source : the age
The Dolphins have established themselves as both the starting snails and the comeback kings of the NRL ahead of their maiden finals appearance.
After trailing 14-0 and ultimately winning 24-20 in the final-round game against Gold Coast in Robina on Friday night, coach Kristian Woolf was not concerned. He basically has the philosophy that winning covers a multitude of sins.
This season the third-placed Dolphins have won a club record 17 games, 11 of which came after conceding the first try.
On six occasions they have trailed 10-0 or worse, with their biggest comeback a 40-32 win over Brisbane after falling behind 24-0.
Whether they play Penrith or the Warriors in a qualifying match next week will not be known until the Panthers play Wests Tigers in the final-round game on Sunday afternoon.
There are aspects of the Dolphins’ play that need addressing, in particular poor discipline in the opening exchanges of matches.
They recorded their first win of the year in round two at Suncorp Stadium after trailing 14-0 against Gold Coast, prevailing 18-14 with a late surge, so it was fitting that their final victory of the regular season was against the same club after also falling 14-0 behind.
“I am not too worried about it, to be honest,” Woolf said of the slow starts.
“I think tonight was a hard game for us in a lot of ways.
“It’s hard when other teams have rested players and you know you are playing for something a lot more next week.
“Blokes don’t want to get injured and don’t want to get suspended. We were a little bit tentative at the start in different areas but got ourselves into gear.”
Woolf identified yardage errors and penalties as an issue against the Titans.
In the first half, the Dolphins gave away 10 penalties – either general play infractions, ruck infringements, or inside 10 metres – while also making four errors.
“I’ve got no dramas,” Woolf said of the uneven display.
“The two most important things are that we won, and we got no injuries.”
In their last five outings, the Dolphins have not scored in the opening 20 minutes, but they have won all of those matches while conceding just four tries in the final 60 minutes of those games and piling on 146 points overall.
A relentless forward pack led by Tom Gilbert wears teams down as the game goes on, and a skilled backline led by half Isaiya Katoa, centre Herbie Farnworth and fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow can score points quickly.
The bench includes linchpin utility Kurt Donoghoe and wild and woolly Ray Stone, who both terrorise opponents in their own unique style.
They will have to be a lot better to prevail against the Warriors or Penrith, but Woolf knows what his team is capable of in the finals after seven consecutive wins.
“I am very confident in the group and what I think we can do,” he said. “We have just got to be at our best and we will be hard to beat.”
AAP
