Dolphins Suffer Setback as Two Forwards Banned from Newcastle Clash

The Dolphins have been hit with more adversity, as two players are sidelined for their upcoming round two clash in Newcastle.

The Redcliffe franchise showed their resilience by travelling to Sydney last week to take on South Sydney, all while Tropical Cyclone Alfred loomed over their homes in southeast Queensland.

The team faced a narrow 16-14 defeat against the Rabbitohs, with several players, including Kodi Nikorima, Mark Nicholls, and Kenny Bromwich, opting to stay back for cyclone preparations.

Now, the Dolphins have also lost forwards Connelly Lemuelu and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki due to injuries.

Lemuelu has a fractured eye socket sustained during the match with South Sydney and is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks.

As a result of his injury, he had to be transported by car from Sydney to Brisbane on Saturday, rather than joining the rest of his teammates on the flight back.

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“On a positive note, Connelly will not need surgery on his eye socket,” said head of performance Jeremy Hickmans on Tuesday.

“This is encouraging news as it reduces the expected time for his return to around four weeks.”

Meanwhile, fellow backrower Finefeuiaki will miss this week’s encounter against the Knights after not passing his head injury assessment.

He is anticipated to be fit for their round three match, which will be their first home game in Queensland following the relocation of round one to Sydney.

The Knights triumphed over the Tigers in their opening round.