NRL round five: Dolphins defeat Wests Tigers 26-16

The Dolphins picked off the Wests Tigers to return to the top of the NRL ladder, but at the cost of one of their star players who is set to be sidelined for at least a month with an injury.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 06: Herbie Farnworth of the Dolphins grimaces as he leaves the field with an injury during the round 5 NRL match between the Dolphins and the Tigers at Suncorp Stadium, on April 06, 2024, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The Dolphins have been given mixed injury news as they prepare for Friday’s Suncorp Stadium derby with the Broncos.

Centre Herbie Farnworth will miss at least a month of football with an AC joint injury but will not require surgery in a result which was considered a reasonable outcome given the initially grave fears for his season.

Prop Thomas Flegler, who also has a shoulder injury, is a solid chance of playing and will be given every chance to do so.

Backrower Felise Kaufusi, who did a low grade hamstring injury stretching out against the West Tigers on Saturday, has not been ruled out but is unlikely to play

“Herbie does not need surgery so that is a real positive,” said Dolphins’ Head of Performance, Jeremy Hickmans.

“He is going to need at least four weeks to repair the injury, and with this type of injury that can be potentially longer depending on how he responds to the treatment.”

“Felise’s chances of playing will depend largely on how he goes with his rehabilitation this week,” said Hickmans.

MATCH REPORT: DOLPHINS VS WESTS TIGERS

The Dolphins have returned to the top of the table but it’s come at a massive cost with their two marquee signings suffering potentially serious AC joint injuries in the win over the Wests Tigers.

The 26-16 win was their third on the trot, but they could be without former Broncos Thomas Flegler and Herbie Farnworth who are in huge doubt for next week’s grudge match against their old club.

Flegler finished the game on the bench but is a chance of playing next week, while there are major concerns over Farnworth who had an arm pinned under Alex Seyfarth and was writhing in pain.

The Dolphins are already without Tom Gilbert (ACL) for the season, while veteran forward Felise Kaufusi came off with a hamstring strain after he broke free to set up Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for his fifth try of the year.

“We know what the injuries are, but we don’t know the severity of them just yet,” Wayne Bennett said, confirming Flegler and Farnworth will need scans.

“AC joints can be pretty bad if you’ve got a good one. I think he (Farnworth) has got a good one, so sometimes they have to operate on them.

“The concern is whether we have the replacements to fill their places and do the jobs they’ve been doing. That’s the issue.”

Kodi Nikorima celebrates a try with his Dolphins teammates. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Herbie Farnworth of the Dolphins grimaces as he leaves the field with an injury. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

No luck for Benji Marshall over his former mentor Wayne Bennett. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

MASTER V APPRENTICE

Benji Marshall learnt plenty from Bennett during their time together at the Bunnies, but the rookie coach was no match for a man with more than 900 games of experience.

The contrast in experience wasn’t limited to the coaches, with veteran Kodi Nikorima and young gun Isaiya Katoa combining beautifully to get the hosts over the line.

Katoa is still a baby compared to some of the other halfbacks in the game, but he has time on his side – not just in age but on the field – with the recently re-signed playmaker scoring the first try and setting up another when his side needed a lift.

And it was fitting that Nikorima featured prominently in both tries, throwing a peach of a cut out for the opener before he pounced on a grubber from his halves partner to help the Dolphins kick clear.

Nikorima, 30, is off contract at the end of the season, but his combination with Katoa clearly works and could earn him an extension.

“I think they’ve been going well,” skipper Jesse Bromwich said.

“The thing about ‘Izzy’ is that he’s really calm and he’s got a good head on his shoulder. Kodi is backing him up well.”

Aidan Sezer had a solid showing for the Tigers. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

SEZER THE DAY

With two young halves on the books and Jarome Luai heading to the club next season, it’s unlikely Aidan Sezer will play a role beyond this year.

But the veteran still has a lot to offer and showed his worth with two 40/20s, with the second leading to a late Alex Seyfarth try.

There were plenty of positives for the Tigers with Solomona Faataape bagging the first double of his young career, but they were left to rue a blown chance earlier on when Jahream Bula threw a forward pass to Justin Olam to bomb a certain try.

BETTER LATU THAN NEVER

The young talent time at the Tigers continues to shine, with 18-year-old Latu Fainu making his debut in place of fellow teen sensation Lachlan Galvin who was out through suspension.

Fainu has long been touted as a genuine star of the future, and he finally got his chance after 35 minutes when he came on and parked himself on the left edge.

The young half didn’t get many opportunities but showed he can handle the occasion, with Fainu not getting the dream debut alongside his brother after Samuela (head knock) was ruled out of the contest early in the second half.

“We didn’t deserve to win, but given the adversity we had to face during the game, to be fighting there at the end to give ourselves an opportunity to win was a big effort from us,” Marshall said, with the Tigers also losing John Bateman to a head knock, while Api Koroisau battled through a quad injury.

Originally published as NRL round five: Dolphins defeat Wests Tigers 26-16