Match Preview: Round 11 – Dolphins v Warriors

After securing a hard-fought victory against the Eels last week on the road, the Dolphins come back to Brisbane brimming with confidence. Last week's result saw the side bounce back from two consecutive away losses, including one during Magic Round. 

Despite the looming possibility of State of Origin selection, Dolphins' Captain Tom Gilbert is focused on this weekend's match. 

"It's definitely a big game, they're a great side and doing really well in the competition. It starts with how physical they play", said Gilbert 

"For us, we need to worry about ourselves and get our prep right, and understand we are going to have a physical game this weekend."

"It's a great challenge and opportunity for us."

Having already proven they can defeat highly ranked teams, taking down competition heavyweights, the Storm, earlier this season. The Dolphins will need another strong performance to come away with the competition points. 

Standing in their way is the second-place Warriors, who are seeking their fifth consecutive win and to place more pressure on competition leaders, the Bulldogs.

Team Changes

Dolphins head coach Kristian Woolf has made no personal changes to his side following last week's victory over the Eels. However, Woolf has slightly adjusted the forward pack with Captain Tom Gilbert starting in the second row, while Ray Stone will move to the lock position.

For the Warriors, co-captain James Fisher-Harris is set to return from a pectoral injury and is named to start in the front row. Additionally, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck may also return from injury, having been named on the extended bench and will have the opportunity to prove his fitness for the game.

Clash of the week

This week's match provides an exciting match-up of two of the league's young-gun halves, Isaiya Katoa and Luke Metcalf. Both players come into the match in strong form, looking to lead their respective teams on the field and ultimately to a victory on Saturday afternoon.

Isaiya Katoa currently leads the league in line engagements with 101, 23 more than the next highest player. This impressive statistic places him above notable names around the league like Nicho Hynes, Nathan Cleary, Tom Dearden, and Jarome Luai. His ability to square up and draw defenders was on show last week when Katoa mesmerised the Eels' defence and fans to set up teammate Jack Bostock to score the game's first try. Katoa maneuvered deep into the Eels' defensive line, surrounded by four defenders, and executed a clever dummy to Frank Molo on his right. This move fooled the defenders, freeing the young half to connect with Kodi Nikorima on his left. 

Moves like these are becoming a staple of Katoa's constantly improving playstyle and will no doubt have the Warriors guessing when he has the ball in hand. 

For the opposition, Luke Metcalf has been instrumental in the Warriors' strong start to the 2025 season, notably with a penalty goal in extra time to secure his side's victory in round 7. Metcalf struck once again in round ten, with a late field goal to put the Warriors ahead and secure their seventh win of the season.

Since joining the Warriors in 2023, Metcalf's game time has been limited, mainly due to a broken leg last season. However, 2025 is the year he is finally establishing himself as the key game organiser for the New Zealand-based side, and the team's performance reflects this.