A chance to secure the talent of a marquee player does not come around often, and Phil Gould hopes one rival club can lock down their young superstar long-term.
At the age of 20, Isaiya Katoa has already drawn huge plaudits from rugby league experts with the success he has had at the Dolphins.
So much so, Andrew Johns admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that he will “plan my weekend around (Katoa) just so I can watch” him play.
READ MORE: ‘Ferrari’ wasted ‘going round Bunnings carpark’
READ MORE: Dangerfield’s Smith admission after ‘poor season’ of scandals
READ MORE: Young gun’s shock act that left Slater impressed
Gould, who is general manager of football at the Bulldogs, knows exactly what it is like to try and keep a player of Katoa’s calibre while rival clubs circle.
And while plenty of other NRL clubs will be eyeing Katoa over the coming years, he hopes the Dolphins can hold onto the superstar.
“It is always lovely when you produce your own (talent),” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus.
Isaiya Katoa in action for the Dolphins. NRL Imagery
“He is a marquee player. Hopefully they keep him for 20 years. He is a 20-year NRL player that boy.”
Katoa is currently contracted at the club until the end of 2028.
Gould’s hope of another 20 years in the sport mean he would be playing at the age of 40.
“They are playing until they are 37 or 38 now,” Gould continued.
“He came to them as a teenager (from Penrith). If he looks after himself, which I’m sure he will, he is a long-term player.”
Watch the 2026 NRL season live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Katoa is not the only young talent from the Dolphins that has caught Gould’s eye, with the arrival of Selwyn Cobbo one the league great predicts will have profound impact.
Cobbo had a hefty stint out of the NRL last season after he was overlooked by Broncos coach Michael Maguire for a role in the starting squad.
However, the 23-year-old has wasted no time showing that he has what it takes to be a key player in a first grade team, dazzling on the wing during the pre-season challenge.
“He looked good. He is making a comeback at a young age,” said Gould.
“He is a highly talented player, I hope he does well. That is the sort of side that will suit him, that free-flowing style of attacking football.
Selwyn Cobbo runs the ball. Getty
“The halfback that they have got and the way they are playing the game I think can really bring Cobbo and his strengths into the contest.
“He will have plenty of competition for positions up there, though. They have some really good young players coming through. Some of Queensland’s best young junior talent is at the Dolphins and it is just starting to emerge.
“Over the next couple of years, I think their team will look different to what it does today. Right at the moment, they are in that sweet spot, they had a good season last year.
“They scored more teams than any team in the competition but they also conceded too many in vital stages of the year as well. But the Dolphins have done really well since their entry into the competition.
“As a start-up, they have been absolutely outstanding. They bought a couple of great players, some X factor in Cobbo and their own X factors are only going to get better.”
The Dolphins kick off their season on March 8 against the Rabbitohs.