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Joel Gould

Dawdlers to dynamos: Dolphins the new comeback kings

Co-captain Tom Gilbert (left) is a member of a Dolphins pack who won't back down. (AAP PHOTOS)

The Dolphins have established themselves as both the starting snails and the comeback kings of the NRL ahead of their maiden finals appearance.

After trailing 14-0 and ultimately winning 24-20 in the final round game against Gold Coast in Robina on Friday night, coach Kristian Woolf was not concerned.

He basically has the philosophy that winning covers a multitude of sins.

Last year it was the Broncos who won the title after coming back from five deficits of 14 points or more throughout the year.

This season the third-placed Dolphins have won a club-record 17 games, with 10 of those victories coming after conceding the first try. 

Herbie Fanworth
Herbie Farnworth's try against Gold Coast kick-started another Dolphins comeback. (AAP PHOTOS)

On six occasions they have trailed 10-0 or worse, with their biggest comeback a 40-32 win over Brisbane after falling behind 24-0.

Whether they play Penrith or the Warriors in a qualifying match next week will not be known until the Panthers play Wests Tigers in the final round game on Sunday afternoon.

There are aspects of the Dolphins' play that need addressing, in particular poor discipline in the opening exchanges of matches.

They recorded their first win of the year in round two at Suncorp Stadium after trailing 14-0 against Gold Coast, prevailing 18-14 with a late surge, so it was fitting that their final victory of the regular season came away against the same club after also falling 14-0 behind.

"I am not too worried about it, to be honest," Woolf said of the slow starts.

"I think tonight was a hard game for us in a lot of ways. 

"It's hard when other teams have rested players and you know you are playing for something a lot more next week.

"Blokes don't want to get injured and don't want to get suspended. We were a little bit tentative at the start in different areas but got ourselves into gear."

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Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf likes the way his team is shaping ahead of the finals. (AAP PHOTOS)

Woolf identified yardage errors and penalties as an issue against the Titans. 

In the first half, they gave away 10 penalties - either general play infractions, ruck infringements or inside 10 metres -  while also making four errors.

"I've got no dramas," Woolf said of the uneven display.

"The two most important things are that we won and we got no injuries."

In their last five outings, the Dolphins have not scored in the opening 20 minutes, but they have won all of those matches while conceding just four tries in the final 60 minutes of those games and piling on 146 points overall.

A relentless forward pack led by Tom Gilbert wears teams down as the game goes on and a skilled backline led by half Isaiya Katoa, centre Herbie Farnworth and fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow can score points quickly.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored two tries for the Dolphins in the final-round win over the Titans. (AAP PHOTOS)

The bench includes linchpin utility Kurt Donoghoe and wild and woolly Ray Stone, who terrorise opponents in their own unique style.

They will have to be a lot better to prevail against the Warriors or Penrith, but Woolf knows what his team is capable of in the finals after seven consecutive wins.

"I am very confident in the group and what I think we can do. We have just got to be at our best and we will be hard to beat," Woolf said.

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