The long wait is almost over for the Dolphins who will play their first finals game on Saturday, with the game across the ditch to be a special one for hard man Tom Gilbert who has endured a wretched run of injuries since he joined the club.

Gilbert started at lock in the Dolphins’ first NRL game back in 2023, but it’s been a brutal run since then with the experienced forward suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Origin that year before he tore his ACL in the trials and didn’t play at all in 2024.

The knee injury was in New Zealand, while he suffered a pec tear against the Warriors last year that ended his 2025 campaign after 11 rounds.

He’s played more games in 2026 than he has in the three previous years combined, with Saturday’s qualifying final shaping up as one of the most emotional matches of his career.

“It’s the best reward I’ve had in this whole time is to go out and lead the boys this weekend for our first finals game,” Gilbert told the NewsWire.

“For me, I’ve never played a full season at the club. I haven’t played a full season in four years, so for me it was always going to be a bit of a sigh of relief getting through the season and playing a full season.

“But for me to get this chance to go play finals footy and lead the club for the first time, it’s all I ever wanted since I left the Cowboys. It’s a major box I’ve ticked.

“It’s something that I’m extremely proud of, and I’m pretty proud it’s come the hard way, too.

“It hasn’t been easy for me as an individual, but for us as a group as well. We’ve had some close calls playing finals the last couple of years, and now we’ve done it, and we’ve done it well.

“When the season’s over, I think I’m really going to enjoy sitting back and being proud of what we’ve achieved as a club, and there’ll be a time where I’ll be proud of what I’ve achieved.”

North Queensland halfback Tom Dearden isn’t used to big injuries but had to deal with the first major setback of his career when he suffered a serious syndesmosis injury that ruled him out for more than two months.

While he didn’t get to play in the State of Origin series, the reigning Wally Lewis Medal winner says the time off has him feeling fresh for the finals.

“I feel like I’m only just starting my season. It’s a big freshen-up, and it probably feels like round 1 or round 3 for me,” he said ahead of the elimination final against Cronulla.

“The body’s feeling good. I’ve finally got a couple of games together now after a few injuries. It’s been a bit frustrating sitting on the sidelines, but I’m excited to be back and it’s good to be back playing some finals footy.”

The Dolphins missed the finals by two points in 2024 and 2025 thanks to late-season collapses, but they finished third this year and have already beaten the Warriors in an epic contest.

The finals curse has finally been lifted, and Gilbert wants to make it count in what will be his first playoff game since 2022 when he was with Dearden at the Cowboys.

“For a lot of individuals who’ve been there since the start, whether you’re playing footy or being in the admin side, fans, members, sponsors, it hasn’t been an easy road to get here and it takes time,” he said.

“I think through this whole process all we’ve wanted to do is have the chance to play finals. So it is finally here and people can say it’s surreal and stuff, but for us, it feels like a long time coming.

“We’ve been through a lot as a club in four years and to have this chance to go play finals footy, it’s something that we’re really excited for and something we know that we’re proud of.

“But also, it’s one thing to be here, it’s another thing to go and perform well and do something in this comp.”

Originally published as ‘Pretty proud it’s come the hard way’: Tom Gilbert proud to lead the Dolphins to maiden finals berth after dealing with brutal injury toll