Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow released to play for Dolphins
North Queensland Cowboys to release one of the region’s brightest prospects. Find out why they made the tough decision.
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THE North Queensland Cowboys have officially released Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from the final year of his contract.
This comes after the Dolphins were tipped to sign the speedster on a multi-year deal for their inaugural season.
It comes a week after Tabuai-Fidow, 21, was named in the Samoan squad for the Rugby League World Cup.
Tabuai-Fidow started the season as the Cowboys first-choice fullback before he was sidelined by an injury early in the season.
The form of Scott Drinkwater in his absence, meant Tabuai-Fidow was relegated to a bench role for the rest of the season.
In a statement on the Cowboys website, the club said it was approached by Tabuai-Fidow’s management for a release, with the 21-year-old indicating he would like to explore opportunities to play fullback at another NRL club.
Tabuai-Fidow was initially signed with the Cowboys until the end of the 2023 season.
The Cairns product appeared in 50 games across three years for the Cowboys.
“It’s always sad to say goodbye to a player who is one of our own,” Cowboys General Manager of Football 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.”
Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader said his club had added a “real game-breaker.”
“Hamiso’s signing is hugely significant to our roster and adds a new dynamic to our team for the 2023 season,” Reader said.
“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.”
Tabuai-Fidow joined the Cowboys in 2017 on a cut-price $2000 contract, after club recruitment manager Clint Zammit spotted the flyer playing high school rugby union in Brisbane alongside Tom Gilbert, who Tabuai-Fidow will join as a foundation Dolphin.
The Cairns Kangaroos product had already represented Queensland in Aussie rules and rugby union at a national level but leapt at the chance to return north in 2018 to pursue his NRL dream.
Tabuai-Fidow joined Kirwan State High School in 2019, playing a part in the school’s run to its first schoolboy National Championship alongside Jeremiah Nanai, although an ACL tear forced him out of the decider.
‘The Hammer’ hit the NRL spotlight for the first time with a star turn at the NRL Nines in Perth in 2020, scoring the match-winning try in the final against St. George Illawarra.
Tabuai-Fidow made his NRL debut in round five of that season, going on to score six tries in 14 games across wing and fullback.
His 2021 season was also disrupted by injury, missing 11 games through ankle surgery and an emergency appendix operation.
His eight tries in North Queensland’s remaining 13 games earned the Hammer a call-up to Wayne Bennett’s Queensland side, dubbed the worst of all time, who shocked the Blues in a Game Three decider on the Gold Coast.
Tabuai-Fidow scored a decisive try in the 20-18 win.
Coach Todd Payten appointed the 20-year-old his first choice fullback for the 2022 season but the injury bug struck again.
A PCL injury sustained against the Roosters forced Tabuai-Fidow onto the sidelines for three weeks, opening the door for Scott Drinkwater to take over the Cowboys No.1 jersey.
Tabuai-Fidow would go on to play another 19 games, with three starts at centre, four at wing, once more at fullback and 11 off the interchange bench.
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Originally published as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow released to play for Dolphins
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