailey has shined recently, his run has surely come too late. Terrell May was four points off Metcalf's lead, but the Tigers lengthy losing run will count against him, and outside the top eight there are no other contenders. Payne Haas rounded out the top five, but Origin representation and a few missed games here and there are enough to cross him out, and Brisbane's losing streak in the middle of the year won't help matters either. Melbourne's Cameron Munster is an outside chance, but the presence of Jahrome Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Grant through much of the season can always drag points away. That leaves Katoa and Tedesco, two men at opposite ends of time — a young prince and an old master, the first son of tomorrow and one of the last heroes of a past age. At 21, Katoa would be the youngest Dally M winner in 40 years. At 32, Tedesco would join Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston in winning the medal again at an age when most players are slowing down. They're coming at the prize from different directions and in different ways. Katoa was equal fifth when voting went dark, fresh off a six-point haul in the Dolphins 44-6 win over Canterbury in Round 12. Metcalf's lead wouldn't have lasted much longer because the competition's youngest club started rewriting its own history by the week, with Katoa at the heart of it. They set a record for their biggest ever win in Round 13, then broke it in their very next game. In a month, the Dolphins broke 50 points more times than the Gold Coast Titans have in their entire existence, and while the points have slowed a little, the beautiful football has not. Injuries have torn apart their forward pack and are now spreading into their backline, but they are not shambling to the finish line as the parts fall away, they are speeding up to a point where their first-ever finals berth feels possible, and so much of that possibility has flowed from Katoa. His play is not singular, and it's a measure of how well-drilled and adaptable the Dolphins have become that they've sustained their level of play despite the many players they've lost along the way. Katoa is a creator and he is surrounded by finishers like Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth, or players with a bit of both in them like halves partner Kodi Nikorima and Swiss army knife Jake Averillo. The Phins middle has been ripped apart by injury, but their back row depth has proven to be outstanding with Kurt Donoghoe, Oryn Keeley and Connelly Lemuelu thriving both on the ball and off it. There's a lot of heroes at Redcliffe but the Dally M is an award for playmakers — aside from Jason Taumalolo and Cameron Smith, every winner for the past 20 years has been a half or a fullback. Katoa is the ringmaster of the Phins attacking circus, drawing the eye and directing it where he will, and that means the votes will flow like a river. He is second in the league for try assists, first in line break involvements, and first, by a huge margin, for line engagements. His trademarks — like when he looks inside to play out or when he controls the tempo of his running as he goes to line, mixing fast and slow and always equalling out to smooth — speak to his enormous sophistication as a footballer, especially for someone so young. Listen to how other players, former and current, talk about him. The tired old buzzwords — brilliant, unbelievable, freakish, a natural, a 10-year Origin player — don't do the job because Katoa demands greater detail. You have to pop the hood. "I think of the boys working in and around him, and the rewards they're getting off his style of play," Shaun Johnson said on Fox League after one Dolphins win. "He's direct, he's running the footy and he's playing at various speeds. Every element we see in the footage looks different; there's not one repetitive movement. "He's got such a variety in his tool kit, but none of it is low percentage. For a 21-year-old, 50 games experience, that's what's got me scratching my head. "The way he's balancing his game and executing — he's not overplaying. This was an 80-minute masterclass, and he was at the centre of it." The battle between his kicking game and Tedesco's positional play is where they'll cross paths the most on Saturday, and Tedesco knows what's coming because he's an unabashed fan of Katoa. "I love watching him. Some of his ball-playing, we talk about it at training, it's unbelievable," Tedesco said on the Freddy and the Eighth podcast earlier this year. "We'll come in on a Monday and say, 'See that Katoa, see that try he set up?' "It's so impressive for a young kid. Playing against him, if you slide off, he'll show and go, or play short, (but if you come up) he goes out the back. "I was talking to Cooper (Cronk) about him and he was so impressed. He's a real student of the game who loves watching and learning." Tedesco was just three points off the lead when voting was silenced and his football since has been a continuation of a great regeneration, a return to his best in defiance of what has come before. What's happening in 2025 is far from a last gasp. It's a continuation of what happened last year, when Tedesco lost out on the Dally M to Hughes by a solitary point. The Melbourne man taking the medal was the right call, but Tedesco's return to true excellence after a slower 2023 season was something to behold. He finished on a career high for tries, and set a new career high for linebreaks and try assists. He led the league in tackle busts for the fifth time in seven seasons, and was just 128 yards shy of setting a new career best mark for run metres. Tedesco's raw attacking numbers are down for 2025 because the Roosters had to retool, and there are less tries and assists to go around. The 2024 edition of Trent Robinson's side scored the sixth most tries of any team in premiership history, a level of attack that was not sustainable with the departure of Luke Keary, Joseph Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and the long-term injury to Sam Walker. They had to find a way to retool and they have, and Tedesco has done it with them. He is running the ball more often later in the tackle count, acting more as a yardage weapon who provides attacking shape than out-and-out playmaker. It gives the Roosters' youngsters a strong platform to build from. The style is tougher and better suited to younger legs, but Tedesco is thriving in it. At the time of writing, he leads all fullbacks in tackle busts, total runs and run metres, and continues to find the attacking touch when called upon. After losing his Australia and New South Wales jerseys, Tedesco was meant to be over the hill, but he's steadily dragged himself back the way he came, past the generation of fullbacks who came after and were supposed to replace him, until he's back at the top again. It's a tremendous feat of evolution and adaption at an age where change can be the hardest thing of all, and another Dally M would be the capstone on the second part of his career. Like Smith or Thurston or Cronk proved before him, once a player hits the top, there's nowhere else to go, and we can grow accustomed to even the greatest wonders. Sometimes, we all need a reminder of what a truly great career looks like. For Katoa, the stakes are simpler. A Dally M win would be physical proof of what all know to already be true — that the future has arrived and his time has come. There's no way of knowing which is in the lead, but both men still have time to secure the medal, or have it slip from their grasp, which brings us back to Lang Park on Saturday night. A Dolphins win will leave the Roosters two wins out of the eight with four games remaining, which is getting perilously close to the state of mind where the phrase "mathematically possible" is invoked as proof your finals dreams are still alive. Brisbane's loss on Thursday night also opens the door for the Phins to finish as high as sixth, which would mean a home final, and that could prove an invaluable gift given Lang Park is where the light shines out of them. A Roosters win would throw the race for eighth spot wide open. The Tricolours have a tough run home, and consistency has not always been their strong suit as a unit this year, but their unpredictability and attacking class make them dangerous against anyone. This game is bigger than Katoa and Tedesco because it's a hinge on which two seasons can swing. Both men would likely be happy to trade the medal for a finals berth, but given no team from a non-finals side has won the Dally M since 2014, whoever gets it done at the Cauldron likely won't have to choose. Tedesco does not need a second Dally M to affirm his greatness, and Katoa doesn't need a first to confirm he's on the way to it. This season should be remembered as a banner one for both of them, but hardware can last in a way memory doesn't. A Katoa win, in this match and otherwise, would be a warning of what's to come, while a Tedesco victory would be a reminder of what has already been. That makes Saturday evening a point in history where two legacies collide, one just beginning with a future that stretches into the promised land, and the other with a long tail that has no end in sight.
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors v Dolphins - what you need to know
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport The Warriors have already beaten their rivals once this season at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. In the three years since the Dolphins entered the NRL, the Warriors have compiled a 3-2 winning record against the club that hosted their stay at Redcliffe during the Covid pandemic. For the first two years, those results went the ways of the home teams, but the Warriors broke that string, when they accounted for their rivals 16-12 at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium in May. On that occasion, the visitors led 16-0 with 10 minutes to go, but conceded two late tries and ultimately held on short-handed, after co-captain James Fisher-Harris was sin-binned. The Warriors' biggest win was 30-8 in their 2023 first encounter, when Shaun Johnson scored 18 points - two tries and five conversions - while the Dolphins prevailed 34-10 in the return game that season. Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. Photo: Photosport Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. The Warriors currently sit fourth on the NRL table with 12 wins and six losses, but seem to have hit the wall, with the playoffs in sight. Two weeks ago, they needed a last-gasp miracle try from teenage second-rower Leka Halasima to edge Newcastle Knights, who are currently tied for last in the competition, and then lost to Gold Coast Titans, who are also on the same points as cellar dwellers South Sydney. They have struggled for any kind of points-differential traction all season - it reached a high of just 36 after the Knights win, but is now at 28. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have been erratic all season, with big wins over contenders Penrith Panthers, Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs, but defeats to the Rabbitohs, Knights (twice) and Wests Tigers among those scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon. They're coming off their third bye of the season - they are 1-1 after their previous two. They lost 24-12 to Cronulla Sharks three weeks ago, but subsequently beat North Queensland Cowboys 43-24. The Dolphins currently sit eighth on the table, with the same points as ninth-placed Manly Sea Eagles and two ahead of Sydney Roosters. Only competition leaders Canberra Raiders and third-placed Melbourne have scored more points this season, and only the Storm have a better points differential. Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Tanah Boyd, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 9. Sam Healey, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange: 14. Taine Tuaupiki, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Freddy Lussick, 20. Bunty Afoa Reserves: 18. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 21, Ed Kosi Coach Andrew Webster was forced into change through injuries to co-captain James Fisher-Harris, five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita and hooker Wayde Egan - three core members of his team. Twenty-four hours out from kickoff, he had to make another, with Demitric Vaimauga - who had been promoted into the starting front row for Fisher-Harris - also withdrawing. Tanner Stowers-Smith gets the start at prop now, Te Maire Martin will partner Tanah Boyd in the halves and Sam Healey deputises for Egan for the second time this season. Tanner Stowers-Smith is a late inclusion in the starting line-up. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Despite the Warriors's rusty form, Webster made no changes on form and chose to keep stand-in captain Kurt Capewell at centre, rather than return him to the pack in Vaimauga's absence. Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabui-Fidow, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Max Feagai, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Jake Averillo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Isaiya Katoa, 8. Francis Molo, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Felise Kaufusi, 11. Connelly Lemuelu, 12. Oryn Keeley, 13. Kurt Donoghue Interchange: 14. Ray Stone, 15. Aublix Tawha, 16. Mark Nicholls, 17. Josh Kerr Reserves: 18. Harrison Graham, 20. LJ Nonu Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf gets former Warrior half Kodi Nikorima back from a hamstring injury, along with veteran prop Felise Kaufusi and bench forward Mark Nicholls. Jake Averillo stepped in for Nikorima against the Cowboys, but will now return to wing. Prop Francis Molo will make his 150th NRL appearance, after previous stints with Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland and St George Illawarra Dragons. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the NRL and is the competition's leading tryscorer with 17 from 15 appearances, but has only scored one in four previous games for the Dolphins against the Warriors. Winger Jamayne Isaako leads the competition in scoring, with nine tries among his 212 total points. He also leads in goals kicked (88) and has an 87 percent success rate for conversions. Warriors desperately need to restore some momentum to their season, but hard to see them overcoming this many injuries. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The day NSW's star of the future blew Cleary away
NSW have earmarked Isaiya Katoa as Nathan Cleary's successor by calling him into camp for State of Origin III, but the incumbent still remembers the day eight years ago when he first realised just how elite the young gun would become. It comes as Brian To'o and Payne Haas once again trained separately from their teammates on Saturday, the final day of NSW's Blue Mountains camp for the decider on July 9. Monday's session at Accor Stadium looms as judgement day for To'o, who needed ice and a brace on his knee after hurting himself playing for Penrith in round 17. But NSW teammates are confident Haas (back) and To'o will both play after they overcame previous injuries to respectively star in Origin I and II. "'Bizza' showed he didn't do much training last game and you've seen the performance he put in," said winger Zac Lomax. "I don't think there are too many questions around that (his recovery) because he's done it and he's performed for us." Long before he was the Dolphins halfback setting the NRL alight, a 13-year-old Katoa accompanied his brother to Penrith headquarters during the off-season. A hooker who played 75 NRL games, Sione Katoa was reporting for an informal training session with Cleary and a handful of other Panthers teammates. The younger Katoa, barely a teenager much less an adult, ran rings around the group of NRL pros, which included Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Viliame Kikau. "We were doing 3 on 2 drills and he was carving it up. I was like, I've never seen someone at this age do that sort of stuff," said Blues halfback Cleary. "I'd already heard of him, there were raps on him since he was real young. But then just to see him, I was like, it's not normal for a 13-year-old kid to be doing this." It's a fair appraisal from Cleary, a generational talent who grew up playing alongside current NSW five-eighth Jarome Luai - himself rated a top-tier junior talent. Katoa received his first call into NSW camp last week, spending two days around the Blues at their Leura hideaway ahead of the decider in Sydney on July 9. Luai's estimations of Katoa only rose for reuniting with the young superstar, who had been in Penrith's junior system while Luai was at the club. Four-time premiership winner Luai admits he's a little intimidated by the thought of facing Katoa at Wests Tigers, and felt he was "definitely" an Origin star of the future. "It's scary, you're going to have to go up against that in clubland soon. Hopefully he doesn't go that well against you," Luai said. "Obviously his ability to play, his potential and all that, but just the way he speaks, the way he carries himself, the way he interacts with the boys as well. "It's just like, how mature is this guy and how high is his ceiling?" Cleary has been pondering that question for the last eight years. He has been floored by what Katoa has achieved lifting the Dolphins into finals calculations, with the expansion side averaging a tick under 46 points across their last five games. "He's probably my favourite player to watch in the comp at the moment, just what he's able to do," Cleary said. "Just his subtlety is incredible, especially for such a young guy. "People at the top of their game would be happy with what he's doing but he's only 21. It's quite incredible what he's doing."
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Isaiya Katoa handed State of Origin honour as NSW get good news on injury front
Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa will reportedly be named in the extended squad for NSW for State of Origin 3 on Sunday night, a huge reward for his brilliant form in 2025. The is reporting that Katoa will be part of Laurie Daley's 20-player squad when it's named later on Sunday. The 21-year-old is little chance to play in the decider unless there's a late injury disaster, but Daley is said to be keen on getting him into camp and the Origin environment with an eye to the future. Katoa is viewed as Nathan Cleary's halfback successor for NSW, and could have a long career in the sky blue jersey. The youngster had another stellar game on Saturday night as the Dolphins thrashed the Rabbitohs 50-28, laying on three try assists and having a hand in everything. He's shown he wouldn't be overawed if called upon to play Origin in the near future. And while he's a Blue in waiting, he recently admitted he's spent plenty if time watching video of Queensland's greatest spine combinations. The Dolphins have cracked 50 points in three of their last four games, as well as a 44-8 hiding of the ladder-leading Bulldogs. "We have a spine meeting where our nine, six, seven and one come together," Katoa said after his man-of-the-match display against the Dragons in Round 14. "Some of the clips we look at are Cameron Smith, JT (Johnathan Thurston), Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater all connecting (for the Maroons). "The more they connected the more success their team had. We are trying to build that into our own games and still try to play to our individual strengths. It is a work in progress for us." Meanwhile, Jarome Luai has been cleared to take his place in the halves alongside Cleary for Game 3 in Sydney. Luai was ruled out of the Wests Tigers' loss to Manly on Friday night after a boil on his chest became infected. It required a stint in hospital, but he's no chance of missing the Origin decider. The Blues are reportedly happy to bring Luai into camp even if he's not ready to train, and would be fine with him not taking to the field in their first session on Wednesday. Tigers coach Benji Marshall painted an optimistic picture over Luai's health on Friday night, believing he could have played if the game was later in the weekend. "I am pretty sure he will be OK for NSW if they pick him," Marshall said. "He got an infection yesterday and didn't come to training. He said he was going to be all right to play. And then he went to hospital and had fevers and the infection got a lot worse. If it was another 24 or 48 hours Jarome would have been right to play. But he wasn't good for today." RELATED: Cobbo twist as Dolphins player makes immediate move to Roosters Stunning development for Billy Slater and family before Origin 3 Brian To'o's status is still up in the air after he picked up a knee injury on Thursday night, while Cleary got through the game unscathed despite still not goal-kicking due to a groin issue. For the Maroons, Valentine Holmes has been cleared of injury and will be available for the decider, despite picking up a cork to the leg in the Dragons' win on Saturday night. He didn't take the last two shots at goal, sending a scare through Billy Slater and Queensland officials.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hammer time as Dolphins soar back into NRL top eight
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has delivered a fullback masterclass with a four-try haul in the Dolphins' 50-28 defeat of South Sydney. The No.1 ran amok in his 100th NRL game as the Dolphins reached 50 points for the third time in four games and consigned the Rabbitohs to a fifth straight loss. Halfback Isaiya Katoa had four try assists, while Tabuai-Fidow's display was timely on the day incumbent Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was ruled out of next Wednesday's State of Origin decider with a foot injury. Tabuai-Fidow played wing in the Maroons' series-levelling victory but, after 11 tries in nine Origin games on the flanks, has done all he can to show coach Billy Slater he's ready to wear the No.1. The Hammer has 4️⃣ 🤩 #NRLDolphinsSouths — NRL (@NRL) June 28, 2025 Victory pushed the Dolphins (8-8) into the top eight but came at a cost, with Kodi Nikorima limping off with an apparent hamstring injury. The Rabbitohs, with Cody Walker and Campbell Graham back in the fold, started brilliantly when Latrell Mitchell sliced through and somehow offloaded for Jack Wighton's try. It was all the Dolphins after that, Jeremy Marshall-King raiding from dummy-half to score, then Katoa exploding through the line and producing a no-look assist for Tabuai-Fidow. The pair combined again in similar fashion, with only a desperate Jamie Humphries tripping up the Dolphins fullback as he pinned his ears back for the line. Herbie Farnworth had more joy, though, finding open space before Katoa floated a pass perfectly for Nikorima to score. Katoa tantalised again with a pinpoint pass that dragged the Rabbitohs' defensive line out of shape, Farnworth's quick offload setting up Jake Averillo. Nikorima limped off but the Dolphins weren't done, Averillo trickling a kick back in-field that was scooped up by Tabuai-Fidow to create a 30-6 halftime lead. The No.1 completed his hat-trick when he picked up another loose ball spilled in a marking contest to seemingly kill the contest with 30 minutes still on the clock. But Walker stepped through to create a try for Tallis Duncan and stop the rot, and the visitors had their tails up when that pair combined again to give the back-rower a double. Tabuai-Fidow settled it once and for all, stripping Davvy Moale on his own 30-metre line, darting sideways into space, then cruising uninterrupted for a fourth try. Wighton and Moale still had time for tries, while rookie Aublix Tawha was reported and earnt the ire of Mitchell after tackling him before he'd caught a high ball. The Dolphins had the final say, Kurt Donoghoe snatching a Humphries intercept as the Dolphins raised the bat again. Walker failed to finish the game for the Rabbitohs after picking up an apparent hamstring injury.
