Dolphins

Niu scored twice in the first half before his third with 12 minutes to go looked to have put the result beyond doubt, only for Felise Kaufusi to then be sent to the sin bin for a late tackle which saw him put on report for the second time in the game at McDonald Jones Stadium.

It set up a nervous finish, before Isaako's double inside the last five minutes saw Wayne Bennett's side get past a stubborn Knights side who had three players appearing at NRL level for the first time, with a bench that had just 18 total games of first-grade experience. 

The undefeated Dolphins face their first test on the road when they travel to Newcastle to take on the Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Wayne Bennett's side have stunned many with their start to their inaugural season and they'll be out to keep that record intact against a Knights outfit which is expected to be heavily depleted for the match. 

Newcastle's miraculous effort to hold on against Wests Tigers on Sunday appears to have come at a cost with coach Adam O'Brien expecting up to six players to be unavailable. 

The Green Machine showed plenty of positive signs against the premiership heavyweight Cowboys, coming back from an 18-0 lead at halftime to fall just one point short but a big challenge awaits at the boutique ground that is Kayo Stadium.

Spending the week training in sunny Queensland, Ricky Stuart will be hoping his side can use the time to tidy up some key areas after errors (11) and missed tackles (39) put the Canberra side on the back foot early in their opening clash.

The 25-year-old will finish up with Parramatta at the end of next season and will then join the Dolphins for on a two-year deal.

Stone — a former New South Wales under 20s, Junior Kangaroos and Australian Schoolboy — can cover lock or hooker. He’s played 28 NRL games since making his debut for the eels in 2018.

The Dolphins confirmed the signing on Tuesday with CEO Terry Reader revealing Stone was short-listed early.

The only superstars left on the open market are Kalyn Ponga - who has emphasised his focus is with the Knights, and Brandon Smith - who looks set to join the Roosters after revealing the club rolled out the red carpet for him last week.

Both developments spell trouble for Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett.

The Dolphins are yet to make a splash on the player market in their first month as an NRL club - and the list of available stars is shrinking by the day.

The expansion club will enter the NRL in 2023 and - since November 1 - have been free to negotiate with players coming off contract at the end of next season.

The Dolphins were officially announced on September 13 and since then they’ve missed out on a host of stars that were linked to the club.

Strong leadership is crucial as the face of any organisation, however coach-in-waiting Wayne Bennett has already declared he won’t be building a roster of “choir boys”.

Personality, age and where they grew up are all factors before getting into the nuts and bolts of them as a footballer.

While a host of Storm stars may be on the hit list, Craig Bellamy has promised to block any contracted Melbourne players from leaving early for the new franchise.

Bennett, who is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Redcliffe-based club shortly, has spoken publicly about his desire to build a team with a “Queensland look”.

Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster would be one target along with fellow Origin stars Christian Welch, Felise Kaufusi and Harry Grant.

Brandon Smith has also been linked to the new franchise as he looks to make a big call on his future.

Dolphins Mitya and Solnyshko were thrown round discs depicting the flags of the two countries in their pool and had to bring them back.

Both came back at the same time for a 1-1 draw after the first run before the Russian flag was returned faster by Mitya in the last two throws for a predicted 3-1 Russia.

The dolphins are part of a growing menagerie of animals predicting World Cup games.