Kaufusi pride in ‘who we are as a club’

Felise Kaufusi is most proud of who the Dolphins are as an NRL club and how they are building as a “force to be reckoned with”.

Kaufusi has signed a new two-year contract that will keeps him at the club until the end of the 2027 season.

He was the first NRL player to sign with the club in November 2022, for their inaugural season in 2023.

The 33-year-old who had played 173 games for the Melbourne Storm before coming to Redcliffe, has now played 231 games in total - 58 for the Dolphins.

Kaufusi was named the club’s Vice-Captain at the season launch but has stepped into captaincy duties along with halfback Isaiya Katoa, since Captain Tom Gilbert’s season-ending pectoral injury.

He has been a core part of the club’s leadership group from the beginning, helping create a culture which has set it up well for the future.

Dolphins NRL CEO Terry Reader says Kaufusi, and Jesse and Kenny Bromwich have been integral in building the club’s culture and were not concerned about who would be playing in key positions when they arrived for the first preseason.

“They wanted to be the first people here. They wanted to come here, set the standards, build the culture. They’ve done a great job doing that, so we’re over the moon to have Felise be here for another two years,” he explains.

“They lead with their actions and they’ve got a presence in the dressing room. There’s no nonsense. I think that’s been really important.

“When we did sign our initial squad, we had to sign people ... kids at the start of their career and also veterans at the end and those in the middle. Those three signings were really important, especially Felise.”

Natural leader

Reader says the club is keen to see Kaufusi continue to lead from the front.

“We want more of the same, maybe a bit more discipline ... but we never want to take that away from Fus ... you’ve heard the coach say that as well. That’s part of his game and what he does when he gets out there. It makes a big difference,” he says.

Kaufusi is excited about what the Dolphins are capable of now and in the future, saying they have what it takes to play finals and win a premiership one day. And it would mean a lot to him.

“It’s huge. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself but, like I said, everything’s a first for us as a club. Everything we do as a first, is huge, so to make our first finals appearance would be up there and we’ll see how far we go,” he says.

“I think we’re building slowly into who we are and what we stand for as a club.”

He is excited about the Dolphins potential forward pack for 2026, which would include Daniel Saifiti, Tom Flegler, Tom Gilbert, Max Plath, Morgan Knowles.

“There’s going to be some healthy competition for myself, but I think it’s great. Everyone will lift and, if everyone’s healthy, it will be a force to be reckoned with,” Kaufusi says.