Against the Cowboys, the Dolphins put on a clinic, destroying their opponents 58-4. On Saturday, the Dolphins pulled off an extraordinary escape in the playoff match. They became only the sixth team in premiership history to win their first three games by 36 or more points! It was the team’s offensive firepower that truly dazzled, finishing with a stunning aggregate scoreline of 140-18 over their final three games.
In this latest encounter, Jack Bostock emerged as the star player, scoring four tries and making a remarkable impact with 312 metres from 22 runs. His performance included two line breaks, a try assist, and five tackle breaks, contributing significantly to the Dolphins’ commanding win. Other players who added to the scoreboard included Oryn Keeley, Kurt Donoghoe, Jack Averillo, Herbie Farnworth, Ray Stone, and Kodi Nikorima.
A Struggling Cowboys Side
No one was giving the Cowboys a shot. They were already missing a bunch of stars with players selected for Origin, and then on the day veteran Jason Taumalolo got injured in the warm-up. This would prove to be disastrous as they faced a powerful Dolphins team. Murray Taulagi battled through the adversity and bagged the Cowboys’ only first-half try. It didn’t matter, because nothing could contain the Dolphins’ nonstop offense.
Indeed, 2004 Origin player Brent Tate expressed his downbeat mood at the performance of the Cowboys on Fox Sports’ coverage of the match. He stated,
“This is one of the worst performances I’ve seen.”
His comments struck a chord with the frustrations of fans and analysts alike. All of them winced as the Cowboys got off to a terrible start in the contest.
Controversy and Criticism
Unfortunately, the match didn’t pass without its controversies. The Knights took issue with a late second half try awarded to Siua Wong of the Dolphins. Some tried to argue that he didn’t quite ground the ball correctly. Yet, this brief moment of respite was enough to ignite widespread debate among fans and commentators about refereeing decisions during the run of play.
James Tedesco shone brightly in the second half, scoring a try and assisting another, further solidifying his team’s dominance on the field.
