Dolphins primed for physical Warriors clash

Dolphins NRL captain Tom Gilbert says while the squad will take confidence from their gritty win over the Eels last round, they have moved on and know they’re in for a physical encounter with the Warriors this weekend.

The team trained in the rain at Redcliffe this afternoon in preparation for the round 11 showdown with the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick off). Tickets are still available.

It comes off the back of a hard-fought 20-16 win over Parramatta last round.

“We took a lot of confidence (from the win over the Eels). We’ve had a lot of questions over our preparations and performances in Sydney. To get a win over a team like Paramatta, who were just as desperate for a win, that was really important for us as a group,” Gilbert said.

“We’re definitely proud of the way we got that win but at the same time we’ve moved on from it. Our lessons come from the way that we prepare this week and get ready for this weekend – new game, new challenge and new opportunities.”

Taking on the second-placed Warriors will certainly present a different challenge for the Dolphins, who are 12^th and have been inconsistent so far this season.

“It’s definitely a big game. They’re a great side and they’re doing really well in the competition. It starts with how physical they play. They’re a physical team and they come to play each and every week,” Gilbert said.

“They’re winning games they should … for us, we need to 1) worry about ourselves and get our prep right and (2) understand we’re going to have a physical game this week … it’s a great opportunity for us.”

So, are they up for it?

“We will be,” he says.

“I think we need a run of good performances. In those weeks we didn’t do well, they were pretty poor performances. It was hard to walk off the field and keep your head held high.

“Getting good performances is the biggest thing and that’s how you build a club and that’s how you build a season. We’re worried about a good performance. Results will come.

“We know what our best footy looks like and we know what our worst footy looks like and we know how to get there. So, our biggest thing and our focus is how do we get there – executing that today at training, executing that on Friday (at training) and then doing it for 80 minutes on Saturday.”