Icing on Katoa: Phins show faith in young gun half

Forced to prove himself in the Hostplus Cup in Round 1, Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa’s worth to the club was confirmed this week after signing a three-year contract extension.

After earning a surprise debut in Round 1 last year, many thought Katoa was a lock to start in the halves in their opening match of this season, but coach Wayne Bennett instead opted to have him turn out for Norths Devils, where he delivered a strong performance to force his inclusion into the Dolphins' Round 2 team.

Once again, the youngster stepped up to the challenge, playing at halfback to help guide his side to a record-breaking win against the Dragons, which was made all the more impressive with the loss of his halves partner Kodi Nikorima to a head knock midway through the first half.

“It was a massive step, but I'm not going to sit around and dwell on it and give myself a clap,” Katoa said after the win against the Dragons.

“I'm going to go back to the drawing board ask what worked for me and what can I get better on, because there's a lot of things that I did out there that I wasn't too happy with too.

“For me, it's not about sitting and cheering myself on and getting caught up in that stuff … it’s only Round 2.”

In their inaugural year, the Dolphins struggled with depth, but this year have been bolstered by some key signings and already this season, Bennett has shown he has little leeway for those who don’t fully take their opportunity.

Katoa said that while the competition for spots in the halves between himself, Nikorima, Sean O’Sullivan, Anthony Milford and Kurt Donoghoe – who paired with with Katoa when Nikorima was unable to return – was intense, the atmosphere was still supportive between the players and the coach.

“[Bennett's] been pretty ruthless with us this year, just making sure that we're performing and if we're not, he's not going to reward us by keeping us on the team,” Katoa said.

“(But) he's been awesome and he didn't put any pressure on me (this week), he just wanted me to go out there take control of the team, make sure I get my defence right and kick well.

“All the other stuff just came as the game went on, so I was really happy with that.

“It's awesome that we have the competition between us halves, we're all great mates and we all get along.

“No matter who gets picked, there's never any bad blood between us, we're all great mates and I think it only makes us better.”

Still early in his development, the former Penrith junior has already played in six Test matches for Tonga despite only being 20 years old, but has secured his future with the Dolphins until at least the end of the 2028 season.

Now 23 matches into his NRL career, Katoa said it was a “pretty easy decision” to stay put with the club and after a bye in Round 3, he will line up again as halfback when the Dolphins travel to the Gold Coast to take on the Titans.

“I love where I am at, I love the coaching staff, the players,” Katoa said.

“I think we are building something special here and that comes with time and that comes with experience in the NRL and I didn’t really want to move and I was fortunate enough to be able to re-sign here.

"For me it was a pretty easy decision to stay here and continue my career and it’s something I am definitely looking forward to.”