A humble son of the Pacific, Isaiya Katoa has had to grow up quickly since taking on the role of halfback and captain at the Dolphins.
Still only 22 years old, he is the youngest captain in the finals series (sharing the duties with forward Tom Gilbert) but has a quiet confidence about himself on and off the field that has grown with each passing season at the club.
From the field: Isaiya Katoa
Since making a ‘surprise’ debut in the maiden game of the club’s inaugural NRL 2023 season as five-eighth under Wayne Bennett, he has since developed into one of the competition’s leading halfbacks.
After taking down the Warriors in their maiden finals match, the Phins are now preparing to take on the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night for a place in the decider.
While his actions on the field speak volumes, he is also one of the more eloquent speakers in the game, thoughtful with his responses and respectful of his audience, in line with his Pasifika upbringing.
However, as a young player coming through, he was almost too respectful for his role in the halves, with Dolphins leaders at the time including Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi telling him to “yell at them” more.
“A lot of credit has to go to my teammates, just allowing me to go out there and demand things and I guess tell them what to do," Katoa said.
“I remember my first couple of years, we had Jesse, Kenny [Bromwich] and Fus, at the time.
“All three had come from a successful club, all three were some of the best players in their positions at the time.
"I remember they pulled me aside one training session and they said to me, ‘you're the halfback of the team, we want you to tell us what to do, we want you to direct us around, we're not going to get angry at you if you yell at us, that's your job and that's your role as a halfback’ – so that gave me so much confidence in my first couple of years.
“(And) when you pick up that sort of leadership role in being the captain as well, one thing I felt personally was my role didn't really change because as the halfback, you're normally talking anyways and you're normally demanding things.
"(But) I felt the best leaders always lead through their actions and not just through their words, so for me that's always constantly been in the back of my mind and just making sure that if I'm going to lead this team, I lead through my actions rather than my words.
“It's been an awesome learning curve.
“I felt like I haven't gotten everything right and there's still things that I'm always constantly learning, in terms of leadership.
"There's some great leaders at the club here that could also be great captains for this club.
Culture key to Dolphins success
“Tom Gilbert, obviously he's a co-captain with me at the moment and Felise ... he's been a in a leadership role at every club that he's been too, so, for me it’s still a learning curve.
“I know that I've got awesome leaders to lean on if I need advice ... but at the same time as a halfback, I feel like that sort of maturity comes with the position.
"Especially because you've got to be on the ball, you're making probably the most decisions in a game and you normally are driving the mindset of your team as well.”
For Gilbert, seeing Katoa blossom into the leader and playmaker he is now has been special.
“It’s awesome (seeing how much he has developed),” Gilbert said.
“It’s not really surprising to see how he’s kicked on.
“He’s real dedicated in the way he prepares and he cares a lot about results and his performances.
“For him, it was always a matter of time when that was going to come in.
Gilbert's blessing in disguise
“I love that he had such a great year last year and a lot of pressure and talk about him this year.
“He’s bounced back really well this year and not fallen into the trap of falling in love with himself.
“He still works hard, he leads us around the park in a good manner and the boys love playing with him.
“I’m excited to see what he can do in his first finals campaign.
“The pressure doesn’t change for him, nothing has to change for him, he’s just got to do his job.
“Us foot soldiers will make sure we listen to him and he’s showed full trust and confidence we’ll be able to do that.”
Growing up as a Glenmore Park Brumbies junior, Katoa – who is eligible for Tonga, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia – was part of the Penrith system and has drawn many comparisons to Nathan Cleary, who he admired as an emerging player and still does today.
However, while he is similar in his work ethic, attention to detail and desire to keep developing his game, the two play different styles, adapted to work in with the strengths of their team.
Katoa said a big driver of that had been coach Kristian Woolf, who he has a long history with, playing under him on the international stage as well with Tonga, debuting at age 18.
The duo are set to continue their partnership after the NRL season wraps up, with Tonga taking part in the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.
“I think just the way he approaches the group, he's really calm, and I think the calmer you are as a coach and as a leader in a group, I think the calmer your group would be," Katoa said of Woolf.
“We've seen that over the last few years, our team rarely ever gets flustered …
“We've been in so many different positions in games where we've probably had to come back from a loss or we've been up by a fair bit and just understanding how to deal with those situations, I think a big part of that is the way Woolfy handles situations like that.
“I think the biggest part around him is just understanding our players and what our players need.
“Every group is different, every group is really unique in their own ways, and I think the way he's dealt with that has given us a lot of confidence to go out there and back our own abilities.
“I think he understands the talent that we have in our team and understands what is needed for our team as well.
"One thing he does well is coach to what his team needs, rather than (just) what his own game plan is.”
Having crossed off their goal of a maiden finals berth and first finals win, there are still two more wins Katoa is eyeing, beginning with their preliminary final on Friday against inaugural NRL opponents the Roosters.
While motivation is naturally high, Katoa is approaching this finals series with a new sense of purpose as well, having recently become a father in the lead-up to their maiden finals match against the Warriors.
“It is a pretty busy time, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way," Katoa said.
“To be able to welcome my daughter three weeks ago into this world is the best thing that's ever happened to me, it's so special …
Katoa a touch of magic for Lemuelu
“Obviously when you come to training, you want to be focusing on training and everything towards preparing for the game in the week ahead, but when you go home, it's the best little distraction and it just gives me a different feeling towards why I do everything now.
“She's the biggest reason for me to do everything and to just achieve so much in my life because I just want to do everything for her.
“I've got to give so much credit to my partner.
“She does all the wake-ups and during the middle of the night and I get to get my rest because she understands how important that is for my footy.
"But I try as soon as I go home to take a bit of pressure off her and look after the baby. It's been a cool little balance, obviously I've only been a dad for three weeks and learning the balance is pretty special, but I think it's been a good thing.
“It's just given me a different perspective on life.”
Match: Dolphins v Roosters
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Dolphins
3rd Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
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