CQ Capras forward enjoys Lachlan Hubner ‘outstanding’ debut with Dolphins

CQ Capras’ forward Lachlan Hubner impressed in his NRL debut for the Dolphins last night. Here’s how the club’s assistant coach summed up his performance.

Rockhampton's Lachlan Hubner playing for the Dolphins in a pre-season trial against the CQ Capras in 2024.

Lachlan Hubner showed he could hold his own and should be very proud of his NRL debut, according to Dolphins’ assistant coach Nathan Fien.

The tireless forward played 30 minutes for the Dolphins against the Broncos in the much-hyped “Battle for Brisbane” at Suncorp Stadium last night.

An integral part of the CQ Capras’ line-up since 2021, Hubner finally got a crack at the big time - and Fien said he did not disappoint.

The 24-year-old was called into the Dolphins 17 after the late withdrawal of prop Thomas Flegler.

Fien today spoke enthusiastically about the Rockhampton product’s performance.

Dolphins assistant coach Nathan Fien said Lachlan Hubner was outstanding in his NRL debut game against the Brisbane Broncos.

“I thought he was outstanding,” he said.

“Coming in at late notice and having a limited preparation, I thought he showed a really good mindset in terms of where he is with his football at the moment.”

“He didn’t let anyone down.

“I thought he settled in really well. It would have been a pretty daunting occasion to make your debut in front of 50,000-odd people at a packed Suncorp Stadium.

“In a couple of touches there, he showed that he was definitely up to it in terms of his late footwork at the line, he was able to land on his front and generate some speed around the ruck that we were looking for.

Dolphins assistant coach Nathan Fien (right) with coach Wayne Bennett. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

“The way he carried himself out on the field was a credit to him and showed why he is so important to that Capras organisation.

“He should be very proud of how he handled himself.”

Fien said Hubner’s elevation to the NRL ranks highlighted the importance of the Capras’ affiliation with the Dolphins.

“It shows that this pathway is real,” he said.

“We’ll keep nurturing that and, who knows, there might be some more players that come out either this year or in the years to come.”

Fien said Hubner had been on the Dolphins’ radar for a number of years, having completed a train-and-trial with the club for the past two seasons.

And his Friday night showing had done his future selection prospects no harm at all.

Lachlan Hubner has played 58 games with the CQ Capras in the Q-Cup.

“At the end of the day, for me as an assistant coach, it’s always great to have players like Lachie in the squad who we can call on and know will do the job for us if the need arises,” he said.

“He’s just uncompromising in terms of how he goes about things; he’s not the biggest forward by any stretch but he just works all day.

“He got a little bit of Ray Stone (Dolphins lock) about him where he’ll just keep showing up and that’s what we’re trying to foster here at the Dolphins - players who’ll just keep competing play-on-play and effort-on-effort and Lachie does that to a tee.

“Sometimes it’s all about waiting for an opportunity and last night he got that and he definitely grabbed it with both hands.

“We hold him in high regard and if there’s an opportunity to get him back, we’ll definitely have no dramas throwing him in there.”