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Dolphin Bromwich not ready to say goodbye just yet

Jacob ShteymanAAP
Jesse Bromwich will play his 338th game when the Dolphins meet Newcastle. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)
Camera IconJesse Bromwich will play his 338th game when the Dolphins meet Newcastle. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Jesse Bromwich is confident the Dolphins can nail down a spot in the NRL finals before he rides off into the sunset.

The Kiwi behemoth has a life of carpentry lined up after the conclusion of his 15th and final season in first grade, which could come as soon as Sunday's do-or-die clash with Newcastle.

But he isn't letting himself get distracted with farewells, with a win over the Knights potentially setting up a fairytale ending to his career.

"I'm pretty confident, so I'm not even thinking about the last game," Bromwich said.

"I had a few questions from my kids, especially about how I'm feeling towards my last game. Honestly, it's not about me, it's just about the team and doing my job."

With three premierships over 13 years at Melbourne, Bromwich's stature as one of the NRL's most successful front-rowers is already secured.

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But the Dolphins' inaugural team captain has a chance to leave an even more imposing legacy at Redcliffe, having steered the nascent club through its tricky first two years.

A first-ever finals berth would put a perfect cap on a successful introduction to the league, on and off the pitch.

"As a team we've grown so much over the last two years," the 35-year-old said.

"I expected it to be pretty good, but what I've been through up here, it's been amazing. It's been more than I could have asked for. I certainly don't regret leaving.

"We just need to go out there this week and have a good performance to top it all off."

Having the end in sight has given Bromwich a renewed enjoyment of the game in the knowledge that every fixture and every training session could be his last.

"I'm sort of looking forward to the end, but just not yet," he said.

"I'm going to go finish off my carpentry apprenticeship, and I have a small role at the Dolphins as well around game days and things like that."

Bromwich will play his 338th game against the Knights, putting him clear of Darius Boyd as the NRL's 10th most-capped player.

A victory will give him the opportunity to eclipse former Wests Tigers and Cronulla premiership winner Chris Heighington as well.

The Dolphins are monitoring the fitness of star centre Herbie Farnworth, who left training early with ice on a hamstring on Tuesday. He also did limited training on Thursday. AAP has been told it is just "tightness" at this stage.

"I expect him to be good to go," Bromwich said.

The Dolphins received a boost on Tuesday night at the judiciary when hitman Felise Kaufusi received a downgrade for a dangerous-contact charge to take his place in the side.

"The boys are stoked for him. He is a big part of this team and one of our leaders," Bromwich said.

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