Connelly Lemuelu concedes Round 1 feels like “a lifetime ago” but the Dolphins forward is hoping his side can muster the same energy as their inaugural match when they face off against the Roosters again on Saturday.
The Dolphins stunned the Tricolours at Suncorp Stadium in the opening round to kick off 2023 on a high, but suspensions and injuries conspired to see the team fall out of finals contention with some poor results in the middle of the season.
Despite not getting the results in recent weeks, the Dolphins have started to show the fighting spirit that held them in good stead early on as they look to finish strong in their first season in the NRL.
“We are in Round 24 now, so it feels like ages ago, but then at the same time, it doesn't feel too long ago that we played that first game and everyone has still got fond memories of that day and everyone's looking forward to going up this week and playing them again,” Lemuelu said.
“I think lately we've been playing our brand of football again and we haven't been getting the results though, so definitely we want to finish off the year on the high and hopefully get a few more wins.”
As for his own form this year, the former Cowboy has stepped up in his role as a backrower for the Dolphins where he has scored seven tries so far this season, having spent the earlier stages of his career in the centres.
“I think being outside back in the early part of my career, I think I've always had that footwork and it was something that was a real strength of mine coming through,” Lemuelu said.
Connelly Lemuelu gets the Dolphins back in it!
"To be able to transfer that into the forwards now, I think it's definitely helped with my game and I think the players that we've got around here have definitely brought the best out of me this year.
“Boys like Felise (Kaufusi) and Kenny (Bromwich), they've definitely helped me a lot this year, just with getting the little things right in my game with line running and then just more so the effort things.
"I think coming from the backs the work rate is not as high as playing on the forwards, so they've just been on top of me about doing the little things right at training and even diet and stuff like that, so they've definitely been a big help for me.”
Taking on a desperate Roosters side who remain in the hunt for a finals berth, Lemuelu was looking forward to the challenge of facing off against representative forwards like Lindsay Collins and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
“It's always fun coming up against players that are international players and players of that calibre, so I'm just looking forward to going out there and holding my own and hopefully the boys can get a result this weekend,” Lemuelu said.
“They've been the benchmark for the last couple of seasons and they're starting to find their feet in the competition this year as well, so we're expecting them to come out all guns blazing.
“They're pushing for that final spot as well, so we're expecting the best out of them.”
Match: Roosters v Dolphins
Round 24 -
home Team
Roosters
11th Position
away Team
Dolphins
14th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
