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For 40 minutes the Roosters were hanging on. Over the next 40, the Dolphins tore them apart.
Kristian Woolf’s side exploded for six second-half tries in a brutal 48-10 dismantling of the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, turning a solid halftime advantage into a complete rout and further strengthening their push up the NRL ladder.
The Dolphins led only 12-0 at the break despite controlling much of the opening half, but once the contest opened up after halftime there was no stopping them. Eight different Dolphins crossed for tries as the home side overwhelmed the Roosters with speed, precision and relentless pressure.
Katoa Opens The Floodgates
The first breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Isaiya Katoa crossed after a sustained attacking raid. Jamayne Isaako added the extras to make it 6-0.
The Dolphins doubled their advantage four minutes later when Herbie Farnworth finished a slick movement down the left edge. Isaako’s second conversion pushed the margin to 12-0 and that remained the score at halftime despite several opportunities for both teams.
The Roosters briefly thought they had opened their account early in the contest before a bunker review ruled no try.
While the scoreboard remained manageable at the break, the Dolphins were already winning the territorial battle and looked the more dangerous side whenever they shifted the ball wide.
Six-Try Second-Half Avalanche
Any hopes of a Roosters comeback disappeared within minutes of the restart.
Trai Fuller sliced through in the 44th minute before Katoa converted to make it 18-0. Four minutes later Kodi Nikorima crossed, extending the lead to 22-0.
The Dolphins then produced a devastating 15-minute stretch that effectively ended the contest.
Jeremy Marshall-King crashed over in the 52nd minute, Connelly Lemuelu followed four minutes later and Bradley Schneider added another in the 63rd minute as the Dolphins piled on points from all parts of the field.
Isaako remained flawless from the tee, while Katoa also converted his only attempt, helping stretch the margin to 42-4.
By the time Tevita Naufahu crossed in the 75th minute, the Dolphins had completely blown the game open.
Roosters Find Late Consolation
The Roosters finally got on the scoreboard just before the hour mark when Rex Bassingthwaighte crossed for their first try. Toby Rodwell added a late four-pointer of his own and converted one of the two tries.
Those moments offered little more than consolation as the Dolphins continued to dominate possession and field position.
The Roosters were also forced into an early reshuffle after Hugo Savala failed a HIA and did not return, while repeated handling errors and defensive lapses made life difficult throughout the evening.
Dolphins Continue Building Momentum
The final statistics reflected the Dolphins’ dominance.
Eight tries to two, perfect goal-kicking from their primary kicker, and contributions from across the park highlighted one of the club’s most complete attacking displays of the season.
Katoa was influential from the opening whistle, Isaako finished with seven goals from seven attempts, and the Dolphins’ forward rotation laid the platform for the backs to capitalise.
Most encouraging for Dolphins fans was the manner in which the result was achieved. After leading by only 12 points at halftime, the home side simply raised another gear and left the Roosters behind.
By full-time the scoreboard read 48-10, and the Dolphins had delivered one of their most emphatic wins of the 2026 campaign.
Published 12-June-2026
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