Kristian Woolf rockets into contention for NRL coach of the year
Kristian Woolf has rocketed into contention for the prestigious Dally M coach of the year award, with the finals fate of the Dolphins now resting in their own hands.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kristian Woolf has rocketed into contention for the prestigious Dally M coach of the year award with the finals fate of the Dolphins now resting in Redcliffe’s hands.
The Dolphins continued their stunning resurgence with a 43-24 thumping of the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night to move back into the NRL’s top eight.
With a 9-9 record heading into next week’s bye before a run of six games to end the regular season, the Dolphins are in firm contention to play finals for the first time in 2025.
It would be a remarkable result for Woolf to guide the Phins into the play-offs in his first year in charge at Redcliffe since taking over from Wayne Bennett, particularly given the events of this season.
The Dolphins were pre-season wooden spoon favourites with the bookmakers after farewelling their foundation super coach and started the year with four straight losses.
But they have managed to claw their way back into the finals mix despite dealing with one of the NRL’s worst injury tolls.
Forwards Tom Flegler, Daniel Saifiti, Max Plath, Tom Gilbert, Felise Kaufusi and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki are currently sidelined along with Dally M rookie of the year Jack Bostock and reborn five-eighth Kodi Nikorima.
Yet Woolf has managed to not only jag wins but also transform the Dolphins into the NRL’s most potent attacking team.
The Dolphins have scored a competition-leading 533 points in 18 matches at an average of 29.6 per game.
It has been a stunning resurgence after a challenging first month and Fox League commentator Bryan Fletcher said Woolf deserved to be in the mix for the coach’s top gong.
“If they make the finals there’s an argument for Kristian Woolf to be Dally M coach of the year,” he said.
“We know they’ve got speed and pace out wide, but they’ve got kids that have come in and are going fantastically well.
“They have no right to be where they are.”
Woolf would have to be an outside contender for the award given Ricky Stuart’s efforts at Canberra and the rise of the Bulldogs under Cameron Ciraldo.
The Storm are also in the premiership hunt again under seven-time award winner Craig Bellamy while 2023 winner Andrew Webster’s Warriors are lurking.
Brisbane’s Michael Maguire could mount a late charge, so too Penrith’s four-time premiership coach Ivan Cleary given the Panthers’ slow start and looming fast finish.
Regardless, the Dolphins arguably have their best shot at playing finals since joining the NRL in 2023.
They have a challenging run of games against current top eight teams the Warriors, Roosters, Broncos and Sea Eagles to come, but the Dolphins appear to fear no-one.
Woolf has bred confidence into his team of second-stringers and they have strike in the likes of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Isaiya Katoa and Jake Averillo that can create points quickly.
“We’re not worried about who’s not in the team,” Woolf said.
“The blokes who are out there, I just love the way they keep turning up for each other.
“It keeps us in the race (for finals). There’s six games to go, we’re nine and nine, and you need to be around that to play finals.
“We would love to play finals. We’ve put ourselves in a great position and have had to work really hard because of a slow start.
“It’s in our hands what we do with it over the last six games.”
Phinal Countdown: NRL’s youngest club marching to September
Pressure is mounting on Cowboys coach Todd Payten after the Dolphins kept their finals dreams alive with a 43-24 dismantling of North Queensland on Thursday night.
Dynamic Dolphins trio Herbie Farnworth, Jake Averillo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow toyed with the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium to all but end North Queensland’s chances of a top eight finish in 2025.
The Cowboys’ defence was atrocious against the NRL’s most potent attack as the Dolphins overcame the absence of 10 injured players to record another convincing victory.
While the Dolphins (9-9) are riding a wave of momentum under first-year coach Kristian Woolf with five big wins in seven games to creep back into the top eight, the temperature gauge is rising on Payten.
The Cowboys (6-1-11) have been mostly terrible for the past two months and can now write off another season.
PHINS FLYING
Woolf has made a number of his rival coaches look silly and debunked the theory that you can’t compete in the NRL without your best players.
The Dolphins have been decimated by injuries this season and were missing an entire starting pack in Tom Flegler, Tom Gilbert, Max Plath, Felise Kaufusi, Daniel Saifiti and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.
Unheralded forwards Aublix Tawha, Kurt Donoghoe, Connelly Lemuelu and Oryn Keeley wouldn’t rate a mention outside Redcliffe but played like NRL veterans.
Reigning Dally M rookie of the year Jack Bostock is also out along with five-eighth Kodi Nikorima, who was having the best season of his career.
But nothing has been able to stop Redcliffe’s recent golden run.
Woolf’s decision to shift the versatile Averillo to five-eighth was a masterstroke, with his speed tearing the Cowboys apart in a two-try performance.
In-form centre Farnworth looked every bit the $1 million he is expected to fetch if he hits the open market and halfback Isaiya Katoa controlled the show, creating five line breaks.
Tabuai-Fidow built on his lead as the NRL’s top tryscorer (17) this season with another double and should have had more, if not for a bombed try that meant the Dolphins only led 24-6 at the break.
Phins are up at Redcliffe heading into a bye before a challenging run against the Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Sea Eagles, Titans and Raiders that will decide whether the NRL’s youngest club plays finals for the first time this year.
COWBOYS IN CRISIS
The Cowboys have only won one of their past seven games and if you dig a little deeper the detail is concerning.
That sole victory came against the last-placed Titans in what was a dour round 17 clash on the Gold Coast.
The only teams the Cowboys have beaten in their past 12 games are the Titans (twice) and Tigers – bottom four dwellers who are far from premiership contenders.
This is a Cowboys team with four current Origin players in Wally Lewis medallists Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai and Reece Robson.
While the Dolphins are in red-hot attacking touch, the defensive effort dished up by North Queensland was not up to NRL standard.
Payten has a huge task ahead of him to turn things around and needs to find something in the next seven weeks to save his job.
The Cowboys showed some fight to get back into the contest from 34-6 down, scoring three quick tries midway through the second half.
But the damage was already done and to compound things, winger Murray Taulagi suffered a hamstring injury scoring his second try.
Originally published as Kristian Woolf rockets into contention for NRL coach of the year
NRL star becomes a laughing stock
The Raiders came away big winners on Saturday afternoon but one star is still looking for a place to hide after he bombed a certain try.
NRL world says same thing about Galvin
Lachlan Galvin was parachuted into the Bulldogs’ starting line up over Toby Sexton, and his performance has left everyone saying the same thing.