The Dolphins need to win four of their remaining seven games to play finals, but first and foremost is fixing a worrying second-half trend.
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Wayne Bennett's men are seventh ahead of the home clash with Gold Coast on Sunday, but have lost five of their past seven matches.
In those games the Dolphins have only trailed once at halftime.
In the five losses their points conceded in second halves (72) have been similar to the first half. In attack, however, the Dolphins have scored just 31 points in the second half compared to 70 in the first.
"Can we call the game off at halftime? Is there any chance of changing the rules for us?
"Can we start that headline? Only play half a game for the Dolphins," Bennett joked when his side's second half failings were pointed out."
On a serious note, the coach said his side had work to do.
"We're working on it. It's an issue we recognised some time ago," Bennett said.
"We're giving a lot out there and we've got to keep giving a little bit more and not taking the foot off the throat.
"It's not fitness. It's just the intensity of the games."
The Dolphins do have four first-choice starters missing with the injured Thomas Flegler, Tom Gilbert, Euan Aitken and Jeremy Marshall-King leaving a huge hole.
"We don't have the luxury other teams do have with regards to players and that type of stuff," Bennett said.
"These guys have been tremendous, they're doing their best every time they go out and in the end they're beating themselves. We're on top of it, looking at it and think we can get better."
The Dolphins have several tough away games to finish. Bennett said they would be like "tourists" in Perth against the Sydney Roosters, in Melbourne against the Storm and in Bundaberg against Canterbury.
Last year the Dolphins faded to drop out of the eight late in the season.
Bennett was asked if his side would finish with a bang this season.
""A bang or a whimper. It'll be one or the other," Bennett said.
"You'll have to wait and see."
Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been in electric form with 11 tries in his nine games this year.
The 22-year-old speedster has only played two full games in a row twice this year due to injury and State of Origin. He scored a double in last week's 28-26 loss to Penrith in golden point.
"He's an elite player and means a lot to us," Bennett said.
"He got the players' player the other day, that's how well he played backing up after Origin.
"It was a great effort by him."
Australian Associated Press
