His rise certainly hasn’t happened overnight, but the past two weeks have well and truly cemented Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa as a genuine rugby league superstar.
First it was the clash against Nathan Cleary and the reigning premiers, dubbed by many as the ‘master vs apprentice’ battle between the two playmakers.
The pair were both at the foot of the mountains together for a brief period, before Katoa was signed by the Dolphins for their inaugural season in 2023.
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Nathan Cleary poses for a photo with Isaiya Katoa. Instagram
In that match, Katoa helped orchestrate a convincing win over the Panthers, laying on a try assist and finishing with more than 450 kicking metres.
Katoa’s performance was perhaps overshadowed by the fact that Penrith were in the midst of a losing streak and were clearly out of sorts.
A week later, Katoa proved it was no fluke against premiership favourites Melbourne.
Trailing 16-2 in the first half, the Dolphins looked like they were on their way to copping a hammering from the Storm, who have strike all over the park and an elite spine.
The opposing halfback this time around was Jahrome Hughes – the reigning Dally M Medal winner – while the incomparable Cameron Munster was also in the No.6 jersey.
With his side against the ropes, Katoa produced an incredible display with ball in hand, finishing with three try assists as the Dolphins ran out 42-22 victors.
Isaiya Katoa in action against the Storm. Getty
The poise shown in crucial moments might have surprised many casual viewers, but this is the type of football that Katoa has shown he is capable of for a long time.
And now, at just 21 years of age, the Tongan international is establishing himself as not only one of the best youngsters in the game, but one of the NRL’s best players period.
“He’s working his way up the list quickly,” Darren Lockyer said on Wide World of Sports’ QLDER following the round seven win.
“He’s got a very good temperament. What he does really well is execute their set plays.
“[Good halves] slow the game down to their pace and make it look easy. Cliffy [Lyons] was like that, Isaiya is definitely like that and that was Wally’s [Lewis] greatest strength.
“It’s like they are playing the game at a different speed, but nobody can work it out.”
To be compared to players like Lewis and Lyons this early – especially by a legend himself like Lockyer – would put plenty of pressure on most guys at the same age as Katoa.
Darren Lockyer has praised Isaiya Katoa Nine
But according to Lewis, none of the usual pressure associated with players at that age seems to bother the New Zealand-born pivot.
“He takes his time, he appears to have very good vision,” the Queensland icon said.
“He just appears to be very calm, doesn’t take many bad options or get carried away. He looks quite comfortable as each match progresses.
“He’s shown some real control and belief in his own game.”
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Katoa’s form has led to many bringing up the inveitability of him playing State of Origin football, with the No.7 eligible to represent NSW after moving to Australia at the age of nine and coming through the Penrith system.
That eventual jump to rugby league’s toughest arena isn’t lost on Maroons coach Billy Slater, who had nothing but praise for the rising star and believes the Redcliffe-based outfit need to do everything in their power to keep him around long-term.
“Their halfback is on another level at the moment,” he said on Nine’s Billy Slater Podcast.
“He is playing so good and some of the deception he has in his game is first-class.
“Andrew Johns has spoken about him a whole heap and has been marvelling at what he’s doing on the field. To see what he did to the Melbourne Storm, how he manipulated and created space for his strike players – they’ve got a footy player on their hands.
“He’d be a guy that I would be signing up for a long period of time and building a club around. He’s got all the attributes to be a 15-year NRL player at the top level.
“He’s very humble and he’s impressive when you sit there and listen to him talk.
“He always talks about his teammates and what they do for him. It looks like he’s got a really good head on his shoulders.”
As it stands, Katoa is already signed until the end of 2028 – but there’s reason to believe the Dolphins would already be planning for him to be around much longer on a seven-figure salary, such is the trajectory he finds himself on right now.
The form shown not only by Katoa, but a host of Dolphins players, has seen the side rocket from the bottom of the table up towards the top-eight picture.
And with the confidence growing under coach Kristian Woolf’s guidance, Lockyer is adamant they can match it with the best teams come September.
“They’ve had a good month after a poor start,” he said.
“Watching them the last couple of weeks, if they can maintain this, they are playing like a top-four team. It’s been really impressive and full credit to them.
“I like what I’ve seen … if their key players stay healthy, they will play finals.”
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