The Dolphins are a professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

football team based in the

Redcliffe Peninsula The Redcliffe Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Moreton Bay Region LGA in the northeast of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. The area covers the suburbs of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, ...

area of the

Moreton Bay Region The Moreton Bay Region is a local government area in the north of the Brisbane metropolitan city in South East Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it replaced three established local government areas, the City of Redcliffe and the Shir ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, that competes in the Australian

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

(NRL). Launched as a bid for inclusion into the NRL by

Queensland Cup 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 fou ...

side

Redcliffe Dolphins The 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 i ...

in 2020, the Dolphins were granted a separate licence in October 2021 to compete as the national league's 17th side from the 2023 season onwards. It is the fourth NRL team in the state of

, and the second in the capital city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, alongside the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

. The Dolphins are the first team to join the NRL competition since the

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

joined in 2007.

History

Coinciding with the opening of a new grandstand at

Moreton Daily Stadium Dolphin Stadium (also known as Kayo Stadium and previously Moreton Daily Stadium under naming rights) is a sports stadium in the suburb of Kippa-Ring in the Moreton Bay Region, north of the adjoining Brisbane metropolitan city, Queensland, Aus ...

, (known as Kayo Stadium from 7 December 2022), the

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. Wayne Bennett was signed as the inaugural NRL coach. On 26 November 2021, the Dolphins made their first major signing for their 2023 entry, recruiting

Felise Kaufusi Felise Kaufusi (born 19 May 1992) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Dolphins in the NRL, and has played for Tonga and Australia at international level. He previously played for the Melbourne Storm and won t ...

from the

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

. Not long after, he was joined by

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

team mates, Jesse Bromwich and his brother Kenny Bromwich. Although separately licensed, the Dolphins NRL venture is owned by the

and is their fully professional spin-off club. In December 2021, it was confirmed that QRL team the

Central Queensland Capras Central Queensland Capras are a semi-professional rugby league football club primarily based in Rockhampton, Queensland and representing Central Queensland. They currently play in the Queensland Cup, the premier rugby league competition in Quee ...

had secured a full affiliation deal with the Dolphins. The Capras and Dolphins deal should see up to six Dolphins NRL players compete for the Capras in the Queensland Cup competition each week. In May 2022. the

PNG Hunters The Papua New Guinea Hunters (PNG Hunters) are a professional rugby league football club based in Papua New Guinea. They were formed in December 2013 and currently compete in the Queensland Rugby League, currently called the Hostplus Cup, a se ...

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

in the Queensland Rugby League state competition and then directly into the Australian NRL system. On 7 November 2022, inaugural pre-season training for 2023 began. On 10 November, the NRL officially released the 2023 fixtures. This included the Dolphins' first NRL match against the

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

on Sunday 5 March 2023 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.

Name and colours

The Dolphins retained the red and white of their Queensland Cup counterparts, with gold added to the colour scheme 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. After a fan vote in July 2022, "Phinny" the Dolphin was confirmed as the club's NRL mascot.

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. 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. The inaugural away jersey was released on 11 November. Otherwise, the team training shirt is predominantly black in colour. File:Dolphins 2023 Jersey Home.png, 2023 Home Jersey File:Dolphins 2023 Jersey Away.png, 2023 Away Jersey

Kit sponsors and manufacturers

Players

2023 Signings

Pre-season training commenced 7 November 2022, with 7 December designated as the inaugural open training session for fans and the general public to attend. The Dolphins' first NRL match is scheduled for Sunday 5 March 2023 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Home grounds

The Dolphins plan to play most of their twelve home games at the 52,500-capacity

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

in Brisbane, with a few other matches at Sunshine Coast Stadium and

(now Kayo Stadium) which will also serve as a training and administration base. The redevelopment of Browne Park in Rockhampton may also see occasional Dolphins' games at that venue. On 7 December 2022, it was announced that Moreton Daily Stadium will now be known as Kayo Stadium. Image:Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Australia 03.jpg, Suncorp Stadium entry Image:Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Australia 02.jpg, Suncorp Stadium sign Image:Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Australia 01.jpg, Suncorp Stadium interior Image:Moreton Daily Stadium signs.jpg, Moreton Daily signage (now Kayo Stadium) Image:Dolphins rugby league sign on wall.jpg, Moreton Daily Stadium wall (now Kayo Stadium) Image:Moreton Daily Stadium view.jpg, Moreton Daily Stadium (now Kayo Stadium)

Further notes

References

{{Rugby League in Queensland 2023 establishments in Australia Rugby clubs established in 2023 Expansion of the National Rugby League National Rugby League clubs Redcliffe Dolphins Rugby league teams in Brisbane Proposed sports teams Proposals in Australia