What Dolphins star just said about Wahs fans & Cronk advice

Dolphins star Isaiya Katoa has opened up about how his team will approach facing the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday.

The Warriors host the Dolphins in round one of the NRL Finals, with both sides looking to progress through to the semis.

Katoa is well aware of how ‘hostile’ the environment will be due to the passionate support of the Wahs fans.

The playmaker said: “We have got to treat (Saturday’s final) as walking towards the challenge of the Warriors and accepting that we are going towards a hostile crowd, but embracing the experience of playing in our first finals game … and knowing we have a good challenge ahead of us to go one step further.”

Katoa has admitted he has been speaking with NRL great Cooper Cronk throughout the 2026 season to improve his play. He also shared what Cronk has been telling him in 2026.

“I have spoken to Cooper Cronk over the course of the year, where I catch up with him about my own game and little things I can continually improve,” Katoa told AAP.

“A big part of that is my running game, and Cooper is one of the biggest in terms of driving that because it keeps defenders honest.

“As a halfback, you want to constantly put the defence in different minds.

“My ball-playing is something I pride myself on, but I have noticed Nathan is running the footy a lot more. I want to slowly incorporate that more into my game.

“I have had a few conversations with Cooper … and a better ball player is a better runner, and a better runner is a better ball player.”