Dolphins representative star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has suffered a knee injury in the club's final game of the season as they smashed the Canberra Raiders in Redcliffe.
Tabuai-Fidow had scored a hat-trick during the first hour of the game against an understrength Raiders outfit, before being caught awkwardly in a tackle.
He stayed down with immediate concern shown for his knee, and he would then be taken up the tunnel to the dressing sheds, taking no further part in the game.
Tabuai-Fidow was able to shrug away immediate concern for an ACL, with Fox Sports reporting the Dolphins' medical staff were more confident that it was an MCL injury.
While the Dolphins have missed the finals on account of the Sydney Roosters defeating the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night, Tabuai-Fidow would have been a walk-up starter for either Australia in the Ashes against England, or Samoa in the Pacific Championships against either New Zealand or Tonga, pending his allegiance selection.
He is now no guarantee to play for either nation, although he will need scans to confirm the extent of his MCL injury, which could keep him out for north of six weeks if it's at the higher end of the scale.
The three tries he scored mean he finished 2025 just one behind Mark Nawaqanitawase, who will take out the Ken Irvine Medal.
The game saw the Dolphins cross the 50-point barrier.
While the Raiders rested much of their first-grade side, no NRL team have ever won the premiership after conceding more than 50 points during the regular season.
The Green Machine will host a qualifying final next week against the Brisbane Broncos next weekend with a second chance guaranteed in the knockout stages of the competition, but will have to break history to win the premiership.
