The Dolphins - inspired by electric fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - have made Wests Tigers pay for brain snaps by Brent Naden and Justin Olam in an unconvincing 24-12 win.
Tabuai-Fidow scored a double on his return from a month out with a hamstring injury in good news for Queensland ahead of the State of Origin series.
The Tigers have now slumped to their seventh loss in a row while the Dolphins consolidated their position in the top four.
Naden lost the plot on the cusp of halftime and was sin-binned for a needless forearm to the head of Dolphins winger Jack Bostock.
With Naden still banished, Olam followed him after a dangerous hip-drop style tackle on Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako.
Tabuai-Fidow raced 80m while the Tigers still had 11-men on the field to give the Dolphins an 18-6 lead.
Tigers skipper Api Koroisau, in his 200th first grade game, scored while Olam was still off to keep his side in the final match of Magic Round.
Tabuai-Fidow, a try-scoring machine at Suncorp Stadium, put the game away with another dazzling display of speed as the Tigers tired after having to do extra work in defence while two men down.
The Dolphins let themselves down with poor discipline, giving away rash penalties and making multiple errors.
Wests Tigers were also wasteful, with their last-play options dire.
Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa turned in another elite display with his kicking game but his side's attack was clunky with several passes going into touch.
The Dolphins opened the scoring with winger Jack Bostock nabbing his 11th try in just 14 NRL games after a sweeping backline movement.
Prop Mark Nicholls celebrated his re-signing during the week by crashing over from an immaculate pass by hooker Jeremy Marshall-King from dummy-half.
Rampaging Olam crashed over on the cusp of the break after a superb offload by rookie winger Solomon Alaimano but indiscipline continued to cost the Tigers.