# 2023 Dolphins (NRL) season

The 2023 Dolphins season is historically the inaugural season for the Dolphins club in the professional National Rugby League (NRL) football competition in Australia. With Wayne Bennett as head coach and Jesse Bromwich as the regular team captain, the Dolphins competed in the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership but did not qualify for the finals. Nevertheless, they finished in thirteenth place, ahead of four other established teams.
Dolphins goal-kicking winger Jamayne Isaako recorded both the highest number of NRL tries and points in the 2023 competition; a feat last achieved by Canberra Raiders goal-kicking centre Mal Meninga in 1990.
In Round 9, the Dolphins played their first golden point game but lost 30–31 to the Canberra Raiders at McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga. The NRL later conceded that match officials missed a crucial knock-on call late in Canberra's golden-point victory when the former regained possession after knocking the ball into the arm of a Dolphins player. "The NRL's head of football Graham Annesley said referee Peter Gough was obscured in his view of the knock on, but the sideline officials should have pulled the play up." Otherwise, Annesley advised that no policy changes could be considered until the current season is over.
In Round 13, an illegal try on the seventh tackle of a set was awarded to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in their 26–12 loss to the Dolphins at Kayo Stadium; the decision would not have been overturned even if the Dolphins had lost the game.

## 2023 Club awards

In September, the Dolphins' Inaugural Presentation Ball was held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the club's annual awards were announced.
* Academic Award: Euan Aitken (for continued study in an MBA)
* Adventure Kings Fan-Voted MVP (Most Valuable Player): Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
* Arthur Beetson Medal Player of the Year: Jamayne Isaako
* Best Back: Jamayne Isaako
* Best Forward: Mark Nicholls
* Club Person of the Year: Shane Morris (Dolphins' Game Development Manager)
* Most Consistent: Jamayne Isaako
* Players' Player: Jamayne Isaako
* Rookie of the Year: Isaiya Katoa

## Player movements
### All 2023 signings

| Player | Previous Club | Length |
| Euan Aitken | New Zealand Warriors | 2024 |
| Brenton Baira | Mackay Cutters | 2023 |
| Tory Bath | Nudgee College | 2024 |
| Jack Bostock | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2025 |
| Jesse Bromwich | Melbourne Storm | 2024 |
| Kenny Bromwich | Melbourne Storm | 2025 |
| Bailey Butler | CQ Capras | 2024 |
| JJ Collins | Tweed Heads Seagulls | 2023 |
| John-Paul Donevski | Penrith Panthers | 2024 |
| Kurt Donoghoe | Central Newcastle | 2024 |
| Herman Ese'ese | Gold Coast Titans | 2023 |
| Poasa Faamausili | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2023 |
| Trai Fuller | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2023 |
| Tom Gilbert | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 |
| Oliver Gildart | Wests Tigers | 2023 |
| Harrison Graham | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 2023 |
| Lachlan Hubner | CQ Capras | 2024 |
| Cody Hunter | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2023 |
| Jamayne Isaako | Gold Coast Titans | 2026 |
| Ryan Jackson | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 2023 |
| Robert Jennings | Penrith Panthers | 2025 |
| Isaiya Katoa | Penrith Panthers | 2025 |
| Felise Kaufusi | Melbourne Storm | 2025 |
| Josh Kerr | St George Illawarra Dragons | 2025 |
| Brenko Lee | Brisbane Broncos | 2024 |
| Edrick Lee | Newcastle Knights | 2024 |
| Connelly Lemuelu | North Queensland Cowboys | 2025 |
| Jeremy Marshall-King | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2025 |
| Brayden McGrady | Norths Devils | 2024 |
| Anthony Milford | Newcastle Knights | 2024 |
| Mark Nicholls | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2024 |
| Kodi Nikorima | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2024 |
| Tesi Niu | Brisbane Broncos | 2024 |
| Sean O'Sullivan | Penrith Panthers | 2025 |
| Max Plath | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 2025 |
| Elijah Rasmussen | Westlake Boys High School | 2023 |
| Michael Roberts | Northern Rivers Titans | 2023 |
| Radean Robinson | CQ Capras | 2024 |
| Jeremiah Simbiken | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2025 |
| Ray Stone | Parramatta Eels | 2024 |
| Tyler Szepanowski | CQ Capras | 2024 |
| Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | North Queensland Cowboys | 2027 |
| Mason Teague | Penrith Panthers | 2024 |
| Valynce Te Whare | King Country Rugby Football Union | 2024 |
| Setu Tu | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2023 |
| Jarrod Wallace | Gold Coast Titans | 2024 |
| Michael Waqa | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2024 |

## Pre-season challenge

The 2023 NRL pre-season was played in February, before an eleven-day lead-up to the commencement of the regular 2023 NRL season.

## Regular season
### League table

For the 2023 NRL season, the number of teams increased from sixteen to seventeen with the inclusion of the Dolphins, a fourth Queensland-based club, playing most of their home games at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
2023 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 645 | 312 | +333 | 42 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 639 | 425 | +214 | 42 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 627 | 459 | +168 | 38 |
| 4 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 572 | 448 | +124 | 38 |
| 5 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 626 | 451 | +175 | 35 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 619 | 497 | +122 | 34 |
| 7 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 472 | 496 | −24 | 32 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 486 | 623 | −137 | 32 |
| 9 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 564 | 505 | +59 | 30 |
| 10 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 587 | 574 | +13 | 30 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 546 | 542 | +4 | 30 |
| 12 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 545 | 539 | +6 | 29 |
| 13 | Dolphins | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 520 | 631 | −111 | 24 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 527 | 653 | −126 | 24 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 438 | 769 | −331 | 20 |
| 16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 474 | 673 | −199 | 16 |
| 17 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 385 | 675 | −290 | 14 |

### Result by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Ground | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | N | – | H | H | A | A | – | H | A | A | H | – | A | H | A | A | H | H |
| Result | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | W | B | L | W | L | L | B | L | L | W | L | B | L | L | L | L | L | W |
| Position | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| Points | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 |

### Matches

In 2023, the Dolphins played seven of their twelve home games at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, one at Sunshine Coast Stadium and the three other at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, which also served as a training and administration base. Optus Stadium in Perth also hosted one home game. This occurred in Round 23 against the Newcastle Knights during a double-header with the other game being between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.