Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to play fullback in 2025, Dolphins narrow captaincy search down to four players

The Dolphins are yet to settle on a new captain for 2025, but they have made a big call on where Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will play this season.

The Dolphins won’t make a call on their new captain until closer to the start of the season, but one major position has been locked in with new coach Kristian Woolf confirming Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will play fullback in 2025.

“The Hammer” carved up at left centre for the Maroons last year with a hat-trick in the State of Origin opener and then two tries in three games for Australia in the Pacific Championships, but he’ll return to fullback where he’s spent the majority of the past two seasons at club level.

Tabuai-Fidow was shifted to centre for the final two games of the 2024 season as part of a major backline reshuffle, but Trai Fuller – the man who replaced him at the back – ruptured his ACL and will be unavailable for most of the year.

Woolf said he chatted with the speedster late last year about the role and Tabuai-Fidow made it clear that he wanted the No.1 jersey.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has excelled at centre at rep level, but he’ll play fullback for the Dolphins in 2025. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

“The Hammer has been going really well. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s come back after Christmas,” Woolf told Mornings with Matt White on SEN.

“The thing with Hammer is you always want to walk in in the morning and see him with a big smile on his face enjoying what he’s doing, and at the moment, that’s what I’m seeing.

“The plan for him is that he’s going to play fullback. He’s our fullback, and I think that’s his best position for us.

“I know he played centre at representative level, and that was probably because there were so many good players around at rep level, particularly at fullback.

“He’s got that ability to play two positions and do them really well, but we’re very happy with what he brings as our fullback, and that’s where he’ll be playing.”

Felise Kaufusi is one of four leading candidates to replace Jesse Bromwich as skipper. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

While a key position in the Dolphins spine has been confirmed, Woolf says he’s yet to settle on who will replace Jesse Bromwich as skipper for the new season.

Kodi Nikorima and Mark Nicholls filled in as captain at stages last year, with Woolf revealing one of those men is in the mix for the full-time role that will be decided after their pre-season matches.

“That’s a good question because I haven’t come up with it just yet,” Woolf confessed.

“That’ll be something we do before round one. There are a number of candidates.

“We’ve got a really good leadership group over the last few years with guys like Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi, Mark Nicholls and Tom Gilbert who have all been a part of that and they’ve all developed really well.

“Jesse Bromwich is a great role model for those guys so we’re pretty well off. That’ll be where our captaincy comes from, and I know that any one of those four guys would do a terrific job and would do the club and supporters really proud.

“I want to get into our trials and see how our games go to see who our players want to follow when they’re on the field. I’ll make my decision after that.”