Among an elite field of young halves including Lachlan Galvin and Sam Walker, Isaiya Katoa is making a compelling case to be considered, not just the leader of the emerging pack, but one of the NRL’s finest generals.
His exploits pulling the strings in the Dolphins’ 56-6 demolition of the Dragons was just the latest scary example of what he could become.
Isaiya Katoa was the mastermind of the Dolphins huge win against the Dragons.Credit: Getty Images
The evolution of the 21-year-old’s running game has been something to behold – finishing the first half as the only player to surpass 100 running metres, going on to make 186 without a linebreak.
On the back of that, the space opens for the Dolphins’ backline, with Herbie Farnworth, Jamayne Isaako and Kodi Nikorima scoring in the first half courtesy of the way their classy No.7 engages the defence.
Katoa’s bag of tricks was not limited to his running, where he leads the competition for the past two seasons for line engagements.
His pinpoint bomb was brilliantly grabbed by Connelly Lemuelu to score, before his smarts to shift a final tackle play back to Nikorima on the blindside led to Jack Bostock’s own aerial four-pointer.
Within three minutes in the second half, his sharp run and offload putt Lemuelu over for his second, before he dug into the line again to fire a long pass for Isaako’s second, having kicked the 40/20 to get the territory.
Galvin has attracted extensive attention at just 19, while injured Roosters’ superstar Walker has long been lauded as the next State of Origin star.
But the way Katoa has developed the full package, while still managing a team yet to truly click into gear since their 2023 inception, surely thrusts him ahead of the rankings.
Molo buries Dragons’ demons as engine room dominates
Bit by bit, Francis Molo has built into his new chapter at Redcliffe, after casting aside a tumultuous period at the Dragons in which he sought a release following a behind-the-scenes dispute.
With the Dolphins’ chief enforcer Daniel Saifiti recovering from a shoulder injury, and Tom Gilbert sidelined with a ruptured pectoral, Molo needed to stand up, and the signs have been promising for the past three rounds.
“Daniel won’t be available next week, he’s seeing a specialist and we’ll figure out where we go from there. It was obviously a serious injury, and we thought we’d treat that conservatively, rehab it and get him back, but it hasn’t recovered as well as we thought it would.”
Kristian Woolf on Daniel Saifiti
Come his first meeting with his former club, and he was back to his best, finishing with 101 running metres from just eight hit-ups while running with speed and energy not seen since his Origin days.
Molo did not return for his second stint until the final 15 minutes, with Woolf giving his other men chances to shine, but the damage had been done for the rest of the pack to thrive off, with Mark Nicholls (144 metres), Josh Kerr (135) and Lemuelu (142) taking over.
The only heartache came in the form of Max Plath, who after running for 92 metres from just nine carries on his comeback from a foot injury, was taken off with a knee concern which, while not serious, has left him in doubt for next week’s trip to the Cowboys.
How Isaako resurrected his NRL career
It is scarcely believable that before answering a call to join the Dolphins, Jamayne Isaako’s career was in limbo.
Having been released by the Broncos to the Titans, only to be discarded after one game, the Kiwi flyer was in desperate need of new life.
When inaugural Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett came knocking, that moment triggered the Test star’s renaissance – playing every game in the club’s short history, including his emphatic performance against the Dragons.
Finishing with two tries, seven goals, five tackle busts, two linebreaks and 184 running metres, his 22-point haul on Friday night was a telling reminder of what he offers, as he admitted to seeking a contract extension which would keep him at Redcliffe for the rest of his career.
Has one play put the Hammer back in the No.1 frame?
Forget the two tries he scored courtesy of some classic inside support play for a breakaway Jake Averillo and Jack Bostock respectively, this is the play which has presented Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow with his greatest case for the Maroons’ No.1 jumper.
With the scores just 10-0, the Dragons looked certain to score a runaway try through five-eighth Lykhan King-Togia, only for the Dolphins’ custodian to have other ideas.
Tabuai-Fidow’s desperate tackle did not look enough to hold up his young rival, but his hand over the top was quick to dislodge the ball and garner a seven-tackle set 20-metres out.
That immediately led to Nikorima slicing through the defence down the other end.
While Kalyn Ponga returned to some form for Newcastle, Tabuai-Fidow will need to be more involved than he was in the centres come game two. His two tries and 152 running metres shows a man who can ignite a Maroons’ attack with one try in its past two games.
