Interesting Inquiry: Dolphins’ New Coach Kristian Woolf Still Deciding on Captaincy

Kristian Woolf has acknowledged that he has not yet made a decision regarding who will lead the Dolphins this season following the retirement of Jesse Bromwich.

Having captained the team during their inaugural two seasons, the Kiwi legend stepped down at the conclusion of 2024, leaving a significant gap within the squad.

As Woolf embarks on his first year as head coach, he faces the challenge of selecting a new captain, a choice he admits he’s not deeply considered at this point.

“That’s a fair question, as I haven’t really settled on it yet,” he shared during an interview on SEN radio on Wednesday morning.

“This is something we will determine before the commencement of round one, and there are several candidates in the running.

“We have a strong leadership group comprising Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi, Mark Nicholls, and Tom Gilbert, all of whom have been integral to our development as a team.

“We are in a good position in that regard, and they are fantastic individuals to work with as leaders. I expect our next captain will emerge from this group, and I’m confident any of those four would do an outstanding job, making the club proud.

“I’ll be keen to observe during the trials to see who the players naturally gravitate towards on the field before making my final decision.”

Currently, the Dolphins stand among just three NRL clubs yet to announce their captain for the 2025 season, alongside the Eels and Warriors, who are also contemplating their leadership options.

While not likely to take on the captaincy, star fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has returned from an impressive Pacific Championships campaign, where he played a pivotal role in helping the Kangaroos secure the title in October.

Woolf confirmed that the fan favourite will wear the No.1 jersey and described their discussion about it as “a straightforward conversation,” recalling that he played in the centres last year under Wayne Bennett.

“Hammer is doing exceptionally well. I’m really pleased with his off-season return after Christmas,” the coach noted.

“He appears lean and fit and is putting in some great work since coming back after Christmas, following his participation in the Australian games.

“With Hammer, the goal is to see him smile and enjoy his rugby, which is evidently the case at present.”

“Our plan is for him to play at fullback, as I believe that’s where he can shine best for us.”

“I recognise he plays centre at the representative level, but that’s likely due to the abundance of excellent players around him. He has the versatility to excel in multiple positions.

“We’re extremely pleased with his performances as our fullback. I spoke to him at the end of last season … we had Trai [Fuller] as our fullback, which we believed was the optimal scenario.

“However, in our conversation, he made it abundantly clear that he envisions himself in the fullback role, and I concur with him…it was a rather straightforward discussion.”

Fuller, unfortunately, will miss a large portion of the season due to an ACL injury he sustained while playing in the grand final for Redcliffe last year.