‘Worst case’ scenario laid bare as $3m cap crunch exposed by Cobbo contract
Selwyn Cobbo is a game away from a fairytale appearance with the Dolphins in the NRL grand final.
Cobbo got a taste of premiership glory with the Broncos last year, but watched much of the back-end of the season – including the grand final – from the sideline having been dropped by Michael Maguire.
Selwyn Cobbo is a game away from the NRL grand final, having watched last year’s decider from the sideline. NRL Images
A year on, Cobbo is a part of a so-called ‘Fab Five’ that has carried the side into a preliminary final against the Roosters on Friday night. Cobbo, Herbie Farnworth, Jack Bostock, Jamayne Isaako, and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow have been arguably the best backline combination in the competition all season.
Having arrived at Redcliffe at the start of the year on a “strange” one-year deal, Cobbo had already inked an extension for next year when the club last weekend announced he had signed a further four-year deal that will keep him there until the end of 2031.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ QLDER, Maroons legend Darius Boyd said he was rapt to see Cobbo “with a smile on his face”.
"He obviously signed a one-year-deal, which we thought was a bit strange because we know the capabilities and talents of Selwyn," he said.
"Whenever he has a smile on his face, when he's scoring tries, he has that grin and we know he's on.
“He’s had a great year. We spoke about it during the Origin period that if the Maroons won game three he was probably the Wally Lewis Medallist. Now, he’s going into a prelim with the Dolphins in really good form.”
On Monday, Cobbo told 9News this season had been one of redemption.
“For me, not playing (in the grand final last year), I was pretty devastated,” he said.
“I’m just trying to prove a point and get where I need to be, where I should be – playing Origin and playing finals footy now.”
Cobbo said 2026 had been the best year of his career, and the stats back up the claim. This year, he has scored 18 tries from 19 appearances. He scored 20 from 24 matches for the Broncos in 2023, and only 12 tries in his last two years at Red Hill.
But with success comes Dolphins pain. Farnworth, Bostock and Tabuai-Fidow are all off-contract next year. All are expected to demand chunky pay rises as a part of their next deals, which will start to put pressure on the Dolphins’ salary cap. Collectively they could earn upwards of $3 million on the open market.
The Dolphins’ ‘Fab Five’: (from left to right) Selwyn Cobbo, Jamayne Isaako, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Jack Bostock. Getty
On QLDER, Peter Psaltis said a “worst-case” scenario would be retaining only two of those three. He said Bostock and Tabuai-Fidow would both feel they owe the Dolphins some loyalty after they were signed from elsewhere.
Tabuai-Fidow joined the Dolphins as a foundation player for 2023 after his old club the Cowboys backed Scott Drinkwater as its long-term fullback. Bostock was struggling to make inroads in the Dragons development system when he was signed.
Isaako is Storm-bound for next year, which has relieved some of that cap pressure. Farnworth has been linked to a big-money move to the Roosters, but Tabuai-Fidow told reporters on Monday he was expecting him to stay.
Bostock, too, said he hopes to sign a new deal before becoming a free agent on November 1.
The Dolphins play the Roosters for a spot in the grand final on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium.
