Sydney Roosters' 36-6 win over South Sydney on Friday night ended the Dolphins' hopes of featuring in their maiden finals series ahead of their final round clash with Canberra in Redcliffe on Sunday.
It was another late season heartbreaker, this time out of their own hands, after last year's final-round loss to Newcastle when a win would have secured a finals berth.
A 0-4 start to the season left the Dolphins needing to become just the seventh team in NRL history to make the finals after such a poor start.
They had a mid-season revival, getting as high as sixth after round 15, before late-season losses to the Roosters, Brisbane and Manly cruelled their chances.
"Five or six weeks ago, we had an opportunity to put things in our own hands," Woolf said.
"We didn't quite get that done for different reasons and that's what we've got to live with.
"We've got so much to play for tomorrow still.
"It's our opportunity to have our best result in terms of where we sit on the ladder, in terms how many wins we've got."
The Dolphins will finish ninth and with 12 wins in a season for the first time if they defeat the Raiders.
Season-ending injuries to key forwards Tom Gilbert, Daniel Saifiti and Max Plath took their toll towards the back-end. Throw in the fact that winger Jack Bostock also suffered an ACL rupture to end his year and prop Tom Flegler missed the entire season with a shoulder nerve issue and it became a bridge too far.
When England international centre Herbie Farnworth tore his hamstring in the round 22 clash with the Warriors to miss the rest of the season it was the final nail in the coffin.
The Dolphins will field their best squad ever next year, with Brisbane and Queensland back Selwyn Cobbo arriving along with St Helens forward Morgan Knowles and Penrith half Brad Schneider.
"The positive out of injuries and disruption and everything else is that so many guys have got first grade experience," Woolf said.
"Tevita Naufahu is a great example of that. He's only turned 20 this year, he's the first player to come through our academy system and play first grade, and you look at his improvement over the back end of the season.
"He's not the only one, but he's a good example, and that just puts us in such a good position next year in terms of depth, quality and experience."
Bromwich, 33, had a great career at Melbourne and will be 18th or 19th man on Sunday, the same day fellow forward Mark Nicholls plays his final match.
"He has been an exceptional player. He's played 260 NRL games, 44 for the Dolphins, 15 Tests for New Zealand, played in four grand finals and won two," Woolf said of Bromwich.
"Both him and Mark ... are a very big part of why the club's in a good position and a very part of the culture that we've got around the group and particularly that humility that the group's got."
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