Jamayne Isaako hat-trick and Kodi Nikorima’s return inspire comeback win
Updated ,first published
Jamayne Isaako produced one of the best performances of his NRL career and in doing so sent the Bulldogs into panic stations as their season teetered on the brink of collapse.
The New Zealand Test winger was in his element in his side’s 44-12 win at Suncorp Stadium, scoring a hat-trick and producing some of the most miraculous assists of the season.
Displaying a mixture of pace, power and stylish finishes with each of his three tries, it was his miraculous pass as he made a mid-air touch-in for center Jack Bostock to score that had to be seen to be believed.
Isaako produced superb work with his first two tries and Isaiya Katoa’s long pass to Bostock provided space for the Kiwi to fly into the corner. The second came with a superb strike from Kodi Nikorima in his first game back from his two-game suspension.
But the third was magnificent; Hamiso intercepted a Tabuai-Fidow pass and fended off three defenders on a half-field run, showing that even after 13 years in professional rugby league he still has plenty of speed to spare.
Isaako’s 248 running metres, four innings and eight tackles put his team on their feet; Katoa and Nikorima were pulling the strings wonderfully.
“It’s the best game I’ve ever seen him play,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said of Isaako, who will join the Melbourne Storm at the end of the season.
“The way he carried it was outstanding, the opportunities he got on the sideline were outstanding and he took his chances.”
The Bulldogs’ troubles only got worse. Where to now?
Everything seemed to point to Canterbury-Bankstown breaking their slim three-game losing streak after the first 30 minutes of the game. Instead coach Cameron Ciraldo was forced to make a call to New South Wales Cup players saying there would now be places up for grabs.
“If any of the young guys in the New South Wales Cup want to raise their hand, there will be an opportunity for them. If they want to stay in the system and put their bodies at risk, we’re looking for guys who want to do that,” Ciraldo said.
At half-hour the visitors had 77 per cent of the territory and had conceded only once. They were still 12-4 ahead when Lachlan Galvin added to the score by rolling the ball in with a lead pass to Jaeman Salmon before Connor Tracey’s miraculous no-look pass provided safe passage for Stephen Crichton to cross.
Yet somehow they found themselves trailing at half-time with just 12 men on the field after Jacob Preston was sent to the sin bin for a late strike to Katoa after fielding a through pass.
Despite all that field position and the Dolphins giving them plenty of chances with seven penalties in the first half, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize. Sam Hughes, Sitili Tupouniua and Bailey Hayward entered the Dolphins’ 20-metre area before Isaako rushed Galvin.
This initial break and evacuation for Bostock led to Selwyn Cobbo crossing the other side before Preston was ordered to march.
“I don’t know what you want him to do: Katoa gets the ball, he’s going to tackle it and release the ball a millisecond before you hit him, I don’t understand that,” Ciraldo said.
With Preston missing, Isaako scored a hat-trick and that was the momentum the Dolphins needed; Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King scored from dummy half in his first game of the year before Katoa’s double pump to Nikorima extended the lead further.
The pair combined again late on to release Cobbo for a second time from long range as the enigmatic winger sought a recall from the Queensland Maroons.
Having missed every opportunity to attack the Bulldogs, there was a sense that they had invited the Dolphins back into the game and given them a golden chance to get their season back on track, just as they had against the Broncos at the same Brisbane ground two weeks ago.
After this, their defenses on the flanks burst into flames; There were 46 missed tackles and eight line breaks conceded to the Dolphins’ 19.
“Our forwards work their butts off, they work really hard and put in a lot of effort, and then we decide to either stay in the system or not put our bodies at risk,” Ciraldo said.
“I feel so bad for our forwards because they keep coming out and diving in. We shy away and don’t play to the best of our ability.”
Even though this Bulldogs team was missing key players like Matt Burton (illness), Viliame Kikau (pec), Kurt Mann (concussion), Jacob Kiraz (knee) and Max King (jaw), they had ample opportunities.
Making 10 errors to the Dolphins’ four was never going to lead to success, but Ciraldo was disappointed with the penalty count in the second half, as his team eventually gave up eight and five lap violations.
“I don’t think we are much more undisciplined than the opponent, and there are times when I don’t understand where these penalties are coming from. I think there are moments when we are easy targets,” Ciraldo said.
A worrying trend is emerging
For all the offensive genius these Dolphins can bring to the table, their slow start will undoubtedly cost them dearly against their opponents’ premier teams.
They have finished first only once out of nine events this year, and that trend continued worryingly on Thursday. They conceded three penalties, two ball infringements and made a double fault in the first 15 minutes.
“Going into the game I couldn’t quite figure out what was going wrong, but the way we defended our try line at the moment, allowing only two tries… and getting back into the game, getting the momentum back and going into the first half I think gave us a lot of confidence in the second half,” Katoa said.
