NRL 2025: Tom Gilbert suffers ankle injury scare, Kristian Woolf injects new competitive edge during Dolphins pre-season
After missing the entire 2024 season through injury, Tom Gilbert’s build towards a return to the footy field suffered a scare during the Dolphins’ pre-season camp. See the latest pre-season news.
Luckless Maroons star Tom Gilbert has sent a scare through Redcliffe after suffering an ankle injury during the Dolphins’ pre-season camp.
Gilbert pulled up sore after rolling his ankle during a hit-out at Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday morning.
Gilbert was quick to play down the severity of the injury, insisting he would only require a few days’ rest before he was back on the paddock.
Coach Kristian Woolf would have breathed a sigh of relief given Gilbert’s history.
The Queensland hit-man hasn’t played a competitive match since suffering a shoulder injury in Game One of the 2023 Origin series in Adelaide.
Gilbert missed the remainder of the 2023 NRL season at the Dolphins and then suffered a knee injury in last year’s trials.
A blood clot delayed his reconstructive surgery but Gilbert has looked strong since hitting the training paddock this pre-season.
Gilbert, 24, said the ankle injury was only a minor setback and declared he was a certain starter for the Dolphins’ trial against the Titans on February 22.
“I scared myself a little but it’s all right,” he said.
“Injuries and little niggles are part and parcel of footy. It’s a contact sport. I’m glad it’s ok.
“I’ll take the load off for the next few days and I’ll be good to go.
“I’m all on track for round one. I’ll have a few days off now but hopefully get a few minutes in the last trial.
“I’m good to go this year.”
It has been a challenging 20 months for Gilbert since his last proper match.
He admits he has endured some mental demons but can now see light at the end of the tunnel.
He is also one of the top contenders to take over the Dolphins’ captaincy from the retired Jesse Bromwich.
“It’s refreshing to be a footballer again and try to put this behind me,” he said.
“It definitely took its toll and I had my moments where I questioned a lot of things. Things were really tough, I’m not going to lie.
“You think about whether you can ever get back to the standard you left. A bit of doubt can enter your mind.
“I realised I could control how hard I train and prepare myself. I’ve got the confidence that I can come back and be the player I want to be.
“It definitely would be an honour (to captain the club). I’d welcome it with two hands if I got the opportunity.
“Like any captain, you need the support around you and we’ve got so many great leaders here.
“I’ve got no idea (when it will be decided). This is an important camp for us to get our footy right.”
Coach’s pre-season overhaul driving Dolphins
Kristian Woolf has brought the Hunger Games to Redcliffe with the Dolphins fighting and scrapping as they chase a maiden NRL finals appearance.
The Dolphins headed north to the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday for a pre-season camp ahead of their third NRL Premiership campaign.
Woolf has wasted no time putting his stamp on the Dolphins since taking over from seven-time premiership coach Wayne Bennett at the end of last season.
The three-time Super League title-winning coach has introduced new measures to ramp up the competitive nature of the Dolphins and inject a killer instinct into the club.
The Dolphins developed a reputation under Bennett for being a team of toilers with a never-say-die attitude that went within a whisker of last year’s finals series in their second NRL season.
Woolf and Bennett share similar traits, but the new coach has ramped up the internal competition at Redcliffe over the past few months.
“It has been a bit different (to Bennett) but in saying that Woolfy is doing a really good job,” Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako said.
“I’m enjoying being coached by him and the new style of coaching he brings.
“The competitive nature he has is similar to Wayne. He’s got everyone competing really hard on and off the field.
“In the gym we’ve got some stats up that has really got everyone competing hard. Woolfy introduced that this pre-season and I’m really enjoying that.”
Succeeding Bennett has proven to be one of the most demanding jobs in the NRL.
The formlines of coaches to follow Bennett have been poor in recent years with the likes of Anthony Seibold (Broncos) and Jason Demetriou (Rabbitohs) struggling to sustain success.
But the hard-nosed Woolf is intent on making sure the Dolphins don’t back down from a scrap and will give them every opportunity to win in 2025.
“He’s got everyone competing really hard,” Isaako said.
“He’s one of those blokes that’s always wanting you to be your best.
“I see a lot of similarities in the way he coaches with Wayne. I’m interested to see how the season goes.
“Heading into trials, we’ve been doing things a bit different that Woolfy has introduced which is interesting.”
While the Broncos headed west of Brisbane on Monday for a police style leadership camp, the Dolphins are staying at Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast.
The venues may be different but that doesn’t mean the Dolphins won’t be training hard, with a number of on-field sessions including in team building time.
“It’s a great opportunity for the boys to not only work a bit harder but also mix and mingle with each other and build some camaraderie,” Isaako said.
“There’s some new faces in the team and going away is a good opportunity for the boys to mix and build combinations.
“It’s a long season ahead so spending the week away and building some team connection will benefit us.
“I’ve been to the Sunny Coast for a few camps with the Broncos. I’ve heard it’s going to be fairly tough but the whole pre-season has and that’s what we’re building our season on, being mentally tough and having that resilience to stay in the competition against the top teams.
“I’m really hoping to play finals this year. We just missed out last year and it’d be nice to play some finals footy and give the Dolphins their first taste.”
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