Everyone knows the statistic.
No team has ever conceded 50 points in a regular-season game and gone on to win the premiership.
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MATCH CENTRE: Dolphins vs Raiders teams, scores, updates, videos
Now, there has to be an asterisk next to it if the Canberra Raiders go on to win the title because this was a very different 17 to the one that will contest for the Provans-Summons trophy in the next few weeks.
But nonetheless, the Raiders will still have to technically defy history after a red-hot Dolphins outfit cruised to a 62-24 win to close out their season in ninth position.
The only dampener in an otherwise entertaining final game from the Dolphins came in the form of a Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow injury, with the speedster suffering what was suspected to be an MCL issue.
Tabuai-Fidow had well and truly left his mark on the game by that point, however, scoring a hat-trick and making Dolphins history in the process as he became the club’s first player to bring up 50 tries.
There were a few close calls for the Dolphins early, with the home side creating plenty of chances on their right edge.
Dolphins HAMMER rested Raiders outfit | 02:24
But it was Tevita Naufahu on the left who ended up producing the first points of the afternoon, first making a linebreak after Kodi Nikorima held up the ball beautifully for Trai Fuller, who put the winger away.
That set up the Dolphins deep in Canberra territory and eventually the pressure led to points as Naufahu scored in the 9th minute.
The Raiders weren’t necessarily playing poorly, but it was clear early on that the Dolphins had far more strike out wide and that remained true as Tabuai-Fidow popped an offload for Fuller, who then found Oryn Keeley trailing in support for the Dolphins’ second try of the afternoon.
New skipper’s comical challenge blunder! | 00:37
The points quickly started to pile up as Nikorima put the ball in the air and the Raiders let Tabuai-Fidow have a clean grab at it before spinning the ball right as Jake Averillo dove over in the 29th minute.
Nikorima produced the goods off another last-tackle bomb just a few days later as Manaia Waitere put the ball down, with Tabuai-Fidow on the spot to score.
The Dolphins speedster later made it a quickfire double after Ethan Sanders threw an intercept to Isaako, with the Raiders defence unable to recover.
That left the halftime score at 30-0 and while throwing the ball around had paid dividends for the free-spirited Dolphins, it backfired early in the second half as Michael Asomua pounced on a loose pass to score on debut.
It didn’t take long for the Dolphins to start troubling the scoreboard again, however, as Jeremy Marshall-King embarrassed some soft defence in the middle from Canberra to put Ray Stone over in the 45th minute before Tabuai-Fidow scored his third of the afternoon soon after.
Nicholls on ‘poetic’ NRL farewell | 06:55
At that point Tabuai-Fidow was threatening to run down Mark Nawaqanitawase for the NRL’s top-try scorer gong but a suspected MCL injury cut his afternoon short in what Fox League’s Andrew Voss described as a “sad sight” given the form he was in.
There were still plenty of highlights to come even with the Dolphins speedster off the field, however, headlined by a fairytale final try and successful conversion for the retiring Mark Nicholls.
Nicholls quickly came crashing back to earth on the next set as he dropped the ball to gift the Raiders a full set on the Dolphins’ line and Noah Martin crashed over as Canberra quickly cashed in.
Raiders debutant Joe Roddy also scored a double in the space of three minutes to give Canberra fans a rare reason to smile but otherwise it was all the Dolphins, with Naufahu and Jamayne Isaako crossing late as the home side brought up the half-century.
Fuller then capped off a standout afternoon with a linebreak to set up Averillo for the final try of the afternoon.
Read on for four big hits from Sunday’s game!
‘HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?’: THE BIG QUESTION FOR DOLPHINS IN 2026
While the Dolphins may have fallen short of a maiden finals berth, there are once again reasons to be optimistic that Kristian Woolf’s side is on the verge of putting it all together.
Putting injuries aside, and they have been the biggest issue for the NRL’s newest franchise since entering the league, the Dolphins have one of the most electric backlines in the league.
The question for coach Woolf, however, is figuring out how to fit them all together, especially with Brisbane’s Selwynn Cobbo joining the club in 2026.
Trai Fuller continues to prove that he deserves to be a regular first-grader next season, which would lock Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow into the centres along with the injured Herbie Farnworth while Jamayne Isaako is guaranteed one spot on the wing.
Of course, it is easy to forget how strong a start to the year Jack Bostock had too and he would potentially take the other vacant spot in the backline.
But that would mean both Jake Averillo and exciting rookie Tevita Naufahu missing out along with Cobbo.
Greg Alexander described the Tabuai-Fidow and Fuller combination as “dangerous” in commentary for Fox League, prompting Andrew Voss to ask the question Woolf must be thinking at the moment.
Trai Fuller put on a show. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“How does it all fit in?” Voss asked.
“How does it all work with Farnworth fit and Jack Bostock back. You have a bloke called Selwyn Cobbo coming to the club. Trai Fuller has to be there somewhere, how do they make all these parts fit in their backline?”
Fuller in particular was a standout in just his fourth NRL game this season, finishing with 158 run metres, two try assists, three linebreak assists, two linebreaks and seven tackle busts.
Alexander called Fuller an “excitement machine” and “genius”, declaring “you could put together a highlights package from his four games that would having you thinking he’s a superstar”.
Voss, meanwhile, said rugby league fans would be “robbed” if Fuller isn’t a full-time NRL player in 2026.
“This guy has to have a spot,” he added.
It is a good headache for Woolf to have, especially given the injury curse the Dolphins have battled since entering the league, and one he will have plenty of time to ponder over the summer.
CAN RAIDERS BREAK THE 50-POINT PREMIERSHIP CURSE?
History says the Canberra Raiders cannot win this year’s premiership after conceding 62 points to the Dolphins on Sunday.
No team has ever won a grand final after conceding at least 50 points in a match that season.
Of course, this gives Canberra the chance to defy history in a month’s time if they can reach the decider.
Given the Raiders were resting nearly two thirds of their best available 17, Ricky Stuart won’t put much weight in Sunday’s result, if any at all.
“I know what people are saying, when you concede 50 you can’t win a comp. I don’t know if there’s a caveat when you have 11 regulars missing,” Voss said in commentary on Fox League.
“It might be the year we retire this stat.”
“I don’t think it has any relevance today,” Greg Alexander added.
Ricky sees learning curve in big defeat | 03:18
RAIDERS GET A LOOK AT THEIR FUTURE
With Jamal Fogarty Manly bound, the Raiders are set to hand the keys to young half Ethan Sanders to lead the team in the No. 7 jersey next year.
Raiders fans were given a glimpse into the future on Sunday with Sanders starting his second game for the club.
While an invaluable experience before he’s tasked with the massive responsibility next season, it was a day to forget for Sanders.
Sanders had a try assist but committed three errors.
It’s hard to be too harsh on Sanders though given Canberra rested 11 first choice players against a talented Dolphins outfit who dominated possession.
In other words, based on this game, Raiders fans shouldn’t be too worried about Fogarty’s likely replacement.
THEY WERE THE BEST ATTACKING TEAM IN THE COMP BUT…
Can the Dolphins be taken seriously in the NRL if they continue to leak so many points too?
While Woolf’s side would have been a bandwagoner’s dream in the finals, it would have been hard to see them going too deep into September considering the state of their defence.
The Dolphins piled on the points on Sunday but still conceded 24 and this season became just the 10th team in premiership history to finish a regular season scoring and conceding above 24 points on average.
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