Match Preview: Round 14 – Dolphins v Dragons
Friday night at Suncorp Stadium is poised to be an exciting one, with the winner of the Dolphins and Dragons clash set for two crucial competition points. A win could see the Dolphins with a chance of being in the top eight at the end of the round, while the Dragons could consolidate their current position at the pointy end of the ladder.
The Dolphins come into the match on a 15-day turnaround thanks to the bye following their convincing Round 12 win in the wet over competition leaders the Bulldogs. The timely break will see the Dolphins return to the field well-rested, with Head Coach Kristian Woolf commenting on the bye's beneficial impact on the injuries and general fatigue.
"We've had a number of injuries over the last few weeks, that puts a lot more workload and a lot more pressure on other guys to cover for that.
"It's great to go into a bye with a really good performance; what we need to make sure we do is come out of that bye as well and remember how we built that performance."
The Dragons enter the match with momentum after two wins and a bye in the last three rounds while also sitting in eighth on the competition ladder, two spots above the Dolphins. However, Suncorp Stadium hasn't been kind to the visitors, with only two wins in their last ten matches at the venue dating back to 2021.
Team Changes
For the Dolphins, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will return from his State of Origin duties at Fullback, with Jake Averillo shifting back to right centre. Jeremy Marshall-King will come into the side and start at hooker, while will come off the bench, with both players being cleared to player after being sidelined due to injuries.
The Dragons will be without Jaydn Su'A due to an ankle injury, with Luciano Leilua replacing him in the starting side. Christian Tuipulotu returns to the side after being sidelined with a hamstring injury. Raymond Faitala-Mariner joins the bench.
Clash of the week
In this week's key match-up, the spotlight shines on Jake Averillo and Valentine Holmes when they go head-to-head in a battle of skill and speed.
After covering duties at fullback last week with a try and a win against his former side, Jake Averillo is back in the centres and looking to help the Dolphins push for the top eight. Averillo will be a threat on the right-hand edge, capitalising on slower defenders to scoot from dummy half and rack up metres down the short side.
Marking Averillo will be Queensland representative Valentine Holmes, a noted try scorer who can be lethal with the ball in hand and with the boot. Holmes knows how to find the try line but can also put games out of reach with his goal-kicking. Putting points on the board is his specialty.
