Jamayne Isaako has produced one of the finest performances of his NRL career, and in doing so, sent the Bulldogs into panic stations with their season teetering on the brink of collapse.
The New Zealand Test winger was in a realm of his own in his side’s 44-12 triumph at Suncorp Stadium, crossing for a hat-trick and producing some of the more miraculous assists of the season.
Having showcased a mixture of speed, strength and classy finishes in each of his three tries, it was his miracle pass as he was being tackled into touch while midair for his centre Jack Bostock to score that had to be seen to be believed.
Isaako was the beneficiary of brilliant work by his halves for his first two tries, with Isaiya Katoa’s long pass for Bostock providing the space for the Kiwi to fly into the corner. His second came courtesy of a sensational cutout ball from Kodi Nikorima, in what was his first game back from a two-game suspension.
His third, however, was brilliant – latching onto a Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow pass to fend off three defenders in a half-field run that showed even after 13 years in professional rugby league, he still had plenty of speed to burn.
On the back of Isaako’s 248 running metres, four linebreaks and eight tackle busts, his team lifted – Katoa and Nikorima pulling the strings brilliantly.
This was what the Dolphins fans had come to love in 2025. Despite missing the finals, they finished as the game’s most lethal attacking unit (721 points). But while they were forced to defend their line staunchly early in the piece, their own ill-discipline costing them, a little sniff was all they needed to unleash.
Bulldogs woes compounded. Where to now?
Everything seemed to point to Canterbury-Bankstown breaking a limp three-game losing streak after this clash’s opening 30 minutes.
At that stage, the visitors had 77 per cent of the territory and had only conceded once. They still led 12-4 at that point, with Lachlan Galvin’s bullet pass for Jaeman Salmon to score getting the ball rolling, before a miracle no-look pass from Connor Tracey provided safe passage for Stephen Crichton to cross.
Yet somehow, they trailed at halftime with only 12 men on the field, after Jacob Preston was sent to the sin bin for a late hit on Katoa.
Even with all that field position – and the Dolphins gifting them several chances with seven first-half penalties – the Bulldogs just could not capitalise. Sam Hughes, Sitili Tupouniua and Bailey Hayward all knocked on inside the Dolphins’ 20-metre zone, before a hurried Galvin tap-on was swooped on by Isaako.
That initial break and offload for Bostock led to a shift the other way for Selwyn Cobbo to cross, before Preston was given his marching orders.
As Preston remained missing, Isaako sealed his hat-trick, and that was all the momentum the Dolphins needed – hooker Jeremy Marshall-King scoring in his first appearance of the year out of dummy-half, before Katoa’s double pump for Nikorima extended the margin further.
The duo combined again late to unleash Cobbo for his second from long range, as the enigmatic winger pushes his case for a Queensland Maroons recall.
There was just a sense that with every opportunity to attack the Bulldogs missed, they were inviting the Dolphins back in, and had let a golden chance to get their season back on track slip – just as they had against the Broncos two weeks earlier on this same Brisbane turf.
While this was a Bulldogs side missing several key men – Matt Burton (illness), Viliame Kikau (pec), Kurt Mann (concussion), Jacob Kiraz (knee) and Max King (jaw) – they had enough firepower and opportunities to penetrate the Dolphins’ defence more regularly. Making 10 errors to the Dolphins’ four was never going to lead to success.
The halves pairing of Galvin and Sean O’Sullivan – the latter a late replacement for Burton – showed some nice touches early, but at other times looked disjointed and devoid of answers for their rivals’ defence.
Worrying trend emerges
For all the attacking brilliance these Dolphins can come up with, their slow starts will undoubtedly cost them against the competition’s leading teams.
Only once from nine outings this year have they scored first, and Thursday continued that trend in a worrying sign. Inside the first 15 minutes, they had conceded three penalties and two ruck infringements, while coming up with a pair of errors.
While the Dolphins’ defence has improved in the past months – strong showings in defeats to the Panthers and Warriors followed by their wins against Melbourne and the Bulldogs – their slow starts need to be addressed if they are to attain a maiden finals berth.
The Dolphins will also await scans on prop Francis Molo, who left the field in the first-half with an ankle injury.
