The Dolphins have vowed to re-sign Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow beyond 2027, though right now that will cost them around $1.4 million a season, according to the club’s superstar fullback this week.
Tabuai-Fidow is off contract next season, which means he can speak to rival NRL clubs from November 1 when he hits free agency. He is chasing a $400,000 upgrade on his current deal.
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The 25-year-old entertainer has flourished since leaving North Queensland to play for the Dolphins in their foundation season in 2023, and he’s made it very clear he wants to stay in the Brisbane red for as long as he can — but he also wants to make sure he’s getting exactly what he’s worth for his efforts.
“I do want to stay here,” Tabuai-Fidow said, on where his negotiations are today. “I’ll leave all contract stuff to my management and what they want to do. I just want to focus on this finals series and hopefully get wins.
“This club has been good to me,” the Redcliffe fullback added. “I love the club, love the boys. It’s a pretty good club to be at, so hopefully it all works out.”
Reader thinks the same — he has promised Dolphins fans that he’s working as hard as he can to keep Tabuai-Fidow long-term, even if that means paying up a little more to keep the player that has become a ‘poster boy’ for the team.
“[The top-four finish] is a great sign of the strength of our squad, but also it means the value of players grows, and there are some market conditions that go around that… we’re keen to lock up our key players,” he said.
“We’ve got a number of players coming off-contract, and our focus at the moment is going through those negotiations to make sure we can keep them at Dolphins.”
“The Hammer” is obviously top of that list, the Dolphins boss admitted, before comparing Redcliffe’s No.1 to another NRL poster boy: Reece Walsh. “Hammer and Reece [Walsh] are in a different league,” he explained.
“Wherever you go, the first word being yelled out by kids with our team is, ‘Hammer, Hammer, Hammer,’” he said. “People love superstars, and what Hammer does on the field is amazing. Kids aspire to be like him and, let’s be honest, I still don’t think anyone runs anywhere near as fast as him.”
The Dolphins play their first-ever finals game Saturday, against the New Zealand Warriors.
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