Controversial, brutal and utterly freakish: The lapses that cost the Dolphins a fairytale

At times, it was chaotic. At others, controversial. And in the case of Mark Nawqanitawase, some of Friday night was utterly freakish. Each moment culminated in the Dolphins’ fairytale run being brought undone 36-20 in their preliminary final showdown with the Sydney Roosters.

But for all the hurt Redcliffe will feel at having their maiden grand final dreams derailed in front of 52,286 fans at Suncorp Stadium, their fourth season in the NRL has announced them as a contender – one which would be searching for some refinements come November’s preseason launch.

The opening 15 minutes were gruelling, with both sides exchanging sets error-free. Halfback Isaiya Katoa was seen limping and looking ginger from an early hit up, and there was a feeling the Roosters were on top of the battle, courtesy of Naufahu Whyte’s dominance – running 119 of his 205 metres by halftime – against a smaller Dolphins’ pack.

That was until the Kiwi enforcer made the first mistake of the game. Redcliffe would soon earn the first six-again and penalty of the clash, and with those, a genuine chance to attack, only for Nawaqanitawase to break the deadlock with a moment of magic that has defined his two-year rugby league foray.

Latching onto a Herbie Farnworth pass which would have put Selwyn Cobbo over untouched, the former Wallabies flyer claimed the intercept and streaked the length of the field. It was a play which, for a 10-minute period, appeared to break the Dolphins’ spirit – a Kurt Donoghoe knock-on coming out of trouble and a high tackle by Morgan Knowles giving Sydney the opportunities they needed to strike through Victor Radley and Daniel Tupou.

A Jamayne Isaako double either side of halftime had the Redcliffe faithful salivating at the thought of a sixth triumph of the year after trailing at halftime, with the winger’s first awarded in controversial circumstances given how tight his putdown was to the sideline.

Yet, just when the NRL’s newest franchise looked on track for a colossal fightback, another ‘Marky Mark’ miracle and contentious decision shattered them.

When Nawaqanitawase latched onto Daly Cherry-Evans’ cross-field kick, and managed to find a shovelled pass back for Robert Toia to score, he produced an instance that will leave Dolphins fans seething – both for just how close the enigmatic winger went towards the touchline, and how forward his pass appeared to be.

But the Dolphins can only blame themselves for conceding what was, ultimately, the blow that opened the floodgates, as Farnworth and Cobbo both sat back on the kick and allowed one of the game’s freakiest talents to have his way with them.

It was barely a contest from that point as Lindsay Collins barged over soon after, before Queensland Maroons halfback Sam Walker completed his miracle recovery from a syndesmosis injury – putting Radley away for a linebreak which set up Nawaqanitawase’s second try, before scoring himself with a sharp left-foot step.

It was nothing more than consolation points when Katoa laid on a good short ball for Kulikefu Finefeuiaki to barge across, before Tabuai-Fidow and Cobbo were finally able to combine and put Farnworth over two minutes later.

It took another Nawaqanitawase intercept to shut down the attacking raid in the following set, and would have left Dolphins fans pondering where that same lethal offence had been for the opening 75 minutes.

It would have taken something truly meteoric for the Dolphins to have turned their first finals campaign into a grand final appearance. But the framework for success is there if they can stay the course and keep their litany of off-contract stars on the books.

Are they lacking the size of a Whyte to match it with the best, after Finefeuiaki finished as the only Dolphins forward to surpass 100 running metres? Or is it a matter of starting games better, having developed a concerning habit of conceding the first points of a match?

Whatever it may be, there is plenty for the Dolphins to look towards now that they have once and for all proven they are not just simply making up the numbers.