Round 24: Roosters v Dolphins preview
Dolphins set for inaugural win rematch on Roosters home turf
After setting the rugby league world alight all the way back at the beginning of 2023, The Dolphins have had a quality campaign with a few weeks remaining. Their opponents in round one, the Sydney Roosters, now find themselves five months later just one win ahead of the competition newbies. For a team that hasn't missed the finals since 2016, this is undoubtedly not up to scratch.
These two sides will clash on Saturday evening in what will be an intriguing and consequential match-up on the hallowed/still-new turf of the Sydney Football Stadium, freshly recovered from FIFA. With the Roosters only two points out of the eight, every second of the rest of their season will be of the utmost importance, whilst the Dolphins will want to avoid fading away completely towards the back-end of their inaugural season, as many pundits have predicted.
The Sydney Roosters head into the weekend off the back of a ten point victory against Manly across the road at the SCG. Despite Nathan Brown being sent off in the 62nd minute, they were able to hold on to their lead in spite of a fast finish from the Sea Eagles. Brown has been suspended for that incident, opening up the door for Dylan Napa to make a return to the NRL stage.
The Dolphins have gone heartbreakingly close to victories over the past few weeks, falling short by one against the Bulldogs and by two against the Knights. Facing Newcastle in Perth last week, Jamayne Isaako starred with a first-half hattrick, but ultimately it wasn't enough for the vaguely Queensland-based side to record their first victory since round 19.
In terms of team news, Ray Stone will join the bench after recovering from a broken hand. His return comes at the expense of Herman Ese'ese, who drops out of the 17. Kodi Nikorima has been handed the number 1 jersey, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow slotting into the centres.
When these two met in round one, scores were locked at half-time. The Dolphins managed to dominate in the first twenty minutes after the break, so the Roosters will need to be switched on during this period especially.
Last meeting: Round 1, 2023 - Dolphins 28 Sydney Roosters 18
Players to watch: Siua Wong has enjoyed a rapid rise through the systems into the NRL. A Rugby Union convert, Wong entered the Roosters system in 2021, quickly graduating through the ranks. The back-rower was handed his debut back in round 18, and is set to make his fifth NRL appearance this weekend. The twenty year old also has International experience to his name, having represented Fiji at the World Cup last year.
Dolphins halfback Sean O'Sullivan is quite the journeyman. Having spent time at five different NRL clubs, he is yet to crack fifty top flight games. Moving out of Nathan Cleary's shadow at Penrith to a clean slate at a brand new club in The Dolphins for 2023, his season started well before injury threatened to tear it apart. He will want to make an impact on the back end of this inaugural season for the club he is signed with until the end of 2025.
My tip: The Dolphins come into this game with much better odds of winning than they did in their inaugural game, so if they could beat the Roosters in round one, what's stopping them from beating them now? That is a very good question, but Roosters should still be too good.
