Dolphins young guns to fire in Capras clash

The Dolphins NRL squad will likely be watching with envy as the club’s young guns take to the field for a trial game against the Central Queensland Capras this weekend.

Rory Kostjasyn will be coaching the side and says it’s an opportunity for them to show “what kind of player they are”.

The game, at the Gladstone Coal Exporters Sports Complex (Marley Brown Oval) on February 8 from 6pm, will give fans a glimpse of the club’s rising stars. It will be live-streamed on the Dolphins’ Facebook page.

The team will feature players from all levels of the Dolphins system but only two have NRL experience - Harrison Graham and Mason Teague.

Kostjasyn, the Dolphins NRL Assistant Coach and defence specialist who joined the club for the 2025 season, says it is a chance for the next generation to step up.

“It’s a great opportunity, obviously. They’re going to get a lot more minutes, having more of our experienced players not playing in this trial. They’ve got a really good opportunity to show us what kind of player they are,” he says.

“Number one for me is I want to see them compete to win in all the little effort areas. I want to see some of the things we’ve been working on throughout the preseason … I want to see us bring that into our game.

“They’ve all worked really hard in anything we’ve asked them to do … whether that’s in conditioning or in skills, on the mats, in the gym. I don’t think we can ask much more from them in preseason … it’s time for them to get it done on the field now.”

Ready to play

Kostjasyn has been impressed with the extended NRL squad’s work ethic during preseason training but concedes they’re getting restless.

“They look fit, they look like they’re sick of training … I don’t blame them. They’re ready to play,” he says.

“When I’m watching them at the moment, we’re getting to a point in the preseason when we need to play games to really see where we’re at. I think they’re feeling that too.

“They’ve had enough of tackling each other and running into each other. They want to get it on for real.”

Players have spoken about a focus on defence and fitness this preseason, as the club chases a maiden finals berth in 2025.

Kostjasyn says, while defence is his passion, it’s an edict that’s come from the top.

“That’s probably more so from (Head Coach) Kristian (Woolf). He’s a hard-working, competitive, defensive-focused coach so I’d say that’s more coming from Kristian,” he explains.

“I love footy … I hope the players have felt my enthusiasm for the game. I’m a defensive coach … usually your attack coaches are the ones that are all excited and enthusiastic, but I think defence can be fun too.

“I’ve got to ask them to do a lot of hard work because defence is a hard thing to do, physically, but I want them to enjoy defending too.

“If you do it well, you turn teams away, you apply pressure with your defence, you can force errors … those things in a game are enjoyable too. I’m hoping they’re feeling that they can enjoy their defence just as much as they enjoy their attack.”

The club’s first NRL Pre-Season Challenge game is against the Cowboys in Cairns on February 14 (7pm).

Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium is expected to be packed when it hosts a double-header in the final round of the Challenge on February 22. The Broncos play the Bulldogs at 4.30pm and the Dolphins take on the Titans at 6.30pm.