Dolphins grilled over 'disrespectful' name

3 years ago 290

Dolphins bid manager and wide manager Terry Reader has been forced to support the arguable determination to axe Redcliffe from the sanction of the squad that volition participate the NRL successful 2023.

Reader was grilled connected the taxable by Peter FitzSimons connected Nine's Sports Sunday.

The NRL connected Monday confirmed the Dolphins had won the contention to beryllium the NRL's newest team.

In a alteration the near galore scratching their heads, they decided to instrumentality the geographical determination "Redcliffe" out of their name, contempt the remainder of their club's teams being called the Redcliffe Dolphins.

According to Reader, the designer down the club's palmy bid, the club's determination was made arsenic portion of a extremity to "have a broader appeal" to NRL fans.

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"The Redcliffe Dolphins volition ever beryllium and they volition play successful the Queensland Cup and they're the astir palmy squad successful the Queensland Cup era," Reader told Sports Sunday.

"But the Dolphins nationalist marque differentiates itself from Redcliffe.

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"The crippled has a monolithic accidental to person a broader appeal, particularly present successful Queensland... we lone person 1 squad successful Brisbane, present we person two.

"We volition beryllium honouring our past and ever taking enactment of our traditions, but this going into the future."

The Dolphins wide manager was pressed by panellist and erstwhile Wallaby FitzSimons.

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FitzSimons questioned wherefore the nine would ditch the Redcliffe branding fixed its affluent history, which was antecedently location to rugby league Immortal Arthur Beetson, who played for and coached the side.

"You've got this arrogant history, you've been determination since 1947," FitzSimons said.

"The large Artie Beetson played for you. Why connected earth, erstwhile you've got this glorious aboriginal successful beforehand of you... wherefore would you chopped disconnected fractional your identity?

"Could you beryllium much disrespectful to the town, the area, who you are."

Reader went connected the defensive.

"We're surely not cutting disconnected the identity, that volition stay successful the Queensland Cup and it's portion of our pathway wherever hopefully galore boys and girls get the accidental to spell connected and play astatine the highest level," Reader said.

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"Our nine volition beryllium much than conscionable Redcliffe. Brisbane is bigger than conscionable the CBD now, we hap to beryllium situated successful the fastest increasing country successful Queensland."

FitzSimons didn't stop, challenging Reader for a amended response.

"There volition beryllium caller traditions that volition honour the past," Reader added.

"An Immortal, Arthur Beetson, we've already got things successful play we privation to bring to beingness to honour that.

"There volition beryllium galore things that nexus backmost to the past and that won't beryllium forgotten."

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