He may only be 18-years old and have no NRL experience, but Isaiya Katoa’s Dolphins teammates believe he’s “100 per cent got it.”
Dolphins fans will get their first look at Katoa in the club’s first trial match against CQ Capras at Marley Brown Oval on Saturday night.
The Penrith junior has been named at halfback in a team that also features Queensland Cup standout Trai Fuller, rugby union convert Valynce Te Whare, as well as former Rooster, Warrior and Dragon Poasa Faamausili.
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And now he looks set to get a taste of the NRL in 2023.
“He’s got it,” Nikorima said without hesitation when asked about Katoa.
“For such a young bloke, he’s very calm, he’s level-headed and he’s pretty smart too and is mature for his age.
“The thing I like the most about him is his tempo when he’s playing, going from slow to fast or fast to slow. I don’t know where he learnt it but he’s definitely one to look out for.”
Veteran prop Jarrod Wallace agreed, declaring to foxsports.com.au: “He 100 per cent has it.”
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“I think he’s going to be fantastic,” Wallace added.
“His natural ability is outrageous, the way he takes the line on, his footwork — you really don’t know what he’s going to do.
“He hasn’t even played an NRL game yet but he leads the team around like he’s played 50.
“I think having Wayne (Bennett) and Kristian Woolf there it’s only going to make him even better.”
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The Dolphins won the race for the most sought after schoolboys talent when Katoa signed a three-year deal just weeks after his 18th birthday.
It infuriated the Panthers, who he starred for in SG Ball last year after being developed in the Penrith system. The club responded by dropping Katoa from all lower grade teams once the SG Ball season was finished.
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The young half instead played local A-grade for the Glenmore Park Brumbies until he received an S.O.S from the Panthers late in the season.
He carved up for Penrith on debut in New South Wales Cup, scoring a try and getting two try assists. A couple of weeks later he kicked the matchwinning field goal in the club’s Jersey Flegg grand final win over Newcastle.
Katoa’s efforts in SG Ball earned him a call-up for Tonga’s mid-season Test and two games during the World Cup.
