Depleted Dolphins bring in Fuller
Wayne Bennett has turned to a reserve grade star to replace Queensland Origin flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow as the Dolphins coach battles his own illness concerns.
Hostplus Cup specialist Trai Fuller will make his second NRL appearance in the clash against the Eels in Darwin on Friday night.
The Dolphins’ injury crisis deepened in last week’s loss to the Broncos.
TabuaiFidow (hamstring) joined Tom Flegler (shoulder),
Felise Kau- fusi (hamstring) and Herbie Farnworth (shoulder) on the sidelines.
Tabuai-Fidow will miss about a month of footy, which will give Fuller a second crack at first grade following his NRL debut in last year’s one-point loss to the Tigers.
Bennett has been absent from Redcliffe this week due to illness, much like skipper Jesse Bromwich, who sat out training on Monday.
“He’s come down with the flu and hasn’t been in today or yesterday,” Bromwich said.
“We have another few boys out crook, too. I think he’ll be on the flight tomorrow.
“We’ve been hit really hard by injuries. It’s unfortunate and it’s happened to some of our best players as well.
“We’ve got to roll on and keep moving forward. We’ve got better depth than last year.
“It’s a big challenge but we’re looking forward to it. It’s pretty horrible what’s happened.”
Fuller, 27, has toiled away in reserve grade for the Dolphins since 2018.
He scored a try in his NRL debut and could play in the top grade for a month if he performs on the big stage in the absence of Tabuai-Fidow.
“He got a game last year and did a really good job,” Bromwich said.
“He’s been around the QCup for a while and has been one of the best players in the Dolphins’ team for a few years.
“He’s only small but really tough. He runs hard and hits gaps hard. He has a knack of finding the tryline.”