{"id":316792,"date":"2025-11-29T16:33:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/316792\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T16:33:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:33:38","slug":"dolphins-unveil-2026-development-squad-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/316792\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins unveil 2026 development squad – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dolphins<\/a> have highlighted a new wave of emerging talent as part of their 2026 Development program, with several junior stars pushing for NRL<\/a> consideration.<\/p>\n

The club described the group as one of the strongest since joining the competition, combining junior representative pedigree, premiership success, and versatility.<\/p>\n

Among the names to watch is Zac Garton<\/a>, a powerful edge forward whose journey with the Dolphins<\/a> began in the Under 6s at Redcliffe.<\/p>\n

After earning Australian Schoolboys honours in 2024 and representing Queensland Under-19s in both 2024 and 2025, Garton continues to impress with his size, footwork, and representative pedigree.<\/p>\n

Joining him is Charlie Dickson<\/a>, a hard-working lock forward who has been part of the Dolphins<\/a> system since the inaugural 2022 Academy intake.<\/p>\n

A two-time Cyril Connell Cup<\/a> winner with Redcliffe and Queensland Schoolboys representative, Dickson has built a reputation as a consistent, physical middle with a strong defensive presence.<\/p>\n

\"Exciting(left to right) Lewis Symonds, Elijah Rasmussen, Trai Fuller. (Photo: Dolphins Media)<\/p>\n

Lewis Symonds<\/a> also headlines the development group after captaining Redcliffe’s undefeated Under-20s team in 2025.<\/p>\n

A product of Marsden SHS, Symonds earned Queensland Under-19 selection in 2024 and is seen as one of the most versatile young forwards in the system, capable of playing both lock and front row.<\/p>\n

Dynamic hooker John Fineanganofo<\/a> adds further depth to the list after starring in Redcliffe’s 2023 Mal Meninga<\/a> Cup-winning side.<\/p>\n

The Redcliffe junior and Australian Schoolboys representative has been praised for his sharp service, strong running instincts, and natural game awareness.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the group is Patrick Kailahi<\/a>, a promising front-rower from New Zealand<\/a> who joined the Dolphins<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n

Despite an ACL injury in 2024, he returned to anchor the middle third during the club’s 2025 Under-20s campaign and continues to build a reputation as one of the most exciting young props in the system.<\/p>\n

Collectively, the Dolphins’ 2026 Development list underlines the strength of the club’s pathway program and reinforces their commitment to nurturing homegrown talent for the next generation of NRL<\/a> football.<\/p>\n

The club said the 2026 group reflects its long-term focus on developing local talent and maintaining a strong pathway from academy to first grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group represents the next generation of Dolphins<\/a> football,\u201d the club stated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dolphins have highlighted a new wave of emerging talent as part of their 2026 Development program, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-316792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}