From the Couch – Dolphins Season Review

Win-Loss: 11-13
Ladder Position: 10th
Finals: N/A
Attack: 24.04 (7th)
Defence: 24.08 (10th)
Longest Win Streak: 3 (R2-5 and R9-11)
Longest Loss Streak: 3 (R20-22)
Best Win: Round 26: 40-6 v Brisbane
Worst Loss: Round 1: 43-18 v North Queensland

Season Review

Highlights: The Dolphins signed some big-name players over the offseason, with the new centre pairing of Herbie Farnworth and Jake Averillo producing very good seasons and the form of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was outstanding.

The attack was super at times with the Dolphins topping 30 points on nine occasions and a dominant win to finish the Broncos off in Round 26 was a favourite for the Dolphins fans.

Despite media reports, there was a smooth transition from Wayne Bennett to Kristian Woolf.

Lowlights: Injuries to the club’s two best middles made things very difficult with Tom Gilbert not playing a game and Tom Flegler limited to just four.

For the second straight season, the Dolphins started fast before fading badly in the second half of the season with the defence over the back half of the season was particularly poor.

The Dolphins lost six one-score games – and missed the finals by just a game.

What Worked: The Dolphins had a very easy draw to start the season and they took advantage of it by putting themselves in the Top 8 early.

The Dolphins held the ball, ranking second last in errors.

What Didn’t: Signing Tevita Pangai Jnr midseason did more harm than good.

The Dolphins ranked third last in supports, which is surprising for a Bennett coached team.

Injuries played a key part no doubt but post-contact metres were poor with the Dolphins ranking bottom four.

The Dolphins were the least dangerous running team, ranking bottom two in tackle breaks.

Betting Stats

ATS: 11-13
Over/Under: 14-10
Head-to-Head Return: 0.44 units

Three Betting Notes:

• The Dolphins covered just 5 of their last 15 games in 2024.
• The Dolphins were bad bets at Suncorp, covering just 3 of 10.
• The Dolphins were shocking favourites, going 4-5 straight up and covering just 2 of 9.

Personnel

Best Player: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Next Best: Max Plath, Herbie Farnworth
Most Disappointing Player: Tesi Niu
Next Most Disappointing: Tom Flegler, Tevita Pangai Jnr
Top Tryscorer: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (15)
Top Assist Merchant: Kodi Nikorima (15)
Top Tackle Breaker: Herbie Farnworth (5.25 per game)
Top Metre Eater: Herbie Farnworth (169.80m per game)
Top Tackler: Max Plath (42.52 per game)
Best Buy: Herbie Farnworth
Worst Buy: Tevita Pangai Jnr
Best Rookie: Max Plath

Player Ratings