NRL 2024: Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa is being courted by the Kangaroos, Kiwis, Tonga and NSW Blues
Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa flies under the radar at Redcliffe, but Nathan Cleary’s potential successor in the NSW Origin No.7 jersey has a host of representative teams lining up for him.
A representative tug of war is brewing for Dolphins sensation Isaiya Katoa as Nathan Cleary’s potential Blues successor prepares to guide the Redcliffe club to a maiden NRL finals berth.
Katoa will attempt to lead the Dolphins to their first win in a month when they host the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins have lost their past three games to drop out of the NRL’s top eight and need a win to keep their finals hopes alive.
They will confront a Warriors team under siege and without retiring halfback Shaun Johnson, who has been ruled out of his final NRL appearance in Queensland due to a quad injury.
Born in New Zealand, Katoa was an All Blacks fan until he moved to Australia at age nine and fell in love with rugby league.
He is now determined to help the Dolphins play finals football in just their second season in the NRL.
“We’ve been travelling really well,” Katoa said.
“We know we can be a lot better but the effort is there. Our team is based on effort and competing, now it’s about executing the little things.
“We are doing the right things to get to that point but now we need to execute and finish off games.”
JERSEY WARS
Katoa, 20, is one of the NRL’s rising stars with the representative world at his feet.
He is eligible to play Test football for Australia, New Zealand and Tonga, who he has already featured for six times, debuting in 2022 before he had even played in the NRL.
Having grown up in western Sydney, Katoa is also eligible to play State of Origin for the NSW and should be regarded as Cleary’s long-term successor in the Blues No.7 jersey.
But how long he has to wait for that honour remains to be seen, especially with Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses waiting in the wings.
Katoa is odds-on to be selected by Tonga for the end-of-year Pacific Championships but can afford to keep his options open and it wouldn’t surprise if new Kiwis coach Stacey Jones inquired about his services.
Former Kiwis coach Michael Maguire, the current NSW Origin coach, sounded him out in high school about playing for New Zealand, but that would rule Katoa out of representing the Blues and he insists he is happy playing for Tonga.
“I spoke to Michael Maguire when I was 17-18 ,” Katoa said.
“He talked to me about how my footy was going and wished me luck. He told me if there was an opportunity for me to go to the Kiwis and I wanted to play for them then he would be happy to consider me for selection.
“At the same time I had aspirations to represent Tonga. There’s still some unfinished business with Tonga, we haven’t really had the success we want.
“I’ve definitely thought about (Origin). That’s the decision I’ve got to make – do I go down the path of playing for the Kiwis or New South Wales?
“All I can control is playing footy and making sure I’m working hard on my own game. The place to do that is at the Dolphins and later in the year for Tonga.”
SILENT ASSASSIN
Hidden away at Moreton Bay, Katoa doesn’t receive the raps he deserves from the Sydney-obsessed rugby league media.
He has pieced together two ultra-impressive NRL seasons despite being one of the game’s youngest playmakers at a new club.
Bennett has done his best to keep a lid on Katoa, insisting he had a long way to go, and the Penrith product feels the same way.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in an NRL team most weeks but at the same time I understand there’s a lot of hard work to be done,” he said.
“I’m my own harshest critic. I’m looking at myself and what I need to work on before I start blaming others or what went wrong with my teammates.
“I always look at myself in the mirror and make sure I’m working as hard as I can to be a good teammate.”
While he has enjoyed some memorable moments in a 40-game NRL career, Katoa realised how unforgiving the game can be a fortnight ago.
He had an opportunity to secure a gritty victory against three-time premiers Penrith on the road but took the wrong option and kicked for a corner instead of attempting a field goal.
Cleary then showed Katoa what it takes to be the game’s premier halfback when he guided the Panthers to a golden-point win.
“Wayne was awesome – he spoke to me straight after the game about it,” Katoa said.
“He just said these things happen and it will come as my career develops. The next time I’ll want to go for the one point and take my opportunity when it’s there.
“I knew after I kicked it that it was the wrong option. I understand why I got a bit of criticism, but there were a lot of other things we did before that stage that put us in that position. We were up 14 points and shouldn’t have been in (golden point).
“It’s all a learning curve. I just have to cop it on the chin and make sure the next time I take the opportunity.”
PHINS UP FUTURE
The carrot of being coached by Bennett played a key role in luring Katoa to the Dolphins but the youngster has shown faith in incoming coach Kristian Woolf by committing his long-term future to the club.
Katoa said he was confident his Tonga head coach could be successful in his first NRL role and Redcliffe had become home.
“I’m just grateful to have had two years under Wayne and got to work really closely with him,” Katoa said.
“It’s a little bit disappointing (Bennett is going to South Sydney), but I knew he was going to move on and we’d have Kristian Woolf becoming our head coach.
“I first met him when I went to England in 2022 for the World Cup. I built a lot of trust in him to not only get the best out of me but also make sure he keeps me accountable.
“He is the first person to congratulate me when I do something well, but at the same time he is also the first to tell me I need to work on something. That’s how you build trust with a coach and he has always been very respectful.
“My parents have moved to Brisbane and all of my siblings are here. I enjoy the club, playing group and coaching staff we have. Seeing my family and partner be so happy here made it a no-brainer (to re-sign until 2028).
“I love the club and there was no real reason I needed to leave. They took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to kickstart my NRL career.”
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