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Redcliffe Dolphins chosen as preferred NRL expansion club


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5 hours ago, Pulga said:

Interesting they have dropped Redcliffe from their name and will just be called “The Dolphins”  

I can see why they want to drop Redcliffe to attract fans from the surrounding areas, but I’d prefer either Brisbane Dolphins or Queensland Dolphins. 

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Congratulations to the Dolphins,should be an exciting 18 months leading up to their first season.

With Bennett in charge & money to spend the existing NRL clubs will be looking on nervously at their playing rosters & contract situations.

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Well it would certainly appear that News Corp have got their way and that there won`t be another team within the immediate Brisbane city district.

Gold Coast to Brisbane 66km`s.

Redcliffe to Brisbane  40km`s.

Next ?  Ipswich to Brisbane     38km`s.

It would appear that 105 year old Brisbane Easts Leagues Club backed Firehawks who promised to provide a genuine "inner-city Brisbane rivalry" are going to have to be satisfied with being a very wealthy Queensland HostPlus ( formerly known as the Intrust ) Cup side.

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The new club has already made two serious mistakes.

Dropping its name 'Redcliffe' and appointing Wayne Bennett as its inaugural coach.

'Dolphins' without the name Redcliffe is an amorphous identity that doesn't work.

The club has been extremely successful as the Redcliffe Dolphins and to change its name at this stage is crazy, as would have been the idea to call the club the Brisbane Dolphins.

Given that half the clubs in the NRL are named after suburbs of Sydney, with the same true of the AFL in Melbourne and football in London, the idea that its location name had to be dropped is lunacy.

Meanwhile Wayne Bennett will be 73 years old by the time the 2023 season starts. To give him a three-year contract as the coach of the new club, rather than employing a younger, more vibrant figure, looks to me to be the height of optimism.

Having said that, perhaps being able to announce him as a figurehead at this stage will help with recruitment, so maybe that underlies the decision.

 

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33 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

The new club has already made two serious mistakes.

Dropping its name 'Redcliffe' and appointing Wayne Bennett as its inaugural coach.

'Dolphins' without the name Redcliffe is an amorphous identity that doesn't work.

The club has been extremely successful as the Redcliffe Dolphins and to change its name at this stage is crazy, as would have been the idea to call the club the Brisbane Dolphins.

Given that half the clubs in the NRL are named after suburbs of Sydney, with the same true of the AFL in Melbourne and football in London, the idea that its location name had to be dropped is lunacy

Equally, if you look at the AFL, Footscray, Fitzroy, South Melbourne all changed names when they moved. Port Adelaide are the equivalent here, stepping up from South Australia state League to AFL which already had an Adelaide team. Kept their name but changed stadium, colours and nickname.

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33 minutes ago, JonM said:

Equally, if you look at the AFL, Footscray, Fitzroy, South Melbourne all changed names when they moved. Port Adelaide are the equivalent here, stepping up from South Australia state League to AFL which already had an Adelaide team. Kept their name but changed stadium, colours and nickname.

Port Adelaide were more or less forced to do that though as a requirement of them stepping up. They have worn their Magpie top with black and white stripes in heritage rounds.

Fitzroy couldn't carry on being called Fitzroy once they were playing in Brisbane, same for South Melbourne into Sydney.

Not sure about Footscray becoming "Western" but it seems to have been adopted without too much fuss.

There is also North Melbourne who, for a time, completely dropped their geographical moniker to be 'Kangaroos' and have now put it back again.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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1 hour ago, Martyn Sadler said:

The new club has already made two serious mistakes.

Dropping its name 'Redcliffe' and appointing Wayne Bennett as its inaugural coach.

'Dolphins' without the name Redcliffe is an amorphous identity that doesn't work.

The club has been extremely successful as the Redcliffe Dolphins and to change its name at this stage is crazy, as would have been the idea to call the club the Brisbane Dolphins.

Given that half the clubs in the NRL are named after suburbs of Sydney, with the same true of the AFL in Melbourne and football in London, the idea that its location name had to be dropped is lunacy.

Meanwhile Wayne Bennett will be 73 years old by the time the 2023 season starts. To give him a three-year contract as the coach of the new club, rather than employing a younger, more vibrant figure, looks to me to be the height of optimism.

Having said that, perhaps being able to announce him as a figurehead at this stage will help with recruitment, so maybe that underlies the decision.

 

Martyn, Wayne Bennet doesn't coach anymore. He glides around the places dipping in and out and his assistants do nearly all of the heavy lifting. Jason Demetriou has been coaching Souths most of this season. Bennett is the figurehead, makes the tough calls and creates the strategy for the team.

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7 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Port Adelaide were more or less forced to do that though as a requirement of them stepping up. They have worn their Magpie top with black and white stripes in heritage rounds.

Fitzroy couldn't carry on being called Fitzroy once they were playing in Brisbane, same for South Melbourne into Sydney.

Not sure about Footscray becoming "Western" but it seems to have been adopted without too much fuss.

There is also North Melbourne who, for a time, completely dropped their geographical moniker to be 'Kangaroos' and have now put it back again.

Yes they may are Northern or North to the Dolphins name in future if they feel the need. It will be no big be deal. Queensland is RL through and through - everyone will know who the dolphins are.

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1 hour ago, Martyn Sadler said:

The new club has already made two serious mistakes.

Dropping its name 'Redcliffe' and appointing Wayne Bennett as its inaugural coach.

'Dolphins' without the name Redcliffe is an amorphous identity that doesn't work.

The club has been extremely successful as the Redcliffe Dolphins and to change its name at this stage is crazy, as would have been the idea to call the club the Brisbane Dolphins.

Given that half the clubs in the NRL are named after suburbs of Sydney, with the same true of the AFL in Melbourne and football in London, the idea that its location name had to be dropped is lunacy.

Meanwhile Wayne Bennett will be 73 years old by the time the 2023 season starts. To give him a three-year contract as the coach of the new club, rather than employing a younger, more vibrant figure, looks to me to be the height of optimism.

Having said that, perhaps being able to announce him as a figurehead at this stage will help with recruitment, so maybe that underlies the decision.

 

Hiring the greatest coach of all time is a mistake?

I don't like dropping the place name altogether. Changing it to "Sunshine State Dolphins" or "Moreton Bay Dolphins" would be fine.

new rise.jpg

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Dolphins on its own just seems weird to me . I know they’re talking about attracting a wider fan base but I just think teams are linked to and embedded in places and the names should show that . This could turn out to be counterproductive , it’s just a bit nebulous . I see these names in super rugby and they mean zero to me 

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1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

There is also North Melbourne who, for a time, completely dropped their geographical moniker to be 'Kangaroos' and have now put it back again.

Cronulla-Sutherland became just the Sharks for a while Iirc and Canterbury were Sydney bulldogs and just plain bulldogs for a while. Two examples of it not working I guess.

Arsenal seen to do ok without having become London, or Islington. Spurs could drop Tottenham without much effect and I've never heard villa fans shout for Aston. Saracens, Wasps and Harlequins seem to do ok with just a nickname.

Maybe the people who've built up redcliffe dolphins to be such a big club know more about the QLD RL market than we do?

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1 hour ago, Pulga said:

Hiring the greatest coach of all time is a mistake?

I don't like dropping the place name altogether. Changing it to "Sunshine State Dolphins" or "Moreton Bay Dolphins" would be fine.

Alex Ferguson was probably the GOAT in football, but he retired in 2013 at the age of 71.

Bennett has been a great figure within the game, but to have him as a figurehead for a new club is a serious mistake.

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1 minute ago, JonM said:

Maybe the people who've built up redcliffe dolphins to be such a big club know more about the QLD RL market than we do?

I find this highly unlikely given that I am an anonymous person on the internet with literally minutes of googling experience on this topic.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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1 minute ago, JonM said:

Cronulla-Sutherland became just the Sharks for a while Iirc and Canterbury were Sydney bulldogs and just plain bulldogs for a while. Two examples of it not working I guess.

Arsenal seen to do ok without having become London, or Islington. Spurs could drop Tottenham without much effect and I've never heard villa fans shout for Aston. Saracens, Wasps and Harlequins seem to do ok with just a nickname.

Maybe the people who've built up redcliffe dolphins to be such a big club know more about the QLD RL market than we do?

I think you'll find that the club dropped 'Redcliffe' reluctantly at the behest of the NRL. They were reluctant precisely because they do know more about the Queensland market than we do. I'm not sure why the NRL insisted upon it, but I hope wiser counsels will prevail.

The clubs you mention have had those names since records began and they were or are all in London. There are few examples of sporting clubs named 'London' being successful.

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12 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

I think you'll find that the club dropped 'Redcliffe' reluctantly at the behest of the NRL. They were reluctant precisely because they do know more about the Queensland market than we do.

Their bid document went into some detail about naming and using the Redcliffe Dolphins name for the QRL team, so I'm a little puzzled as to why it's being presented as a new decision. I suppose it's an easy fix if it turns out to have been wrong.

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29 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

Alex Ferguson was probably the GOAT in football, but he retired in 2013 at the age of 71.

Bennett has been a great figure within the game, but to have him as a figurehead for a new club is a serious mistake.

Bennett is God himself in Queensland. If he says he's good to go then I'd take his word on it. The credibility he brings is something nobody else can offer.

new rise.jpg

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17 minutes ago, JonM said:

Their bid document went into some detail about naming and using the Redcliffe Dolphins name for the QRL team, so I'm a little puzzled as to why it's being presented as a new decision. I suppose it's an easy fix if it turns out to have been wrong.

Cardiff - and possibly Llanelli - did/do this for their top level/next level teams in RU. The franchise team is Blues. The one playing the set up below is Cardiff Blues.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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I have sympathy for both of Martyn's points but think it is far too early (and we are both 10,000 miles too far away) to be sure what is a 'serious mistake' or not.

The name thing jars a bit with me, but when I watch NRL on the telly I rarely hear the places they represent named.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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Redcliffe have been many times referred to as the `Manly` of the Queensland Cup.  Just as successful and being seen as being arrogant, which probably has something to do with their coastal location and the perceived ideas about being ` rich` if you live near the coast. Not necessarily true of course, but perceived that way.

Manly despite most of its` fans being working class were always seen as the `silvertails`.

Dropping Redcliffe would be an attempt to disassociate themselves from that reputation and to appeal to a wider fan base.

I`d suggest something like North Brisbane Dolphins might work better rather than just plain Dolphins.

 

 

 

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The issue I see with regarding to simply 'Dolphins' is that folks will by default go back to calling them Redcliffe Dolphins which itself has limited potential. Brisbane Dolphins or North Brisbane Dolphins would have sufficed. 

I also agree with Mr Sadler on the potential hiring of Wayne Bennett. The new club should have an identity of it's own separate and unique from Brisbane Broncos. Wayne is Mr Broncos and them hiring him would be akin to Manchester City hiring Alex Ferguson. The Dolphins need to cultivate a new image that distincts them from anything else. 

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5 hours ago, Damien said:

I'm just glad to finally see expansion of the NRL, it is long overdue. Another team in Queensland also removes an obstacle when it comes to Perth and NZ2.

Perth has no chance of getting a team anytime soon.

The next club will be either NZ2 or Bris3/Qld5, it’ll depend on interest from broadcasters in NZ. Then it’ll be roughly a decade at the earliest before the NRL expands again.

So you are looking at roughly 2035 at the earliest before WA or SA will even have a chance, and even then it won’t be a sure thing.

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