Now, the proud club is tantalisingly close, having recently submitted its comprehensive bid to become the NRL's 17th team. But the feeling among club stakeholders that a place on the big stage is well deserved goes back a lot further than that. Established in , Redcliffe's imposing record of on field success has been cultivated by a hall of fame worthy list of players, coaches and administrators. According to long-serving Chairman Bob Jones, the first bricks of grander ambition were laid decades earlier.
Early success proved anything but fleeting, as the Dolphins continued fielding sides loaded with some of Queensland's finest talent, scouted from all parts of the state. People like Chris Close, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Brian Niebling, Dick Tosser Turner- the heads of whom are all immortalised in bronze busts at the Dolphins leagues club- are testament to the imprint made by the red and white jersey on the Redcliffe peninsula.
It's been 25 or 26 years that we've been really serious about it," Jones said. That's not to say the Dolphins took their focus off local matters in the 90's. Quite the opposite in fact; they collected six premierships from eleven Queensland Cup Grand Final appearances since the competition began in , making them the most successful team in its history.
Historical success has lent itself to the building of considerable brand power, but it hasn't paid all the bills. Redcliffe's on-field productivity has been accompanied by off-field shrewdness, with Dolphins powerbrokers establishing a diversified business empire that takes full advantage of an 11 hectare block of land, owned by the club, and as Jones claims, now sees them outpointing most NRL clubs for revenue streams and financial security.
You never know what's going to happen with poker machines, so we needed to make sure we can keep going no matter what happens. It's a combination of numbers that stands to make the Dolphins the richest club in the NRL. More importantly, Bid Director Terry Reader believes it ticks the most important criteria- sustainability:.
Reader is a former commercial director at the Broncos, and exudes confidence that the Dolphins could stand on their own two feet from tomorrow if required. They are NRL ready," Reader claimed. So the Dolphins had top flight football taken away from them after that Grand Final. Their core reason for operating ever since then, has been to play rugby league at the highest level. Bricks and mortar aside, the Dolphins plan revolves around a different type of growth, that of the population in and beyond their home catchment.
Reader describes the initiative as a true Brisbane NRL bid, one that encompasses the northern suburbs of Brisbane and the growing corridor between the Queensland capital, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast regions. Redcliffe itself lies within Moreton Bay, Australia's third largest council, boasting a population of , That figure is tipped to increase by as much as 10, annually for the next two decades. Outside of the Bay area, the commercial prospects have excited politicians at every level of government.
Dolphins CEO Tony Murphy is an old school rugby league man, and speaks with genuine passion about the bid's recruitment intentions, and the plan to develop genuine elite pathways for Queensland juniors.
We'll look to form affiliations with up to three other clubs and build pathways for local kids to stay in their home state. Not unlike their own affiliation with the Broncos, which has seen some high profile names either begin their careers or spend some crucial development time playing footy on the peninsula.
Kotoni Staggs and Jake Turpin played in our last premiership team in To grow the game of rugby league. Which leads to the final question. Is Brisbane a two horse town? According to Reader, who spent 15 years turning the Broncos into one of Australian sports most recognisable brands:. When you look at the commercial markers the Broncos have, they're often double that of any other NRL team.
Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Salary cap to the rescue: Why NRL won't be so lopsided in Expanding NRL squads 'way to go': Holbrook. France to host Rugby League World Cup. Martin eyes NRL return with Broncos. We haven't even been home since Christmas last year, and we couldn't get back to New Zealand post this season. There isn't a hint of bitterness in his voice as he recounts the most burdensome period in the history of the Warriors.
His tone quickly becomes enthusiastic, as he describes the closest thing to a permanent base the Warriors have seen in a long time. Because since November 29, George, coach Nathan Brown and staff, plus the Warriors playing group have been residents of Redcliffe.
They're keeping the Dolphins' world class facilities warm for at least half of the season, ahead of the local teams' entry in Being made to feel welcome is one thing- and to be fair you'd expect nothing else from an Aussie to a visitor from our Trans-Tasman neighbors. It seems the Redcliffe and Moreton Bay community has pulled out all the stops to let the Warriors know they are in friendly territory.
And there are other factors that will help create a sense of home for the team in We'll get to engage a lot with the community. Some of them have bought places, some are renting or staying with relatives. Kids are going to the schools, people are working in the region as well. Throughout the COVID era, for Australian-based teams, shorter term interstate relocations have generated a strong internal focus. Bunkering down, huddling together and focusing on their own wellbeing, teams have used footy as an emotional outlet, encouraged by being there for team mates who may be struggling, embraced allowances for extended families to enter various inner sanctums- that type of thing.
For the Warriors though, the new HQ brings with it a sense of duty, towards a club that- before too long- will become an NRL adversary. Penrith broke a title drought at the end of an extended stint in South East Queensland this year. Meanwhile the Warriors finished 10th in the shortened edition 8 wins, 12 losses and 12th this year 8 wins, 16 losses. Not exactly title winning output, but given their plight, a lot of outside appraisal hasn't been results driven.
Instead, there has been widespread commendation for bravery and dedication, almost a bit of a 'cut them some slack' mentality. As far as George is concerned, head coach Nathan Brown and his squad won't be holding their hands out for this kind of feedback in When you're in adversity like we are and we have been for a while, you can make the most of it.
As a collective we want to be a club that everyone's proud of, but we also want to win the competition. Anyone bar the most sentimental rugby league person would concede winning the competition isn't necessarily the most realistic prospect for the Warriors. But even the most dispassionate fan would admit that rugby league wouldn't be rugby league without a long history of fairytales, and coach Nathan Brown will have the advantage of being within shouting distance of a man who has engineered plenty of them at Dolphins HQ.
Despite their well documented differences over the years, could Brown and Bennet come together in a collaborative fashion? I'm sure they'll cross paths- our door's always open for their staff to come and have a look and understand what goes on.
A lot has been made of the Dolphins' slow start to recruitment since being invited into the NRL. One can't help but wonder; what if, come the end of season , some of the Warriors decide they don't want to leave? But we've got a great understanding with the Dolphins around what's right and wrong in terms of recruiting.
The other side of that coin, is of course attracting players to a club with a warm hearth to gather around, but no genuine current home base. Any eagle-eyed observer driving past Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe over the past fortnight may have caught a glimpse of an elite rugby league squad- draped in a dark blue, green, red and white training kit. Among them; eight recently resigned players and five new recruits, new faces and returning sons among them. The remainder of the squad- some who have been along for the whole ride, some who have chimed in late, are looking settled and preparing for another year of being asked to go above and beyond.
From there, the next six home games will be in Redcliffe. Beyond that, and despite the feels and vibes on the peninsula, George is daring to dream of a return to the team's true home, sometime around June.
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