Glamorous and gifted: Meet the Dolphins WAGs
From fashion designers to newlyweds and those who left home for love – meet the wives and girlfriends supporting the players at Queensland’s newest NRL club.
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The Dolphins are the new kids in town.
Armed with supercoach Wayne Bennett and a new Stan documentary series, the Dolphins are ready to make their impression on the NRL in March – as the first new club to join the league since the Gold Coast Titans in 2007.
And a new squad means a new crew of Queensland WAGs.
Sport stars often credit their success to their supportive partners and families, and a common theme among the inaugural Dolphins squad is a chance for a settled life in Brisbane.
Many players in the 2023 side are newly engaged or married and have young families keeping them on their toes at home.
Here are the faces to expect on the sidelines at the new Kayo Stadium this season.
PERRIE NICHOLLS (MARK NICHOLLS)
The former Rabbitohs fan favourite has enjoyed a remarkable love story with wife Perrie.
The pair met in 2017 when they were living in Melbourne and the model and executive assistant followed him on Instagram, admittedly for his looks, and he messaged her.
His contract was up at the Storm and soon after their first date, he asked Perrie if she’d consider joining him in Sydney.
Deciding she had nothing to lose, she did.
They tied the knot at the University of Sydney in late 2019 – Nicholls having enrolled in a one-day course to nab the student discount – and announced at their wedding that Perrie was pregnant.
They welcomed daughter, Darcie, the following year and last August they expanded their family, celebrating the birth of daughter, Macie.
“The last few years have been amazing for me and my family, both in terms of my footy and away from the field,” Nicholls said late last year.
“It’s no coincidence that I feel that I’ve played my best footy too.”
Perrie also works as a pilates instructor.
SAMANTHA WITHAM (ROBERT JENNINGS)
Winger Robert Jennings is newly married to fashion high flyer Samantha Witham.
Witham is co-founder of Sydney clothing brand The Siesta Club and after stepping out at the recent Dolphins season launch in Brisbane, jetted to New York to host the brand’s first ever showroom event for New York Fashion Week.
The pair have two daughters together, Harlow and Willow. They originally moved west from Sydney to the Panthers when Witham fell pregnant.
The couple tied the knot in October last year.
KIRSTY COSTELLO (EUAN AITKEN)
Aitken will not just be moving to the Dolphins on a two-year deal but also as a newlywed.
He tied the knot with partner Kirsty Costello in December, having popped the question during a picnic on the beach earlier last year.
He secured an early release from the Warriors later that month after deciding he didn’t want to travel and relocate to Auckland in 2023.
Costello is a registered nurse and also the founder of lingerie label, Ramolli, which offers affordable intimates and is now based in Queensland.
On the brand’s website, Ramolli is described as an all female, Australian owned small business, which was “founded over a bottle of wine and a need for accessible, affordable and sexy lingerie”.
BREE TOBLER (KODI NIKORIMA)
After a stint at the Warriors and Rabbitohs, fellow newlywed Nikorima is bringing his young family back to Brisbane.
The Brisbane local shares two children with wife Bree Tobler, a registered a nurse who left her friends and family behind to move across the ditch with Nikorima when he was poached from the Broncos in 2019.
Their son, Zavier, was just three months old at the time.
Later that year he surprised her with the ultimate proposal
“He surprised me with a private helicopter tour over Queenstown,” she said at the time. “We landed on top of some mountains and it started snowing on us, and he asked the question.
“Then he had organised a picnic with champagne to celebrate.
They welcomed son Elijah in August 2021 and, after a two-year Covid delay, finally tied the knot in the Tweed hinterland in October, celebrating their return to Brisbane.
ABBY SUTHERLAND (JAMAYNE ISAAKO)
Abby Sutherland, a legal secretary, met Isaako through a mutual friend in 2016 after having moved to Brisbane from Melbourne.
The couple share two young children, son Isaiah and daughter Iylah, who have become Isaako’s on-field inspiration.
After Isaako shifted to the Titans from the Broncos mid-season, signing to the Dolphins was a chance to keep his family at home.
They are often spotted on the sidelines.
“He (son Isaiah) has been the motivation for me to do that hard work,” he said in 2019. “You are a bit busted and bruised after training, but for me to go home and look at him, it’s the reason I’m doing what I’m doing.”
MIRI FA’I (ANTHONY MILFORD)
After a turbulent road for the couple and a brief stint at the Knights, Milford and partner Miri Fa’i are newly engaged and settled back in their hometown of Brisbane.
The long-term couple share two daughters, Aaliyah and Ariana, and got engaged in Paris in December.
Fa’i is a regular on the sidelines with their daughters, sharing their family photos to social media including wearing their own Milford-brand supporter shirts.
She has also publicly advocated for her fiance, defending his character against online critics.
In 2019 Milford became a father less than one month apart from Nikorima, who he grew up playing with in the South East Queensland Stingers.
SHANNON WELLS (JARROD WALLACE)
The former Titans prop is rumoured to be engaged to partner Shannon Wells after a whirlwind relationship.
Wallace made his public debut with Wells at the Dolphins season launch event this month, where she was wearing an engagement ring.
It is understood Wallace began dating the Gold Coast mother of one last year.
It came as he went through a high-profile separation from wife Courtney Thorpe, with whom he shares a young daughter, amid a turbulent season.
He shares two daughters from a previous engagement.
The fresh start at the Dolphins Wallace told Fox Sports was “exactly what I needed personally, and as a footballer.”
DANICA LAPPIN (SEAN O’SULLIVAN)
O’Sullivan has been dating partner Danica Lappin since 2017.
Lappin is a staunch supporter of her beau and a fixture on the sideline as O’Sullivan bounced between clubs in recent years, before his signing with the Dolphins.
DENA WARBY (RAY STONE)
The former Eels forward shares two young children with long-term partner Dena Warby.
The pair have been dating since 2015.
Stone has previously spoken about his efforts to provide for his family, at one stage living hours apart to save money to buy their own home.
MADDIE MAIR (TOM GILBERT)
The young star, who made his Origin debut for Queensland last year, has been dating Maddie Mair, 22, of Brisbane, since late 2016.
While he enjoyed a stint at the Cowboys, Gilbert cited personal life as part motivator for his shift back to his hometown of Brisbane
“There were two decision that came with it – footy and personal life, and I had to weigh up what was more important,” he said after signing with the Dolphins.
BEK KAUFUSI (FELISE KAUFUSI)
Felise Kaufusi, who grew up in Bundaberg, married wife Bek in October 2014, before he began his career with the Melbourne Storm the following year.
They share three young children who all feature regularly on his social media accounts.
The Queensland Origin representative is now shifting back to the state from Melbourne with his family.
PARIS NEEDHAM-BROWN (CONNELLY LEMUELU)
Cowboys product Connelly Lemuelu will be joining the Dolphins with a new addition.
He and partner Paris Needham-Brown welcomed their first child, a son named Rome Lio Lemuelu, on February 2, sharing the news on social media.
The pair have been dating since 2017. They both attended Keebra Park State High School on the Gold Coast, meaning a shift from Townsville to Brisbane will likely see them closer to family.
LEZYOLA BROMWICH (JESSE BROMWICH)
The former Storm co-captain has had a settled life in Melbourne.
He shares three boys, Eli, Isaac and Manaia, with wife Lezyola, his long-term partner.
They married in 2016. She shares their lives together and her support of her husband’s career on her social media.
RUBY LOWE (MASON TEAGUE)
Former Panthers junior Mason Teague is dating Ruby Lowe, 20.
After first sharing photos together back in April, it seems Lowe made the call to move her life from Sydney to Brisbane, following her beau in the shift north.
HAYLEY DODD (HERMAN ESE’ESE)
After departing the Titans, Ese’ese is reuniting with Bennett on a one-year deal with the Dolphins.
He is joined by long-term partner Hayley Dodd, who has supported the veteran prop through his career.
The pair bought their first home in Newcastle in late 2018 while he was playing for the Knights, having switched from the Broncos.
ALEISHA COLLINS (JJ COLLINS)
Born in Logan, a spot in the Dolphins will also be a homecoming for prop JJ Collins.
He married wife Aleisha in October 2020 and the pair share two young sons, Emil, 2, and Luca, who was born last April.
Aleisha is a keen powerlifter, with a separate social media account dedicated to her progress.
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Originally published as Glamorous and gifted: Meet the Dolphins WAGs
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