Dynamic fullback Trai Fuller has been elevated into the Dolphins starting XIII to face the wobbling Cronulla Sharks in Friday Night Footy, as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow gets a rest just 48 hours after starring for the Queensland Maroons.
Fuller hasn’t been seen in the NRL since Round 27 of 2024, after rupturing his ACL during the Queensland Cup finals last season and requiring a full knee reconstruction.
Finally returning to the field in late May, 28-year-old Fuller has played three games at fullback for Dolphins feeder club the Central Capras—and now joins the most potent attack in the NRL alongside Isaiya Katoa, Herbie Farnworth and Co.
Averaging 29.8 points a game in 2025, the Dolphins can no doubt smell blood in the water and will be looking to extend the woes of Craig Fitzgibbon’s Sharks who have slumped to tenth on the NRL ladder following losses in four of their past five matches.
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Dolphins head coach Kristian Woolf is well aware of the importance of the Round 19 clash as his seventh-placed side continues to chase its first ever NRL finals appearance.
“We know that we have to be at our absolute best, and I'm expecting them (the Sharks) to be at their best,” Woolf said during the week.
“They’re pretty unaffected by Origin, they’re pretty unaffected by injury.
“If we’re serious about trying to do what we’d like to do in the competition, then we need to play well in these games.”
The Cronulla Sharks are the only NRL club yet to defeat the Dolphins.
Can the Sharks get their first ever win against the Phins tonight? 🦈#NRL #NRLSharksDolphins pic.twitter.com/m27BrX4mUD
— Random Stats Guy (@randostatsguy) July 10, 2025