Who would have thought that with every interaction Nathan Cleary had with a young Isaiya Katoa, he would be unknowingly masterminding the Dolphins’ historic maiden finals campaign?
Perhaps Cleary himself had a hunch when a then-teenage Katoa left the Panthers’ system – joining the Dolphins shortly after landing on the radar as the rookie halfback who guided Tonga to the 2021 World Cup quarter-finals.
As Cleary orchestrated the early days of Penrith’s four-straight premierships, Katoa bided his time and watched how the man now regarded as the NRL’s best player went about his business.
Even now, when Katoa has been ushered in as player cover for NSW during the State of Origin campaign, the 22-year-old is feeding off the champion No.7’s insights.
Now that the Dolphins have secured a finals berth for the first time, the lessons Katoa took from Cleary’s influence could prove crucial.
“I guess one of the biggest things is just how present he is in games,” Katoa said.
“It doesn’t matter the momentum or how the game’s going, he’s always wanting to be involved, he’s always wanting to be on the ball.
“When you look at guys like that and guys who have had such a successful career, they’re always the guys who are making the big plays, but there are a lot of little moments that lead up to that.
“Just getting in and around the ball, making decisions where you slowly start to build your confidence, they help you when you go on to make the big plays.
“If there was anything I took away from the club it was around everyone nailing their own individual role. What it does for your teammates and for a team is a massive thing … then you can go out there and have the confidence you can back your ability.”
Cronulla’s defeats to the Dragons and Raiders have opened the door for the Dolphins to cement a top-four spot. They will face Parramatta, Sydney and the Gold Coast to close out the regular season.
But it has been a campaign that could have gone pear-shaped when Katoa succumbed to a fractured arm in round 17 against the Warriors – leaving the field after 13 minutes with his side trailing 6-4.
Across their first three years in the NRL, the Dolphins had been guilty of squandering strong starts to the season, only to fade away as injuries and suspensions tested their depth.
But another former Panther, Brad Schneider, took charge in Katoa’s absence. Aside from the Dolphins’ 0-66 horror show against the Sharks, he kept them in the hunt – closing out triumphs against the Warriors, the Tigers and the Cowboys.
Katoa had been in lethal touch before his setback, and still leads the competition for line-break involvements (26) to go with 15 try assists from 17 games.
Schneider sought to play a more measured role, and allowed versatile forwards Kurt Donoghoe and Max Plath to showcase their ball-playing strengths.
While Katoa is adamant there had been no issues with his injured arm, Schneider is confident Cleary’s advice would hold him in strong stead to pick up the mantle.
“That is the exact same message Nathan would always give me: ‘don’t be anyone else but yourself, and stick to what you’re good at and what you know’,” Schneider said.
“Trying to come in and fill in for someone like Nathan Cleary, you try and do what he was doing, but it just doesn’t work. I think it did come with experience now that I’ve done it before – you can’t be anyone else, and you can’t try and be someone you’re not.
“If you be yourself, that’s normally the best version.”
Katoa and Cleary could face off in the opening week of the finals. Should that eventuate, the Dolphins will be on the lookout for new tricks Cleary has added to his game.
Even in defeat against the Roosters, the 28-year-old showcased an array of dropouts no other kicker in the game has attempted, in a sign he was constantly evolving.
Katoa hinted he was devising some additions to his own craft.
“It’s a bit of a balance of both, obviously trying to add little things to my bow, but at the same time, being consistent with that and doing the little things right,” Katoa said.
“If you start to think too much around trick plays and little things you think are going to trick your way out of things, you start to get focused on the wrong things.
“What’s really important going into finals for myself is just around controlling the team and leading our mindset.”
The Dolphins will enter the finals as one of the least-experienced teams at that stage of the season. Felise Kaufusi is the only member of the squad who has won a title (with Melbourne), while Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo and Thomas Flegler featured in the Broncos’ 2023 grand final loss.
Kodi Nikorima was Brisbane’s utility in their 2015 loss to the Cowboys, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow played two finals for North Queensland and Jamayne Isaako suffered defeat in two elimination finals.
“We haven’t got a lot of boys here who have played finals in general, so the boys who have played in finals have to pass on a bit of experience, and hopefully that can become of use,” Flegler said.
“It’s a bit like representative footy, you’ve got a lot more to lose … every game you play could be your last. You play like it’s your last, and fingers crossed you can get the job done.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
From our partners
About the Author
