The Dolphins can only become the seventh side of the NRL era to make the finals from as low as their current record of 0-4 for the year, as they prepare for their match with the struggling Gold Coast.
Just six NRL-era teams have come back from as poorly as this and made the finals – Brisbane (1999), Melbourne (2000), St George-Illawarra (2005), Manly (2009 and 2021), and Cronulla (2015).
Ninth-ranked Dolphins have slummed with three consecutive losses, yet their effort coming this far without four of their back-row forwards stars – Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti and Max Plath – and injured key outside back Herbie Farnworth and Jack Bostock, has been creditable for mentor Kristian Woolf.
It is the only premiership side from history that has started with four consecutive losses and won the title – the Newtown of 1933.
Ninth-standers, the Dolphins are unlikely to win the comp, but chief executive Terry Reader said being still alive for the finals was a credit to the club.
“When you compare our record at 0-4 and the Wayne Bennett so-called jinx and our dreadful injury list, we are very proud of where we are at this point,” the Reader said. “We’ve concentrated on who has played rather than who hasn’t played. The experience that some of the lads have had playing more games this year will only strengthen the group for next year.”
“There is still plenty to get excited for this year.”
They are two points behind eighth-positioned Sydney Roosters and are still in contention of making it inside the top eight if they defeat Gold Coast on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium and Canberra next week at Redcliffe.
They will rely heavily on crowd favourite centre back Isaiya Katoa, who has been inspirational.
The Dolphins boarded their plane yesterday to return home from Saturday’s 58-30 loss at Manly with their finals hopes potentially ending, but were airborne when Parramatta shocked the Roosters with a 30-10 victory.
“It did lift everyone’s spirits, didn’t it?” said the Reader. “We aim to win our next couple of games.”
“Against the Titans at Suncorp, we have had the equal biggest NRL come-from-behind victory of all time to win 28-26 in 2023 from 26 behind, and last year the Titans basically knocked us out of the finals race when we had the 14-lead and ran of top of us (21-14). They have been titanic battles.”
Titans football operations director Steve Mitchell said the players wanted to give leaving coach Des Hasler a winning send-off and not end the year with the wooden spoon.
“We’ve got a great rivalry and the lads want to get out and play for Des,” he said. “Both teams have to win.”
