There are losses that derail a teams season.
There are losses that expose the weaknesses of a team.
And then there a losses that change a team.
For the Dolphins, a 66-0 loss at the hands of the Sharks at home looked to be the beginning of the end for the Redcliffe-based club in season 2026.
That game. Eleven unanswered tries. 66 points conceded. 0 points scored. Nicho Hynes 30, Dolphins nil.
The biggest loss in the clubs short history, and the first time they had been held scoreless in an NRL match.
The second time they had conceded 50 points at their home venue Kayo Stadium this season, after a 52-18 pounding by Manly earlier this season in Round 5, with all three of the Dolphins tries coming in the last 10-minutes of the game when the contest was over.
For a side that had built the reputation of being one of the competitions most dangerous attacking teams, being able to score from anywhere on the field, they were brutally slapped in the face with the reality check of all reality checks.
When speaking to the media in the post game press conference, a very blunt Kristian Woolf dubbed the performance as "embarrassing" with club captain Tom Gilbert further extending that '"it was more embarrassing than last time (Manly loss.)"
Kristian Woolf could barely explain it.
"There's not much to say," the Dolphins coach said afterwards, admitting his side simply "weren't ready to play a tough game of footy".
The timing of this loss made it even more confronting for the club. The Dolphins had been building towards their first finals campaign, winning eight out of their past nine games before their matchup with the Sharks.
They had legitimate premiership aspirations, but now they were hanging on the fringe of the eight, with teams scrambling to take that position away from them.
Suddenly, the narrative had changed from whether they could contest for the premiership, to if they would even remain in the top eight come seasons end. All from one sorrowful Saturday performance.
A week is a long time in rugby league, and the noise surrounding the Dolphins only grew louder when they gave away an early 10-0 lead to the Cowboys in their next game.
It seemed that the Dolphins season was drowning and they needed something or someone to keep them afloat.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow picked up the pieces to ensure that they did not fall to back-to-back loses, as he was pivotal in reigniting the Dolphins attack, quieting the speculation as they overturned the early deficit to win 36-16.
The win did not erase the 66 point drubbing, it was not forgotten, but it put their finals quest back on track.
That win kickstarted an end of season run for the Dolphins, they welcomed back star halfback Isaiya Katoa from injury the following week against the Dragons, where they proved they had the ability to win ugly.
Completing at only 70% and making 13 errors is nowhere near the standard required for September footy, but in the regular season, collecting the two competition points was pivotal in their 28-22 victory.
With the Sharks game getting further away in the rearview mirror as wins once again accumulated for the 'Phins,' the battle of Brisbane awaited them, a win would secure their first ever finals appearance.
The opening 20 minute of the match couldn't have gone any worse, the Dolphins found themselves down 24-0, and their fans begun to reminisce of that match against the Sharks.
Once again the Dolphins found the resilience in them to overturn yet another early deficit, coming back to win 40-32 in a high scoring contest.
Post game Woolf commended his sides resilience stating that he "loved the way we fought back into the contest."
The Dolphins ended the regular season on a seven game winning streak, which saw them finish third position on the ladder, guaranteeing a home final.
So what changed?
There was no structural overhaul of tactics by the Dolphins coaching staff, nor a change in personnel that took the field week in week out, so, how did that 66-0 loss change the Dolphins.
On that Saturday afternoon, the Dolphins looked like a side nowhere near ready for September.
Almost two months later, they look like a side that has learned exactly why it wasn't ready.
Against Cronulla and Manly, we saw a side that gave away an early lead, pressure began to build, mistakes and errors crept into their game, with that came more pressure and they eventually collapsed.
Since then, we have seen a side that when they go behind on their scoreboard, are able to absorb pressure and trust in their processes that their attack will fire, they then regain control of the arm wrestle and eventually pull away on the score board.
This a feature of their game they must take into September.
The main trigger of this is not overplaying their hand in attack.
The same stars of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Jack Bostock, Selwyn Cobbo, Jamayne Isaako, Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa led the attack but with a changed mindset.
Previously the Dolphins would try and score on nearly every tackle when they went behind in a game, which led to unforced errors in their game, instead of building pressure on the oppositions try line.
Captain Tom Gilbert spoke at the NRL finals launch on the results.
“We had those two bad losses, but as a group, we had enough humility and enough resolve to look at ourselves and use it as a chance to get better” Gilbert said.
“We could have lost that game 24-16 and who knows what it would have done for us.”
Now there is this sense of maturity across the playing group to trust in their systems, they withhold every possible chance to send shockwaves across the league as they challenge for their maiden NRL Premiership.
They would become the first team to win the competition whilst conceding 50 points in a single game during the season.
The 66-0 loss didn't change who the Dolphins are. It changed how they respond when things go wrong.
The Dolphins kick off their finals campaign against the Warriors on Saturday at Mt Smart Stadium.
