NRL 2022: Dolphins sign Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow on two-year deal

The Dolphins have secured arguably their biggest signing after landing a Cowboys flyer, who will be a vital cog in the new club’s attacking arsenal.

Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The Dolphins have secured arguably their biggest signing to date after landing Cowboys flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

“Hammer” will join the NRL’s expansion club in November on a two-year deal after being formally released from the remainder of his contract with North Queensland.

Tabuai-Fidow was contracted to the Cowboys until the end of 2023, however the emergence of Scott Drinkwater at fullback has squeezed him out of Townsville.

The former Queensland Origin speedster had limited NRL action in 2022, but will walk straight into the Dolphins’ No.1 jersey for their foundation NRL season.

“Hamiso’s signing is hugely significant to our roster and adds a new dynamic to our team for the 2023 season,” said Dolphins CEO Terry Reader.

Cowboys young gun Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has joined the Dolphins. Picture: Getty Images

“The Dolphins have been on the lookout for a real game-breaker and there is no doubt that he is just that. He is electric with the ball in his hands and you can see him becoming a cult figure with our fans.

“Hamiso is young but already has 50 games of experience in the NRL, is a State of Origin player and is about to become an international with Samoa at the World Cup.

“We are very excited about what Hamiso will do in a Dolphins jersey.”

The Dolphins have been looking for some genuine strike power and they have found their man in Tabuai-Fidow.

At 21, the Cairns product’s best days are ahead of him and he will bolster a backline that was desperately seeking speed and an attacking threat.

He has 50 NRL matches under his belt to add to his representative appearances for the Maroons and Indigenous All Stars team.

Tabuai-Fidow made his Origin debut for Queensland in 2021 but did not feature in this year’s series despite being part of the Maroons’ extended squad.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will give coach Wayne Bennett the strike fullback he has been craving for the Dolphins. Picture: Getty Images

Tabuai-Fidow will play for Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup and will begin training with the Dolphins after those commitments are completed.

The Cowboys said they released Tabuai-Fidow because his path to the No. 1 jersey was blocked.

“It’s always sad to say goodbye to a player who is one of our own,” Cowboys football chief Micheal Luck said.

“Hamiso has a strong preference to play fullback in the NRL, which we can’t promise him at this time. He goes with our best wishes and we thank him for his contributions to our club.”

Stunning backflip that blindsided Benny’s Dolphins

-Travis Meyn

Super coach Wayne Bennett has revealed how Ryan Matterson reneged on a $2.5 million agreement to quit the Eels and join the Dolphins for their NRL launch next season.

Dolphins foundation coach Bennett lifted the lid on how close the Eels lock came to joining the NRL’s 17th team for their entry to the big league in 2023.

The Dolphins tabled a lucrative four-year deal to Matterson in May worth more than $600,000 a season.

The off-contract Matterson was so serious about a potential move he flew to Queensland for talks with Bennett, complete with a tour of the Dolphins’ facilities at Redcliffe.

The Dolphins had already poached Eels workhorse Ray Stone and viewed Matterson as the perfect No. 13 to inject a fusion of skill, flair and toughness to the expansion franchise’s starting pack.

But just as the Dolphins braced for Matterson to put pen to paper, they were blindsided by an 11th-hour fightback from the Eels.

Bennett was left stunned when he was informed Matterson had indeed signed a four-year contract … with Parramatta.

The Dolphins thought they had Ryan Matterson in the bag before his backflip.

According to the NRL’s greatest coach, Matterson was Dolphins bound and while he never formally inked a playing contract, Bennett said he was prepared to take the NSW Origin forward on his word.

“I was confident we had Ryan,” Bennett recalled of his pursuit of Matterson ahead of the Eels-Panthers decider.

“He said to us, ‘If you do this and that, I will be coming’.

“We got back to him and agreed on the conditions, but then he came back to us again.

“Ryan told us he had changed his mind and he was staying at Parramatta.

“There are things we felt we could do for Ryan in his career and I thought he would have been very good for us, but it’s water under the bridge now.

“We’ve moved on.”

A veteran of 142 NRL games, Matterson has been outstanding for the Eels this season. He is one of just two Parramatta players with grand-final experience, having come off the bench in the Roosters’ defeat of Melbourne in the 2018 decider.

Matterson’s big-game know-how would have been a major asset for the Dolphins and his manager Chris Orr says the 27-year-old was on the verge of quitting the Eels.

“Ryan was so close to joining the Dolphins,” said Orr of PSM.

“Another 24 hours and I reckon Ryan would have been gone.

“He was virtually there (at the Dolphins).

Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins were convinced they had their man.

“The deal was all but done and I was expecting him to go to the Dolphins, but at the eleventh hour the Eels and Ryan came to an arrangement.

“The Eels came back to him and managed to convince him to stay.”

Orr insists money was not the major driving force in Matterson’s decision to stay loyal to the Eels.

“There were two things,” he said. “The contract offer (from Parramatta) was tweaked slightly, only very slightly, the money wasn’t a big difference.

“But Ryan also had a good think about what he wanted from his career. He had a good sit down with his brother and parents, they are a very close-knit family, and they had a big chat about his decision.

“Ryan was genuinely content at Parramatta and he enjoys being coached by Brad Arthur.

“I can tell you he was very impressed with Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins set up. He turned up to the meeting dressed to the nines and he was very professional in his dealings with the Dolphins.”

Watch every match of the Rugby League World Cup LIVE & Exclusive to Fox Sports, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Originally published as NRL 2022: Dolphins sign Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow on two-year deal