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Battle of the Dolphins

DIEHARD

----
Messages
7,037
Transcribed by DIEHARD from the Courier Mail

http://www.thecouriermail.com.au - FEB 26 2005

Dolphins aren't widely known for their aggression, except when their turf is under threat. Mike Coleman reports on the looming battle between QRL heavyweight Redcliffe and the Gold Coast's NRL bid.

The NRL competition is still a fortnight away but one of the most fiercely contested battles of the season could be fought between one club which doesn't even play in the national league and another which doesn't exist.

There will be no ball involved, no goal posts or two competition points up for grabs. Nothing so simple.

For the Gold Coast consortium which hopes to be accepted into the 2007 NRL competition the fight is over a name, a logo.

For Redcliffe Rugby League Club and its supporters it is about something far more precious. It is about their history, their struggles and victories. Their pride. It is the battle for the Dolphin.

Drive through the streets of Redcliffe and the dolphin is everywhere. It is on buildings and signs. On parks and cars. It is on the gates of the multi-million dollar leagues club and the oval it overlooks.

A club which was once a tin shed and an oval which was a rubbish tip.

Redcliffe mayor Allan Sutherland remembers first supporting the Redcliffe Dolphins at the age of eight, being driven to the showgrounds by his uncle who would back the EH Holden up to the fence, pull out the folding chairs and set the esky up in the boot.

Sutherland might now be the mayor, but it is his cousin James Houghton who goes through life having earned the ultimate accolade.

"He played in the Dolphins 1965 grand final team with Arthur Beetson," Sutherland says proudly.

Club patron Dick "Tosser" Turner remembers that side with as much affection as he does the Queensland State of Origin teams he managed through the Maroons golden years.

"I was talking to Arthur yesterday," he said. "He's really fired up over this business. We all are."

In the old days the Redcliffe hardman had a way of sorting out problems on and off the field which involved more action than words, but times have changed so they have gone to the lawyers.

A legal team has been exploring all avenue over the past weeks and is close to moving. The Gold Coast consortium has also briefed its lawyers and is waiting for Redcliffe to make the first move.

It is an expensive, painful accident waiting to happen, and no one seems to be able to stop it.

NRL CEO David Gallop says the situation is "far from ideal and I hope the clubs can resolve their differences but it is premature for us to get involved."

Gold Coast mayor Ron Clarke, in a letter to Sutherland said: "I do believe it unfair for the Gold Coast to adopt a name that has been long associated with the Redcliffe Rugby League Club."

But like Gallop, Clarke added that " I must warn you this is none of the council's business" - which means unless the two parties can reach agreement it shapes as another rugby league windfall for the lawyers.

"We're both going to burn 100 grand on this if it goes all the way," said Gold Coast CEO Michael Searle.

"I understand this is an emotional issue for Redcliffe but to be brutally honest no one has exclusive rights to the dolphin. We are fighting over a trademark, a logo, nothing else."

To Tosser Turner, Allan Sutherland and everyone who has ever played or cheered for the Redcliffe Dolphins, those words say it all.

"It is much more than a logo" Sutherland said. "It is a real principle here. Sport is about teaching kids to try hard and do what's right and fair."

"What does this teach them, that you just come in and steal what belongs to someone else? This is one club deliberately setting a path to go over the top and rip off another club."

Not so says Serle. The name Dolphins was one of 250 suggested in a public poll. Another public vote saw it adopted.

"I guess we were hung out to dry to a certain extent," he said.

"My personal vote wasn't for the Dolphins but the community push was such that we had little choice."

Which doesn't really appease the men who searched out the model for the original Redcliffe dolphin when the club entered the Brisbane Rugby League 45 years ago. "We went down to Jack Evans, the porpoise pool bloke," Tosser said.

"He took us out the front and pointed to this fibreglass dolphin. He said, "this is the one you want. Big, strong, tough, that's your dolphin."

Turner and the other pioneers might have had a big, strong, tough dolphin but they didn't have much else back then.

The leagues club struggled in the days before pokies. Taking on the debt to redevelope the former tip almost crippled them.

The growth of the Dolphins from rubbish dump to showpiece is mirroed by the emergence of Redcliffe as a progressive, attractive community, which perhaps is why the city feels such an affinity with its football team.

"The people of Redcliffe have spent years bettering the Peninsula and making it such a wonderful place to live," Sutherland said.

"We're proud of what we have achieved and the dolphin is not just the logo of our club, it's the symbol of our city and what we've done."

"They might say it is not supposed to be a deliberate slight, but to us it is just another case of the Gold Coast, Big Brother, just coming in and saying "who cares, it's only Redcliffe."

"They nicked off with our Friday night trots as well. They used to be a tradition at Redcliffe but now they've gone to the Gold Coast and it's been an unmitigated disaster. No one goes along and it has crippled the industry here."

"I had to award a trophy at the trots the other night and at the finish post there's a big horseshoe with two dolphins on either side. I said to them 'You'd better watch it. The Gold Coast will be flogging your dolphins too.'"

Serle says he understands such emotion but with $40,000 of Gold Coast Dolphin merchandise already sold, he cannot back down. He is hopeful of a compromise.

"I can't see why they cannot be a feeder club for us if we come in," he said.

"They are already a feeder club for the Roosters but there is no reason they can't have the same association with us."

"We would pay them $10,000 or so a year which could go straight to their juniors. Surely that makes more sense than giving $100,000 to the lawyers."

Perhaps, but Redcliffe will take some convincing. It is not about money for them, it never has been.

As Tosser Turner said, "We brought in a company to try to put a value on the dolphin logo and what it means to the city. You know what they said? 'We tried but we can't do it. It's priceless."

(I will fix errors in the article later.)
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
Redcliffe would stupid not to compromise. They have been given a very generous offer and should accept it.

getting $10000 per year is a hell of a lot better than giving lawyers $100000 and lose anyway.

Also why didn't Redcliff challenge the Daikyo Dolphins when they were on the Gold coast? To be a target perhaps?
 

mud n blood

Juniors
Messages
595
Ummm - maybe because the Daikyo Dolphins weren't playing rugby league :roll:

It's plainly obvious what they're trying to do by using the Dolphin.

$10,000 a year .... yeah right. Maybe ten times that and they'd be in the ballpark.

I hope this battle goes all the way. A little birdie tells me there is a chance of other "parties" weighing in to the argument as well should this get nasty ....
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
mud n blood said:
Ummm - maybe because the Daikyo Dolphins weren't playing rugby league :roll:

Oh so it's not about the dolphin name then? So if an AFL team moved in and wanted to use the Dolphin name that would be OK? Despite the fact that an AFL team would cause far more damage than a RL team.

As Micheal Searle accurately says no-one has exclusive rights to use the Dolphin name. The Dolphins Logo is significantly different from the Redcliff Logo, and that's the end of that.
 

Sgt Schultz

Juniors
Messages
323
Why would Redcliffe accept less from the Coast to be their feeder club than what they get off the Roosters now for their association.
 

Sydney Carton

Juniors
Messages
811
It's pretty easy to see what they're trying to do isn't it (for all but the stupid).

Gold Coast - synonymous with failure in rugby league
Dolphins - synonymous with success in rugby league in Queensland

Create a survey with a few dismal choices and the one they want you to pick. Wow 250 people pick Dolphins - only a quarter of those polled.

And now more than that amount have opposed it via the petition.
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
Stewbum said:
It's pretty easy to see what they're trying to do isn't it (for all but the stupid).

Gold Coast - synonymous with failure in rugby league

What a load of crap you speak.
I'm done with you and your inane drivel.
 

XXXX Cap

Juniors
Messages
1,266
Eelectrica said:
Stewbum said:
It's pretty easy to see what they're trying to do isn't it (for all but the stupid).

Gold Coast - synonymous with failure in rugby league

What a load of crap you speak.
I'm done with you and your inane drivel.

Explain to me where Stewbum is inaccurate.
 

mud n blood

Juniors
Messages
595
1. I don't understand how an AFL team called the Dolphins (which isn't going to happen anyway!) would cause more damage than a rugby league team called the Dolphins ?

2. I thought the Redcliffe logo was a Dolphin logo ?!?!?!

3. And the only recollection of a national sporting team based on the gold coast that was even remotely successful, was the daikyo dolphins of 91/92(?) which went broke for "buying" the championship anyway. Gold coast Giants/Seagulls/Chargers, Rollers, Bears etc .... all failures - most financially as well.

4. I'm sure the Redcliffe club does not like the idea of any new sporting club calling itself the Dolphins, but especially ones having a vested interest in the same business as them.
 

XXXX Cap

Juniors
Messages
1,266
I find it astonishing that a new club with a blank piece of paper in front of them manages to select the logo of the third largest existing Rugby League Football club in the State.

Wouldn't you want to distinguish yourselves from the other existing major clubs in your sport in your State ?
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
mud n blood said:
1. I don't understand how an AFL team called the Dolphins (which isn't going to happen anyway!) would cause more damage than a rugby league team called the Dolphins ?

The If the Gold Coast bid fails the AFL will put a team on the Gold coast and call it the Dolphins. They will have seen how much support there is with the Dolphin name and use it.
If the Gold Coast Dolphins RL club is successfull at least the two clubs could work on mutually beneficial deals together, something that would be impossible with an AFL club hell bent on converting SE Queensland.

2. I thought the Redcliffe logo was a Dolphin logo ?!?!?!

The artistic design of the two logos is very different as they are both different to the Miami Dolphins logo.

3. And the only recollection of a national sporting team based on the gold coast that was even remotely successful, was the daikyo dolphins of 91/92(?) which went broke for "buying" the championship anyway. Gold coast Giants/Seagulls/Chargers, Rollers, Bears etc .... all failures - most financially as well.

The Gold Coast Chargers were removed from the Comp as part of the peace agreement between the NRL and the Supur league. They did not go broke and in fact, despite a disapointing season actually made a profit.


4. I'm sure the Redcliffe club does not like the idea of any new sporting club calling itself the Dolphins, but especially ones having a vested interest in the same business as them.

It's very obvious the Redcliffe doesn't like the idea of the Gold Coast Dolphins for reasons which continue to escape me. They are not in direct competition with each other.
If the Redcliffe management would act in a rational manner then deals could be done that would prevent toes from being stood on. Unfortunately the Redcliffe management is being totally and completely irrational.

None of this changes the fact that the Dolphin name is universal and as such can't be used exclusively. It is like a few years ago when Intel attempted to Trademark the number 486. It couldn't be done so they made up names that could be trademarked such as Pentium, Xeon etc.

If for example the Gold Coast bid team wished to call the team the 'Gold Coast Jedi', they would run into legal problems with George lucas as the 'Jedi' name is a registered trademark.
 

Desert Qlder

First Grade
Messages
9,081
It should be quite obvious to everyone that Redcliffe are in opposition to a Gold Coast NRL Club because they regard themselves as a candidate for a license sometime in the future.

The arrogance and vindictiveness of Redcliffe RLFC is quite astonishing. They seem to be acting in the same customary manner as some Sydney clubs who put themselves ahead of the game.

I can understand their desires to make the NRL, but the club shouldn't peddle this sanctimonious rubbish just to spite the extremely attractive Gold Coast bid.
 

Sgt Schultz

Juniors
Messages
323
Redcliffe are not against a NRL team on the Gold Coast only their choice of Logo.

I think Redcliffe would like to be in the NRL at some stage but personally I can't see it happening.

The Coast say what about the $50,000 in merchandise they have sold well what the all the Dolphin merchandise Redcliffe have sold since 1968 I would guess that would be quite a fair amount.

The arrogance and vindictiveness of Redcliffe RLFC is quite astonishing. They seem to be acting in the same customary manner as some Sydney clubs who put themselves ahead of the game.

How are they being arrogant and vindictive.
Redcliffe has been developing and progressing the code not only in their area but in country areas since 1947 so I don't think they have been putting themselves ahead of the game at all.
Some would possibly say it was arrogant of the Gold Coast to think they walk in and take the clubs logo and think that nobody would care or do anything about it.

Could this been all avoided had the Coast made a phone call and said we want to use the Dolphin logo will you guys object and take legal action. maybe it could've I don't know. I remember Michael Searle saying on tv that it was done in consultation with Redcliffe if you call a 5 minute phone call at 5.00 in the afternoon the day before it was announced on TV consultation, I guess it was.
 

mightybears

Bench
Messages
4,342
I find it astonishing that a new club with a blank piece of paper in front of them manages to select the logo of the third largest existing Rugby League Football club in the State.

Wouldn't you want to distinguish yourselves from the other existing major clubs in your sport in your State ?

says XXXX cap
============================================

exactly what i was thinking when they picked the name
then realized the broncos/newslimited are all for a gold coast bid [and the name] as it shuts down any future brissie bid from one of the two teams that would be used as a base

fight the [newslimited] power redcliffe!
 

Sydney Carton

Juniors
Messages
811
mightybears said:
exactly what i was thinking when they picked the name
then realized the broncos/newslimited are all for a gold coast bid [and the name] as it shuts down any future brissie bid from one of the two teams that would be used as a base

fight the [newslimited] power redcliffe!

Up the Central Coast Bears!!!

Gold Coast fans are obviously embarressed about their past teams or else they'd be fighting for one of their logos instead of stealing Redcliffe's.

Not so with North Sydney fans.
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
I've always believed that the Gold Coast teams should have been named the Dolphins. That has absolutely NOTHING to do with Redcliffe.
Am then I to understand that IF instead of being named the Redcliffe Dolphins they were instead named the Redcliffe Vipers for EXAMPLE that you believe the Gold Coast bid team would then follow in the same steps and name that team them the Gold Coast Vipers as well?!

From my point of view nothing could be more incorrect. When I think of the Dolphins and football I actually think of the Miami Dolphins NFL team and Dan Marino, Don Shula, Mark Duper and Mark Clayton and some of those greats, Redcliffe doesn't register at all, or at least it didn't until now.
 

Sgt Schultz

Juniors
Messages
323
That's you Eelectrica and I'm sure there are others like you but there are also others who when they think of the Dolphin and Rugby League in South East Queensland or Queensland they think of Redcliffe.
 

Eelectrica

Referee
Messages
20,976
Sgt Schultz said:
That's you Eelectrica and I'm sure there are others like you but there are also others who when they think of Rugby League in South East Queensland or Queensland they think of Redcliffe.

Certainly that's true, and for those people, that will continue. The Redcliffe Dolphins will still exist exactly as they have for the last 45. The good people of Redcliffe will continue to support their Redcliffe dolphins as they always have.
A team on the Gold Coast won't have any impact on that except for the probable increase in support as many GC Dolphins supporters may well decide to support both the Redcliffe Dolphins QRL team as well as the GC dolphins.
 
Messages
11,124
Sgt Schultz said:
......but there are also others who when they think of Rugby League in South East Queensland or Queensland they think of Redcliffe.

I sure as hell don't...GO THE TIGES!!!!

That's such a narrow view and the biggest problem with Redcliffe....they think the rugby league world owes them everything.

George Piggins isn't the media man with your club is he?? ;-)
 
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