Dolphins sharpshooter Jamayne Isaako prides himself on having never missed a game for his team, knowing how important he and his kicking remains for the fortunes of his side.
The Kiwis winger achieved another milestone as the Dolphins secured a last-gasp 26-24 win over the second-placed Warriors, with his individual haul of 14 points seeing him become the first player to score 12 or more points in nine successive games.
Jamayne Isaako shines with crucial double
This season, he sits at the top of the points scorers table with 194 points scored with 69 goals and 14 tries. He has now also tallied up more than 1500 points overall in his career.
As well as two tries in their Round 17 win, he also slotted the match-winning conversion from the sideline to see the Dolphins rack up their eighth straight victory and settle them into third place on the ladder.
“Firstly, not to miss it,” Isaako said with a laugh when asked what goes through his mind in those pressure moments.
“I'm obviously thinking to kick the ball over.
“In that situation, I know how important it is … the game's on the line.
“So, I try and go back to what I do in training and try and block out the noise.
“(But) it was hard to sort of block out the outside noise in the Warriors (fan) corner there.
“I was getting peppered pretty loudly. It was hard to not pay attention to it, but there were a few funny comments that were thrown at me.
“I was telling the boys in (the sheds), there was one bloke who yelled out, ‘if you're a true Kiwi, you’ll shank the kick’.
“Obviously, when it went over, I had to laugh about it, because I heard it, yeah.
“I am a true Kiwi, but at the end of the day, I had to win it for the Phins.”
Isaako to give the Dolphins the lead
Since joining the Dolphins in their inaugural year in 2023, as well as not missing a game with 87 appearances in a row, he has also scored points in every appearance, with his goal-kicking ability something the side are sure to miss when he makes the move to Melbourne next season.
But for now, Isaako remains focused on ensuring the team finally make the finals after showing promise since their inaugural season, and will continue to work on his body to keep his appearance streak alive.
Only two rounds ago, it seemed he would miss his first football for the side after dislocating his finger in the Round 15 win against the Roosters, but next-day surgery and an intense focus on rehabilitation saw him suit up the very next week to play his part in the win over Wests Tigers.
“I'd like to think I'm a person that looks after my body,” Isaako said.
“I invest a lot of time in the recovery side of things, I'm the type of person where if I don't do the extra things when it comes to recovery during the week, it harps on me a little bit, so, I always prioritise that.
“I'm lucky enough that I've got a family that allows me to do that. My missus knows how important this job is for me, and with two young ones, it's always hard. I think it helps that they're in school and it allows me that time.
“Every single day if I'm not training, I get to a recovery centre or do my recovery at home.
“(With my finger) they obviously said it was a two-to-three-week injury and I went in for surgery first thing Sunday morning and … the motivation for me was not to miss a game for the club this year …
“I don't want to do that, obviously knowing that I have to go to Melbourne next year.
“We're creating something special here and I know that if we can continue playing good footy, then I don't see why we aren't going to play finals footy this year or potentially even give ourselves a chance to make a GF really.
“That's the ultimate goal in the end and I know how important my role is for this team.
“I love this bunch of blokes that I'm playing with, and so if that wasn't the case, I don't think I would have suited up as quick as I did.”
Match: Dolphins v Warriors
Round 17 -
home Team
Dolphins
3rd Position
away Team
Warriors
2nd Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
