Lui chases grand final success at Redcliffe Dolphins

By Yarin Barrett

Photo: Dunamis Lui speaks at the Redcliffe Dolphins' 2025 season launch.

Sitting in the dressing room at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium, Dunamis Lui pauses for a moment and reflects on his rugby league journey from player to coach as he prepares for his first grand final in the hot seat.

That journey includes 173 National Rugby League (NRL) games, six tests for Samoa, and an Origin game for Queensland.

‘Nami’ as he is widely known by teammates and friends, has seen many football sheds in his career across five different NRL clubs but it is clear he never forgets his past as he continues to grow in his role as coach of the Redcliffe Dolphins’ team in the Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) competition.

His team will take on Carina in the BRL Premier A Grade grand final this weekend.

Wearing a Dolphins cap and jacket, it is evident Lui knows the importance of

representing the club at all times, while his socks and slides show that despite his success, he is

still very much a regular guy.

As part of a large Samoan family, any thoughts of playing rugby league were quickly dismissed by his

parents who simply couldn’t afford it.

Fortunately for Lui, he had two great mates, Jay Spletter and Mitch Everson, who were desperate for him to join them at Brisbane Brothers.

With the help of their parents, a 12-year-old Lui had his registration fees paid for, was driven to training and matches, and his love of rugby league began.

“I’m forever grateful to those two,” Lui says.

From those humble beginnings he went on to carve out a successful NRL career, but like many other professional athletes Lui was unsure what the next chapter would look like after his playing career.

That changed when another example of mateship saw former teammate Ben Te’o make a call to Lui in November 2023 to offer him a spot on his coaching staff.

It was an opportunity for Lui to maintain his love of the sport almost 15 years on from his debut. That initial step into coaching lit a spark in Lui.

“I never thought I’d be a coach,” he says.

Lui soon established his own private coaching business called Wise Up, to help young athletes reach their potential. He became an assistant coach at Redcliffe in 2024, as the team made it to the grand final, and was then appointed coach of the Redcliffe Dolphins’ BRL team for the 2025 season.

Coaching debut success

In his first season as a head coach Lui has guided the team to the minor premiership and they will enter this weekend’s grand final against Carina as favourites to lift the BRL Premier A Grade trophy.

Having never considered a career in coaching, Lui did not have a genuine coaching mentor.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to be coaching until two years ago,” he says with a smile on his face.

However, having been coached by some of the most successful coaches in the game including Wayne Bennett and Ricky Stuart, Lui has been able to develop his own style of coaching.

“Everything that I coach now is more from experience and what I’ve been through with the different coaches that I had and their different styles,” he says.

Lui was first signed by the Brisbane Broncos in 2008. After 32 games with the Broncos, Lui signed with Manly for the 2014 season.

“That was my first breakout season,” he says.

That same year would see Lui make his debut for Toa Samoa against Fiji, a moment he will never forget.

“Standing there singing the national anthem, it was really emotional,” he says, pausing briefly to gather his thoughts.

Lui understands what the sport means to the people of Samoa having been there during the 2008

World Cup when Samoa played Tonga.

His mind begins to wander in the moments before kick-off.

“I think back to that one little screen and the whole village crowded around watching the little screen and then sort of wondering are they doing the same thing now,” he recalls.

Grand final heartbreak

In 2019, Lui played for Canberra in the NRL grand final. However, the match against the Roosters ended in heartbreak as the Raiders went down by six points in controversial fashion.

Lui has not forgotten that game.

“Well, I still haven’t watched the game back,” he says quickly. The loss appears to still burn inside.

“The reason why it hurts so much is because we knew we could have won that game,” he says.

The 2020 State of Origin series was played after the NRL grand final due to COVID-19 disruptions. Game two was played in Sydney and was the scene for Lui’s Queensland debut.

“Playing for Queensland and Samoa were the two big goals that I wanted to achieve, but I was 32 at that stage, so I thought maybe it wasn’t going be, the maroons jersey,” he says.

Playing under Wayne Bennett only added to the experience.

“He gets his message across without even trying, that’s how it feels,” Lui says.

Coaching kids coming though now, Lui wants to help them as much as he can through his own experiences.

“When the boys are making their debut, I try to figure out ways to make that moment a little bit more special for them,” he says.

As for the future, Lui is keeping his options open.

“I’m not sure, I wouldn’t mind being an assistant NRL coach,” he says.

But for now, his only focus is on helping his team find the grand final success that evaded him during his playing days.

The BRL Premier A Grade grand final between Redcliffe and Carina will be played at BMD Kougari Oval, Wynnum, on Saturday, September 20 at 3pm.