Redcliffe Dolphins
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Redcliffe District Rugby League Football Club Inc. |
| Nickname(s) | Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphins Reddy |
| Colours | Red White |
| Founded | 27 February 1947 |
| Website | redcliffedolphins.com.au |
| Current details | |
| Ground |
|
| CEO | Grant Cleal |
| Coach | Scott Murray |
| Manager | Marc Hutchinson |
| Captain | Dunamis Lui & Sheldon Pitama |
| Competition | Hostplus Cup, Brisbane Rugby League |
| 2023 season | 5th |
| Current season | |
| Records | |
| Premierships | 2 (1965, 1994) |
| Runners-up | 6 (1973, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1987) |
| Minor premierships | 4 (1977, 1978, 1983, 1994) |
| Wooden spoons | 0 |
| Premierships (2nd grade) | 7 (1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2018) |
| Runners-up (2nd grade) | 6 (1999, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2022) |
| Premierships (3rd grade) | 8 (1997, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2025) |
| Runners-up (3rd grade) | 6 (1996, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018) |
| Most capped | 270 – Troy Lindsay |
| Highest points scorer | 1211 – Liam Georgetown |
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.
A separately licensed team, simply called the Dolphins, competes in the fully professional National Rugby League (NRL),[1] while the Redcliffe Dolphins squad continues to play in the Queensland competition.
The BRL reached its competitive and attendance peak in the 1980s and then began to decline in favour of an expanded NSWRFL Winfield Cup competition. In 1988, the Brisbane Broncos, featuring many BRL players, began competing in the NSWRL, overshadowing the BRL. A new Queensland Cup competition began in 1996, in which the Redcliffe Dolphins were inaugural runners-up.[2] In 1997, the Dolphins won both the final BRL competition and the Queensland Cup.[3]
Through their NRL license, the Dolphins organisation has become the only former BRL club to regain top-flight status.[4]
History
Founded on 27 February 1947, Redcliffe District Rugby League Football Club Inc. (known as Shellgrit) entered Under 17, Reserve Grade and First Grade teams in that year's Sandgate Suburban Rugby League competition. Through the 1950s, Redcliffe also played in the Kilcoy, Murrumba and Geraghty Cup competitions. On 19 November 1959, Redcliffe received full district club status and was accepted into the Brisbane first grade competition.[5]
Throughout the 1960s, a number of famous players came through the ranks of the Dolphins to represent Queensland and Australia, including Trevor Harken and Arthur Beetson. In 1965, Redcliffe won its first Brisbane Rugby League Premiership. In 1972, Redcliffe were coached by former Kangaroo Ken Day. Redcliffe's halfback Greg Oliphant was selected to go on the 1978 Kangaroo tour but did not play in any Test matches. Australian national coach Frank Stanton coached Redcliffe in 1980. The Redcliffe club won further premierships in 1994, 1996 and 1997 and has also appeared in 12 Queensland Cup grand finals, making it the most successful team in that competition.
In 2004, a Gold Coast NRL team was proposed under the name of Gold Coast Dolphins. In response to the threat of legal action from Redcliffe the team entered the NRL in 2007 as the Gold Coast Titans.
Redcliffe defeated Toowoomba in the 2006 Queensland Cup grand final at Suncorp Stadium under the coaching of Anthony Griffin.[6][7] In 2018, Redcliffe won their sixth Queensland Cup title, defeating Easts Tigers 36-22.[8]
NRL Team
From 2023 onwards, the Redcliffe Dolphins' fully professional spin-off team, known simply as the Dolphins, compete separately in the National Rugby League.[9][10] Notwithstanding, the semi-professional Redcliffe Dolphins continue to compete as they are in the Queensland Cup and other Queensland rugby league competitions.
Home ground
Redcliffe's current home ground, Kayo Stadium, formerly known as Moreton Daily Stadium and Dolphin Oval, was first opened in 1979. After multiple upgrades between 2016 and 2020, the stadium has an approximate capacity of 11,500 including 10,000 seats.[11]
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Leagues Club wall
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Kayo Stadium
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Stadium goal posts
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Moreton Daily signage (now Kayo Stadium)
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Stadium view from club
-
Redcliffe Leagues Club
Queensland Cup results
- 1996: Runners-up
- 1997: Premiers
- 1998: Preliminary finalists
- 1999: Runners-up
- 2000: Premiers
- 2001: Runners-up
- 2002: Premiers
- 2003: Premiers
- 2004: 6th
- 2005: Preliminary finalists
- 2006: Premiers
- 2007: Runners-up
- 2008: Semi Finalists
- 2009: 11th
- 2010: 8th
- 2011: Preliminary Finals
- 2012: Runners-up
- 2013: 8th
- 2014: 11th
- 2015: 7th
- 2016: Runners-up
- 2017: 2nd
- 2018: Premiers
- 2019: 7th
- 2020: Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2021: 5th
- 2022: Runners-up
- 2023: 5th
- 2024: Semi Finalists
- 2025: 6th
Notable players
See also
References
- ^ "Dolphins granted licence to become NRL's 17th team in 2023". National Rugby League. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "QLD Cup 1996". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Our History". dolphinsnrl.com.au. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ Gorman, Joe (26 February 2017). "Redcliffe Dolphins: 70 years growing and with ambitious plans for future in NRL". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "About". Redcliffe Dolphins. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ^ Berrett, Nick (21 February 2011). "Griffin takes over as Broncos coach". Redcliffe & Bayside Herald. Australia: News Limited. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ "About - Redcliffe Dolphins". Redcliffe Dolphins. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Injured Tigers dazzled by Dolphins dangerman". www.qrl.com.au. 23 September 2018.
- ^ "The $100m bid to blow Broncos away". Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "Dolphins granted licence to become NRL's 17th team in 2023". National Rugby League. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Dolphin Stadium | Austadiums". www.austadiums.com. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
Sources
- Redcliffe Dolphins Statistics (archived). Originally retrieved 7 December 2005
External links
Media related to Redcliffe Dolphins at Wikimedia Commons