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Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa has set the goal of being fitter and more reliable at icing the big moments in the upcoming NRL season.

Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa wants to be the "ice man" of the NRL and tough lessons learned in 2024 will help him become the regular match winner he aims to be.

The 20-year-old Tonga international is regarded as one of the most promising young halves in the game, a reputation he has earned in 44 NRL games and nine Tests.

Katoa is a hard taskmaster and he can draw on turning points in games he has handled well and others where he could have been better. 

The Dolphins playmaker has shown that he is not afraid of the big moment and has constantly put himself in the frame, as he did in the 2024 Pacific Cup against New Zealand when he landed the match-winning field goal. Against Australia in two Tests he had top class touches and moments where he was off the mark.

The key missed opportunity last year was in the golden point 28-26 loss Penrith. Nathan Cleary landed the winning field goal after Katoa had spurned a chance to kick one himself, opting for a cross-field bomb.

He recognises it is converting those moments into match-winning plays on a more regular basis that is the next step as well as improving his fitness.

"I go back to when we played Penrith. I had an opportunity there that I missed and I remember speaking to Wayne (Bennett) after and he was really calm in the way he approached me," Katoa said.

"He was just making me feel a little bit better about the situation and making sure that if I see something, next time to just back myself and go for it. That's something I want to work on this year, as well as getting fitter. 

"I know as a halfback you need to be one of the fittest in the team, and I guess that's a little bit of a downfall in my game at the moment. 

"That's my focus over the pre-season and icing those moments. I have to be on the ball a bit more. With having the ball in my hands, I have to make the right decisions nine times out of 10."

His Dolphins and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf has helped him with the approach to bouncing back after errors.

"I made a few in that first Australia game here at Suncorp and I actually remember speaking to Woolfy after and he was just reminding me if I don't take those opportunities, if I don't take the things I see and back myself, we don't even put ourselves in a position to win the game," Katoa said.

"He'd rather me back myself and make the error and learn through that than hold myself back."

But Katoa's first aim in pre-season is fitness.

"I can't make any of those decisions or cut out those errors without being fitter, and that's something I'm really working hard on," he said.