The Dolphins and new coach Kristian Woolf have received a huge boost with hooker Jeremy Marshall-King back to full fitness after a post-season knee operation.
Former coach Wayne Bennett rated Marshall-King as one of his most valuable players but injury has limited the 29-year-old to just 32 matches across two seasons.
The Dolphins were in fifth position and on track for the finals when Marshall-King broke his foot early in the 26-6 loss to the Dragons in round 17.
He returned in round 26 but the Dolphins only won two of eight without him and slipped out of the top eight.
It was a similar story in 2023 when the wily rake played just 15 games due mostly to a nagging shoulder injury.
"I had a knee clean out at the end of the season but I am fully back into training now," Marshall-King said.
"Injuries do hurt the team so the goal for me is to be injury free and try and stay on the field for the whole season.
"This is not my first pre-season. I know exactly what I have to do to get my body and recovery right."
Marshall-King is the ignition key of the Dolphins attack in the No.9 jersey.
His scheming darts have bamboozled many a marker in defence and he gets up-field quickly to give his team invaluable momentum.
His loss for the back-end of last season was compensated to some degree by the sterling job Dolphins player of the year Max Plath did in his stead.
Plath is better utilised when at lock or playing as a middle forward, but with the return of Queensland representative Tom Gilbert from an ACL injury the battle for the No.13 jersey is set to heat up.
Plath, Marshall-King and fellow hooker Harrison Graham are working as a trio under the tutelage of new assistant coach Rory Kostjasyn, a former dummy-half who won the 2015 grand final with North Queensland.
"Me, Max and Harrison have been working really hard with Rory on our craft," Marshall-King said.
"Rory has been really detailed so we are trying to make sure we get the best out of each other in every session. There is still room for improvement and a lot of things I need to work on in my game. I just have to keep learning."
Woolf has driven the players hard in pre-season with several stating that he was a harder task master than Bennett in the November and December period.
"No-one is guaranteed spots here. Woolfy has made that very clear," Marshall-King
"Nothing has really changed too much. We know what he wants us to be as players ... hard working and making all those effort areas."
