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NRL 2026 Four Point Focus: Defending Katoa's Deception
The Four Point Focus breaks down a try from every round of the 2025 NRL season, highlighting the context, shape, trigger and the lessons learned.
Jason Oliver
December 11, 2025
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The Four Point Focus breaks down a try from every round of the 2025 NRL season, highlighting the context, shape, trigger and the lessons learned. It’s viewed with an eye on 2026 as we look for trends, breakout players and hints of what might be to come next season.
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Point 1 - The Context
The Dolphins fell to the Wests Tigers in Round 3, but Isaiya Katoa laid the foundations for an excellent season.
Recognised as one of the better halfbacks in the NRL by the end of the year, you could see the signs of what was to come early on. His tempo and deception are like nothing we’ve seen from a halfback so young, and he used both traits to lay on two tries.
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Point 2 - The Shape
It’s another block shape, but set up differently from how Kalyn Ponga used it in Round 2.
This time, the creativity is further in field and Katoa is the instigator on the ball. It’s up to him to create the space out wide, and he does so by making a line for the four-man, using tempo to hold up the slide, and a lead to sink in the three-man.
The idea is to engage the three-man enough that he can’t get off the lead and the attack is left with an extra number on the edge.
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