Dolphins halt NRL losing streak with golden-point win

The Dolphins kept their NRL finals hopes alive with a golden-point victory over the New Zealand Warriors in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

Coming into the match, the Redcliffe-based team had lost three in a row and was teetering on the brink of exiting the top eight with a month left to play in the regular season.

But a brilliant two-point field goal from 43 metres out in extra time snapped the Dolphins’ losing streak, handing them a 34-32 victory over the Warriors.

The victory takes them to 26 points on the NRL ladder, equal with the St George Illawarra Dragons but sitting in eighth place based on points differential.

Bennett still not a fan of golden point

In the wake of the match, Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett, who is a vocal opponent of golden point in the NRL, declared he was still not a fan of the extra-time rule.

“The disappointing thing for me is that both teams put a lot of effort in today and when you get to that place, both teams have played with a lot of effort and there’s no reward (for the loser),” said Bennett.

“It’s based on a dropout really because 90% of the overtime scores are from dropouts.

“I know it excites the fans, but I also know losing teams aren’t excited.”

The match against the Warriors was the Dolphins’ third golden-point game of the season.

They lost their previous two to the Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers.

Bookmakers not convinced Dolphins are contenders

Despite their win, NRL bookmakers are still not high on the Dolphins’ chances in 2024.

With just four matches remaining before finals footy gets underway, bookmaker PlayUp has the Dolphins at $101 to win the title.

This is level with the Brisbane Broncos, who are 12th on the ladder and trailing the Dolphins by four points.

These odds are largely due to the Dolphins’ tough run into the post-season.

Over the next month, they face the fifth-placed Bulldogs, the first-placed Storm, the Broncos in a tough derby clash, and the Knights in a match that could determine which side makes finals.

“We’ve got a tough month in front of us, but the situation we’re in is good and that’s what we’re playing for,” Bennett said.

“We’ve played against all the teams now and we’ve held our own against all the teams.

“If we can just clean our act up a little bit and make sure we’re getting better rather than getting worse we’ll be OK.”

Sports news