In 2020, coinciding with the opening of a new Moreton Daily Stadium[8] (known as Kayo Stadium from 7 December 2022),[9] the Redcliffe Dolphins launched a bid on 22 September 2020 for the inclusion of a separate new team in the national competition. On 13 October 2021, the 17th NRL licence was granted to the Dolphins after they competed for it against two other consortiums (the Brisbane Firehawks and Brisbane Jets) also linked to existing Queensland Cup clubs.[10]Wayne Bennett was signed as the inaugural NRL coach.[11] On 26 November 2021, the Dolphins made their first major signing for their 2023 entry, recruiting Felise Kaufusi from the Melbourne Storm.[12] Not long after, he was joined by Storm team mates, Jesse Bromwich (who was named as the Dolphins inaugural team captain in February 2023)[13] and his brother Kenny Bromwich. Although separately licensed, the Dolphins NRL venture is owned by the Redcliffe Dolphins and is their fully professional spin-off club.[14]
In December 2021, it was confirmed that Queensland Rugby League (QRL) team the Central Queensland Capras had secured a full affiliation deal with the Dolphins.[15] The Capras and Dolphins deal should see up to six Dolphins NRL players compete for the Capras in the Queensland Cup competition each week.[16] In May 2022, the PNG Hunters announced a strategic pathways partnership with the Dolphins that includes full NRL pre-season participation for four young Papua New Guinean players, beginning in the PNGNRL Digicel Cup, through to the PNG Hunters in the QRL state competition and then directly into the Australian NRL system.[17]
On 10 November 2022, the NRL officially released the 2023 fixtures.[26][27] This included the Dolphins' first NRL match,[28] against the Sydney Roosters[29] on 5 March 2023 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane to honour rugby league ImmortalArthur (Artie) Beetson, a former player and coach of both the Redcliffe Dolphins and the Roosters.[26][30][31] The Dolphins won 28–18 in front of a crowd of 32,177 fans.[32][33] Jesse Bromwich captained the side.[34]Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored the Dolphins' first points with a try.[35] Subsequent points were added by Mark Nicholls (one try), Connelly Lemuelu (one try) and Jamayne Isaako (two tries and four conversion goals).[36] The Artie Legacy Medal for player of the match was awarded to Felise Kaufusi.[37] Prior to NRL Round 7 2023, the combined leading try-scorers for the Dolphins are Jamayne Isaako and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, both on 8 tries.Players
In round 3 of the 2023 NRL season, Tesi Niu became the first player in the Dolphins NRL history to score a hat-trick when they defeated the Newcastle Knights 36–20 at McDonald Jones Stadium.[38] After winning their first three NRL matches,[27] the Dolphins hosted their first Battle for Brisbane derby in Round 4 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday 24 March 2023 and were defeated 18–12[39] by the Brisbane Broncos.[40][39] On Friday 7 April 2023 in the Dolphins' round 6 victory 32–22 against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow equalled a 115-year-old NRL record, scoring tries in six straight matches for a new club.[41] In round 8 on 23 April 2023, the Dolphins equalled the greatest comeback in premiership history to defeat the Gold Coast Titans 28–26 at Suncorp Stadium, after trailing the Titans 26–0 after the first twenty-six minutes. The record for a winning comeback in premiership history dating to 1908 was set in 1998, when the North Queensland Cowboys went from being down 26–0 to defeating the Penrith Panthers 36–28 at full-time.[42]
In Round 9 of the 2023 NRL season, the Dolphins played their first golden point game but lost 30–31 to the Canberra Raiders at McDonalds[43] Park, Wagga Wagga.[44] The NRL later conceded that match officials missed a crucial knock-on call late in Canberra's golden-point victory when the former regained possession after knocking the ball into the arm of a Dolphins' player.[45] "The NRL's head of football Graham Annesley said referee Peter Gough was obscured in his view of the knock on, but the sideline officials should have pulled the play up." Nevertheless, Annesley advised that no policy changes could be considered until the current season is over.[46]
In Round 13 of the 2023 NRL season, an illegal try on the seventh tackle of a set was awarded to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in their 26–12 loss to the Dolphins at Kayo Stadium; the decision would not have been overturned even if the Dolphins had lost the game.[47]
By the end of the Dolphins' inaugural season, goal-kicking winger Jamayne Isaako recorded both the highest number of NRL tries and points in the 2023 competition; a feat last achieved by Canberra Raiders goal-kicking centreMal Meninga in 1990.[48] At the Dolphins' Inaugural Presentation Ball held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in September 2023, Isaako was awarded the Arthur Beetson Medal Player of the Year as well as the Best Back, the Most Consistent, and the Players' Player awards.[49]
Dolphins NRL 2024 home and away jerseys (front view)NRL Indigenous Round 12 Dolphins jersey 2023 (front view)
The Dolphins retained the red and white of their Queensland Cup counterparts, with gold added to the colour scheme[52] to avoid a clash with NRL club St. George Illawarra Dragons. Otherwise, the 'Redcliffe' name is not being used in an effort to broaden appeal nationally beyond the local region.[10][53]
After a fan vote in July 2022, "Phinny" the Dolphin was confirmed as the club's NRL mascot.[54] Sandy, a companion mascot, was later revealed.[55] During a pre-season training camp, senior players composed a team theme song.[56] Separately, the team catchphrase and hashtag is 'Phins Up' (#PhinsUp).[57]
Jerseys
On 27 October 2021, the Dolphins unveiled a heritage jersey design, inspired by the Redcliffe Dolphins jersey from the 1980s. The design is predominantly red, with white sleeves and a gold trim.[58] On 2 October 2022, the debut home jersey design for 2023 was unveiled just prior to kick-off of the 2022 NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium in Sydney.[59] The inaugural away jersey was released on 11 November.[60] Otherwise, the team training shirt is predominantly black in colour.[61]
In April 2023, Brisbane law firm Gnech and Associates Lawyers joined on an initial two-year agreement as the official Legal Practice Partner of the Dolphins' NRL club.[67] In August 2023, the Dolphins announced global miner Anglo American as "its newest Premier Partner from 2024, as well as the club’s official Mining Partner, and a Community Partner".[68]
Team song
We are the Dolphins The red, white and gold From Brissy to CQ The young and the old
Sing it loud And put up your phins We are the mighty mighty Dolphins
Born ready to win To make the fans proud We take on the battle And light up the crowd
Sing it loud And put up your phins We are the mighty mighty Dolphins
We are the mighty mighty Dolphins We are the mighty mighty Dolphins We are the mighty mighty Dolphins
Sing it loud And put up your phins We are the mighty mighty Dolphins[69]
Pre-season training commenced 7 November 2022,[59][72] with 7 December designated as the inaugural open training session for fans and the general public to attend.[73] In their first NRL match,[74] the Dolphins defeated the Sydney Roosters 28–18[75] on 5 March 2023 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.[26][29]
The Dolphins play most of their twelve home games at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, with a few other matches at Sunshine Coast Stadium and Kayo Stadium,[9] which also serves as a training and administration base.[118] The redevelopment of Browne Park in Rockhampton may also see occasional Dolphins' games at that venue.[16]
1 2 The official brand name of the new club team competing in the NRL from 2023 onwards is 'Dolphins'. Although the official company name of the parent club remains the "Redcliffe District Rugby League Football Club Inc" and the name 'Redcliffe Dolphins' was dropped, the old squad still competing separately in the Queensland state competition remains branded as the "Redcliffe Dolphins".[1][2] The NRL-bid director for the team (Terry Reader) said in 2021 that they "...had to be careful about how we name it because we don't want to alienate anyone and we want to make sure we have the biggest reach." He added that: "We want to make sure we've got broader appeal and whether that's a more contemporary look and feel, it's because we're a national NRL club and the Redcliffe Dolphins will remain and play in the Q-Cup."[3]
↑ Debut 2023 home jersey design differs to this illustration.
Related Research Articles
Redcliffe Dolphins are a Semi-professional rugby league club based in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1947, they were accepted into the Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) premiership competition in 1960, and since 1996 have played in the Queensland Cup. The Redcliffe Dolphins thrived in the BRL. However, the 1988 admission of the Brisbane Broncos team in the New South Wales Rugby League competition caused the decline of the BRL.
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fifteen teams, thirteen of which are based in Queensland, with one based in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.
The Central Queensland Capras are a semi-professional rugby league football club primarily based in Rockhampton, Queensland and representing Central Queensland. They play in the Hostplus Cup in Queensland, which is a second-tier competition in Australia. Since 2023, they are one of the feeder clubs for the Dolphins in the Australian National Rugby League.
Dolphin Stadium, commercially known as Kayo Stadium, is a sports stadium in the suburb of Kippa-Ring in the City of Moreton Bay, north of the adjoining Brisbane metropolitan city, Queensland, Australia. Formerly known as Moreton Daily Stadium under a previous naming rights agreement, the stadium serves as the home ground for the Redcliffe Dolphins rugby league club in the Queensland Cup, and NRL club, the Dolphins.
Dunamis Lui is a Samoa international rugby league footballer plays as a prop and lock for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Hostplus Cup.
Jarrod Wallace is an Australian professional former rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Catalans Dragons in the English Super League.
Mark Nicholls is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Dylan Napa is a former Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Sydney Roosters. Napa has previously played for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and had a previous stint with the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL), where he won the 2018 NRL Premiership. He also played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. Through ancestry, he made three appearances for the Cook Islands in 2013. He has also played at representative level for the Prime Minister's XIII and for Queensland in the State of Origin series.
Jayden Nikorima is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who is a player stand-off for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. Nikorima previously played for the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Thomas Opacic is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
Jamayne Isaako is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a goal-kicking winger for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). At the 2023 Dally M Awards, Isaako received the Ken Irvine Medal for being the "Top Tryscorer of the Year". He was also the "Top Pointscorer of the Year", and named as Best Winger of the Year along with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak from the New Zealand Warriors.
Sean Thomas O'Sullivan is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Ray Stone is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.
Keenan Palasia is a Samoa international rugby league and Māori All Stars footballer who plays as a lock and prop for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League.
Fanitesi Niu is an Australian rugby league footballer. He plays as a winger or centre for the Leigh Leopards in the Super League. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and Dolphins in the NRL as a fullback and for Tonga.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, nicknamed "Hammer", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Kobe Hetherington is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL).
The 2023 Dolphins season is historically the inaugural season for the Dolphins club in the professional National Rugby League (NRL) football competition in Australia. With Wayne Bennett as head coach and Jesse Bromwich as the regular team captain, the Dolphins competed in the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership but did not qualify for the finals. Nevertheless, they finished in thirteenth place, ahead of four other established teams.
Isaiya Katoa is a New Zealand born Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback or five-eighth for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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