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The 18th-minute turnaround that saw a Selwyn Cobbo overlap turn into an interception from Herbie Farnworth’s pass, with Marky Mark going the length of the field to open the scoring for the Roosters, was a classic example of how this game went.
At 16-0 down after 2 more Roosters tries, the Dolphins scrapped their way back into the game at 16-10, but the Ruthless Roosters combined huge defence with some brutal finishing to earn their place in the Grand Final at the expense of the Brave Dolphins.
The 52,000 at Suncorp, a vast majority being Dolphins fans, were left stunned by how the Sydney side sucked the wind from the Phins sails, but the Dolphins have plenty to be proud of, after a season when they proved themselves to be worthy premiership challengers.
The Phins reduced the deficit from 36-10 to 36-20 but it was too little, too late.
Sydney Made Their Chances Hurt
The final numbers were much closer than the score. Possession finished 50–50, both sides completed at 83 per cent and the Dolphins actually had more runs, 184 to 166. The difference was what Sydney did when the defensive line cracked.
That danger had been identified in the match preview. The Dolphins needed to control field position, limit Sydney’s kick returns and avoid giving a dangerous attack repeated opportunities. They had survived those moments in their 26–12 win over the Roosters in Round 26; on Friday night, Sydney punished them.
Nawaqanitawase’s opening try was followed by Victor Radley and Daniel Tupou before the half-hour mark, turning a competitive start into a 16–0 deficit.
Isaako Gives Suncorp Hope
Jamayne Isaako’s 33rd-minute try gave the Dolphins a foothold before half-time. When he crossed again barely two minutes after the restart, suddenly it was 16–10 with most of the second half remaining.
For a side that had repeatedly found ways back into games during its eight-match winning run, this was the moment. The Dolphins had absorbed Sydney’s damaging carries, survived the early burst and were one converted try away.
Sydney’s response decided the game.
The Roosters Answer
Robert Toia crossed in the 46th minute, Lindsay Collins followed eight minutes later and Nawaqanitawase added his second before Sam Walker went through in the 66th. In a little over 20 minutes, a six-point game had become 36–10.
It wasn’t simply a matter of Sydney having more football. The Roosters finished with 1,781 run metres to 1,554, 600 post-contact metres to 512 and eight line breaks to four. The Dolphins were getting less return from comparable possession, while Sydney were brutally efficient when space appeared.
Where The Game Was Won
That also made Isaiya Katoa’s job harder than it had been against the Warriors. In Auckland, his long kicking game helped the Dolphins patiently work their way back from eight points down. This time, every comeback brought another Sydney response and the scoreboard increasingly forced the Dolphins to chase the game.
The Roosters kicked for 632 metres to 593 and generated 215 kick-return metres to the Dolphins’ 155. They didn’t dominate every measure, but they won enough of the territorial exchanges and were far more damaging once they got the Dolphins’ defence moving.
The 45 missed tackles by the Dolphins, compared with Sydney’s 33, were another indication of the physical toll.
Isaako Passes 300
There was still a significant personal milestone on a difficult night. Isaako entered the preliminary final on 298 points for the season, and his conversion after his first try took him beyond 300.
He finished with two tries and two conversions, his second try briefly bringing the Dolphins within six before Sydney took the game away.
They Kept Coming
Even at 36–10, the Dolphins kept playing. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki crossed in the 74th minute before a Cobbo line break helped create Farnworth’s try two minutes later, with Isaako’s conversion completing the 36–20 scoreline.
It was too late to change the result, but it was consistent with a side that had spent the back end of the season refusing to disappear from contests.
A Season That Changed Expectations
The Dolphins entered Friday night on an eight-game winning streak at Suncorp and playing their first preliminary final, just four seasons after joining the NRL. Their first finals campaign ends one victory short of a Grand Final, beaten by a Roosters side that was simply more clinical when the match presented its decisive moments.
After the game, City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said the disappointment of the loss had not diminished what the Dolphins had achieved.
“It just wasn’t our night tonight, but we are so incredibly proud of the boys and their Phin-enomal achievement this year.
“The Dolphins’ journey to this moment has inspired not just the people of our City of Moreton Bay, but the entire NRL.”
For the Dolphins, 2026 changed the measure of what constitutes success. September is no longer somewhere they are trying to reach. It also changed expectations about what might come next.
Flannery said the finals run had “galvanised the City of Moreton Bay” and added: “Now we dare to dream what’s possible in 2027.”
They have shown they belong there.
Published 25-September-2026
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