A Struggling Start for Isaiya Katoa
Chad Townsend has shared his thoughts on why young Dolphins player Isaiya Katoa has struggled to start the 2026 season after his team was heavily defeated by the Manly Sea Eagles. The Dolphins were expected to be a top-eight team in 2026, with many returning forwards from long injury layoffs. All eyes were on the team, particularly on the talented halfback Katoa, who was anticipated to take his game to the next level in a season that favors halves due to the increased pace of the game.
Many fans and analysts believed Katoa would eventually step into Nathan Cleary’s role as halfback for the NSW Blues. However, the 22-year-old has not been able to replicate the impact he had last year. The Dolphins are currently 2-3 after a 52-18 loss to Manly on Thursday night, which has raised concerns about their performance.
The Dolphins were barely in the game, making 14 errors and only completing 64% of their sets. Katoa was unable to lift his side out of the slump. In the 34-point loss, Katoa did not record a single attacking stat and touched the ball only 34 times. This is significantly lower than what is expected of a halfback. For comparison, rival halfback Jamal Fogarty touched the ball 54 times. Former premiership-winning halfback Chad Townsend believes that rival teams have adjusted their tactics to target the halfback.
After the defeat to Manly, Townsend pointed out that teams are rushing up on Katoa’s outside shoulder and taking time away from him during his receipts. He feels that this change in tactics has affected the young star, with rival outside backs jamming him when he makes the dummy on the inside.
“The thing is, as a half, he had 34 touches of the ball. Daly Cherry-Evans last year at Manly, he averaged 72,” Townsend said on SEN Radio. “Above 50 is your benchmark. Watch closely…what happens when you get detailed with Katoa and he gets a pass from a dummy-half. He has got a runner on his inside and a runner on his outside and someone out the back…a lot of times he shows in and looks in.
“He loses his vision to the outside. He shows in and goes deep into the line. By the time he goes deep into the line and goes to pass out the back…the defence is much more aggressive. They are up and more aggressive because he has lost sight. That is what teams are doing now. Teams are coming up with game plans and it is working.”
SEN Radio host Jimmy Smith believes that Katoa’s struggles have affected the rest of the team, with points not flowing as they should in 2026. Coach Kristian Woolf is also aware that changes need to be made.
Dolphins Looking for Change After Thrashing
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they have lost their last two games, with the Manly defeat being a particularly poor result. The Dolphins had plenty of infringements and only managed 38% of possession. There was a lot of hype surrounding the Dolphins in 2026, but they have started the season with a 2-3 record, facing several big losses already.
Coach Woolf feels that a change is needed after a poor start to their campaign. “It was a disappointing performance all round,” Woolf said. “I don’t know where it came from. We have to have a good hard look at where we are at and make some changes.”
