“I’m on my toes with the pack we’ve got and everyone is fighting for positions – we all want to be playing first-grade, we all want to be in that 17, and it’s a good healthy headache to have.”
Kaufusi is joined by Stone in facing an uphill battle to feature extensively in 2026.
While he appeared in the NRL just 31 times from his debut in 2018 for Parramatta until joining the Dolphins in 2023, Stone has since featured in 61 of a possible 72 games – 22 of which were last year.
Such was the Dolphins’ injury crisis, Stone revealed he spent much of the season playing with two busted shoulders – going into battle despite damage to both AC joints in the early rounds, before undergoing surgery in the off season.
“They were both busted, so I pretty much just needled them before every game … and if I needed a needle at halftime I would do that just to get through. The needles were the only thing I could really do to get through the game,” Stone said.
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“Once the needle was in it was pretty much sweet until it wore off – it was probably my favourite time of the week getting them. I barely trained, I just ran and didn’t do much contact throughout the week, it was pretty much just trying to maintain my body to get to game day.”
Now, Stone faces the prospect of biding his time in the Queensland Cup, as he fights for his future beyond the end of his 2026 deal.
“This is home for me. I’m not really thinking outside of this club or anything like that,” Stone said.
“I’m literally just thinking of next week. I don’t really think long-term too much, I just worry about what’s going on at the moment. I love it here, I love the club and the people so it’s definitely where I see myself.
“If I miss out, I miss out – that’s part of it. The way the boys have come back and everyone’s been training, I’m not going to be offended by it, I’m not going to be upset about it.”
