Tomorrow night’s clash against the Sea Eagles will be played in front packed out Kayo Stadium crowd, as the Dolphins prepare for the first game of the season at their ‘spiritual home’ of Kayo Stadium.
Dolphins’ coach Kristian Woolf is confident his team will reset and perform, in what will be one of two games played at Kayo Stadium this season.
“Our blokes love playing here, it is our spiritual home.
“It is in front our fans that are real fans, and some of those fans have been around well before an NRL club,” Woolf said.
The Dolphins have a positive winning record at Kayo Stadium in the NRL, having won 5 of 8 matches played there, and Woolf is hopeful this record will be extended.
“We are hard to defend, so if we bring our game and play at our standards and at our best, then we’re going to be hard to beat.”
“We have trained with more intent this week, and I like the bounce and the feel of us, so I’m confident we are ready to go.”
The Dolphins will also be boosted by the inclusion of versatile workhorse Kurt Donoghoe, who is poised to make a welcome return from a hamstring injury via the bench.
“He’s a good player for us, we’ve missed him the first couple of weeks and we’ve missed a lot of what he brings.
“He was one of our best players last year, there is no doubt about that,” Woolf said.
Donoghoe’s return will mark his first appearance for the Dolphins since Round 27 of last season against the Raiders, which was also at Kayo Stadium.
This appearance included 33 tackles and 3 tackle breaks, highlighting the impact Donoghoe gives his team on both sides of the ball.
“We have to be a little bit patient before he is right back to his best, but he is a great inclusion,” Woolf said.
Despite a shorter week of training, Woolf has been pleased with the reaction from his players and believes they are ready to go in front of what will be a raucous home crowd.
“We really enjoy playing here, this is where we train and where we feel like our home is.
“We don’t get many opportunities to play here, so it is always great to come back,” Woolf said.
The Dolphins will be keen to showcase their new heritage jersey, and are determined to deliver a powerful performance in front of a lively red and white crowd in their first hit-out at Kayo Stadium this season.
