Herbie Farnworth was ruled out of the Dolphins' clash with the Canberra Raiders before kickoff on Friday night, with tightness cited for the late withdrawal at GIO Stadium. Oryn Keeley was set to come off the bench and take Farnworth's place in the centres as the Dolphins adjusted their side for the Round 12 late mail update.

The match kicked off at 7.50pm AEST, with Canberra and the Dolphins meeting under the lights at GIO Stadium. The Dolphins named Trai Fuller at fullback, with Jamayne Isaako, Jack Bostock, Keeley and Tevita Naufahu in the backline, showing the reshuffle that followed Farnworth's absence.

The loss of Farnworth matters because he was withdrawn after the side had already been named, leaving the Dolphins to change their centre pairing on the fly. Keeley's move from the bench into the starting frame was the clearest sign of how late the change landed, and it meant the Dolphins went into the game without one of their key backs.

That is the hard edge of NRL late mail: one word in the update can alter a backline minutes before the first whistle. The Dolphins had already settled on a shape that included Fuller at the back and Isaako, Bostock, Keeley and Naufahu outside him, but the late tightness call forced the team to rely on depth instead of its preferred combination.

For the Dolphins, the question now is not whether the change was made, but how well the reshuffled backline handles a Canberra side already in motion at home. Farnworth's absence leaves a gap the visitors cannot hide, and Keeley's night began with an unexpected promotion that could shape the way the Dolphins attack the rest of Round 12.