Fox Sports Lab data reveals the stunning year-on-year improvement of key players at the Dolphins

The Dolphins didn’t get their big-name signing in the off-season and instead filled their inaugural roster with a combination of representative forwards and outside backs with untapped potential.

The data suggests it has been the perfect strategy.

RUNNING THROUGH WALLS

Through the opening three rounds, the majority of Dolphins players are averaging more run metres per game than they did in 2022.

The Dolphins are third in the NRL for net run metres, on average making 168 metres more per game than their opponents. Only the Panthers (294 metres) and Broncos (170 metres) sit above them.

Their success has been built on this platform.

At 28 points a game, only the Sea Eagles average more points thus far in 2023.

Bennett’s entire forward pack for this weekend’s clash against the Broncos has increased their year-on-year yardage in 2023.

It has been headlined by Tom Gilbert, who is running 24 metres more per game this season despite averaging the same amount of minutes.

There has also been a noticeable increase for both Jesse and Kenny Bromwich. The brothers have improved their output since leaving the Storm even though they are playing fewer minutes on average this season.

The biggest increase, however, has come from former South Sydney forward Mark Nicholls. The 33-year-old brings plenty of experience to the side but is also arguably in career-best form.

He is averaging 36 more metres per game in 2023, much of which is down to his 157 metre match against the Raiders in round two. While he is only playing seven more minutes per game compared to 2022, Nicholls is actively looking to be more involved in the action.

He is averaging four more possessions and four more runs in comparison to his final season at Souths.

Another improver has been Euan Aitken. He has moved back to centre after shifting to the back row for the Warriors in 2022 and is playing with a renewed sense of freedom.

BUILT ON DEFENCE

The Dolphins have matched that intensity in attack with resolute defence.

They’re second in the competition for fewest metres conceded, 1,265 metres per game, and have conceded the second-fewest post-contact metres. When they’re making tackles, they’re stopping the opposition in their tracks – averaging the third-fewest (21) missed tackles a match.

And just like the run metres, Dolphins players across the board have improved their defensive output.

Yet again, Gilbert leads the way, making nearly 10 more tackles per game than he did at the Cowboys in 2022.

The Maroons’ forward told CODE Sports before the season that he was ready to take his game to the next level under Wayne Bennett and, through three rounds, he is living up to his words.

Former Eels hardman Ray Stone is the next big improver, doubling his tackle count across his two matches for the Dolphins.

Similarly, Sean O’Sullivan has adapted to his new team and role with impressive output in attack. But he has combined that with almost four more tackles per game, demonstrating he hasn’t shirked his responsibilities without the ball.

“It was part of the process in putting this team together,” Bennett said after the Dolphins’ round three win over the Knights. “I knew what they would bring, we put them together as another team now.

“We didn’t go out there and pick guys who I knew wouldn’t respond to some pressure and the toughness of the game. These guys have been hand-picked.”

Added captain Jesse Bromwich: “What we have got on our side is that we’re a team full of workers and that’s what’s working for us at the moment.”

BATTLE FOR BRISBANE

The Dolphins’ incredible form sets up a mouth-watering encounter at Suncorp Stadium on Friday against the Broncos.

The Dolphins and Broncos are two of the NRL’s top three scoring teams this season, two of the four best defences and two of the top three sides with fewest missed tackles.

Throw in two of the top six in the competition for completion rates and fewest errors, as well as two of the top four teams for tackles in the opposition’s red zone, and you have a fascinating match-up regardless of the added flavour of a local rivalry.

Both teams have shown they can score points for fun, but the game will be won on defensive resolve. And it would take a brave person to bet against a Bennett-coached team if that is the deciding factor.