Three wins in a row. A 32-10 revenge victory over the side that humiliated them in Round 1. Farnworth and Bostock unstoppable out wide. And Origin auditions delivered on both sides. The Dolphins are back in finals contention.

When the Dolphins lost to South Sydney 40-30 in Round 1 at this very ground, it looked like a match that confirmed where each club stood. The Rabbitohs — one of the NRL’s heavyweight clubs under Wayne Bennett — were too good. The Dolphins — in their fourth year of existence, still searching for a finals appearance — were a team with potential but not yet the finished article.

Friday night at Magic Round told a completely different story. The Dolphins avenged that Round 1 loss with a 32-10 triumph, with outside backs Herbie Farnworth running for 173 metres with 12 tackle breaks and Jack Bostock making 151 metres with 5 tackle breaks, while Isaiya Katoa controlled proceedings before leaving the field with a hamstring injury.

Three consecutive wins. Revenge served. And a statement delivered to the rest of the NRL about where this Dolphins side is heading in 2026.

The Rabbitohs came in with every advantage on paper. Latrell Mitchell returned from a back injury, Souths had scored 30 or more points in their last six games, and Alex Johnston was on a nine-game try-scoring streak. But the same problem that has plagued the Dolphins all season — slow starts — was completely absent on Friday night. Instead it was the Rabbitohs who failed to fire.

Selwyn Cobbo finished off brilliant work from Isaiya Katoa, Kodi Nikorima and Herbie Farnworth whose passes were all slick and pinpoint before the winger powered into the corner. Then Max Plath took off from first receiver 10 metres out and exploded through Sean Keppie to score the Dolphins’ second try — Isaako converting to make it 14-0 with 26 minutes gone.

At halftime it was 18-0 — an extraordinary scoreline given how potent the Rabbitohs’ attack had been all season. The Dolphins completed 34 of 43 sets at 79 per cent and looked in control for most of the night despite Souths pulling it back to 24-10 with 13 minutes to play. The Dolphins’ final four scoring plays extended the margin to an emphatic 32-10.

The one shadow over an otherwise dominant Dolphins performance was the sight of Isaiya Katoa leaving the field with a hamstring injury in the first half. Katoa was controlling proceedings before he left the field — his absence in the second half required Kodi Nikorima to carry more of the halves load. For a side that has just strung together three consecutive victories for the first time in their history, losing their first-choice halfback would be a significant blow heading into the bye.

Coach Kristian Woolf will hope the scans are positive — but hamstring injuries in football have a habit of requiring more recovery time than initial assessments suggest. The Dolphins’ depth at halfback will be tested if Katoa misses any significant time.

For the Dolphins this is a historic result. Three consecutive wins has never been done before in their short NRL history. They climb to sixth on the ladder with a 5-5 record — right in the thick of the top-eight battle with the Origin period and the back half of the season ahead. The first finals appearance in Dolphins history is no longer a dream. It is a legitimate possibility.

For the Rabbitohs the result is a concerning one. They have now lost five of their last six games at Suncorp Stadium. The Johnston injury adds to their outside back concerns — losing one of the most consistent try-scorers in the competition for any period of the Origin blocks would severely test their attacking depth. Wayne Bennett will have plenty to review in the bye week.

In Round 1, the Rabbitohs put 40 on the Dolphins at this same ground. On Friday night at Magic Round, the Dolphins came back to Suncorp and put 32 on them. Three wins in a row. The first-ever finals appearance in Dolphins history is within reach. And Herbie Farnworth — 173 metres, 12 tackle breaks, unstoppable from the first whistle — is quietly building one of the most complete seasons any NRL centre has produced in recent years. Kristian Woolf’s side is no longer just a feel-good story. They are a finals team in the making.