With just days remaining until the November 1 contract deadline sparks what is expected to be a seismic degree of player movement, and despite the rosters of all 17
NRL clubs being ripe for adjustment; there's a strong sense of league-wide anticipation centering on one club. A club that- barring the odd pre-season trial- is yet to kick a ball in Australia's premier rugby league competition.
The question on many a league focused mind- "Who will the Dolphins get?"
Answers remain tantalisingly out of reach. Terry Reader, mastermind of the Dolphins NRL bid and incoming chief, Dolphins group CEO Tony Murphy, and Chairman Bob Jones have been understandably reluctant to share specifics on player targets; leaving it to media speculation and the odd cryptic nugget from within the NRL itself.
As Dolphin number 425, and the current General Manager of football operations for the Redcliffe RLFC; Grant Cleal knows a thing or two about how the club thinks, and what makes it click.
'Crusher,' as he's known on the Redcliffe peninsula, joined the Dolphins in 1989. The surname/nickname combination is no doubt a familiar one to rugby league diehards; and it's fairly earned. Cleal is a premiership winning captain with the club, a long serving and shrewd administrator, and in recent years has seen his son Tyson make a devastating impact at state league level. The former front rower has been an often unheralded force near the front and centre of the Redcliffe Dolphins, throughout a proud ascent to the top of the Queensland Cup.
That ride began in 1996, and has culminated in Redcliffe assuming the mantle as the state competition's most successful club. The excitement surrounding the next chapter- a leap to NRL level- is still being keenly felt by 'Crusher' and his cohorts at Dolphins HQ.
"If you're not excited around the place at the moment, you probably haven't got a pulse," Cleal tells ESPN.
"Our (state league) players aren't around at the moment, they're all on off season, but we'll gauge their excitement about what's ahead when they get back. But for everyone else- sponsors, members, supporters, staff- it's an amazing time."
Cleal is in a good place to make an assessment on playing stocks and what makes the ideal recruit, as those piloting the journey to the NRL sharpen their pencils, with the November 1 player free-for-all looming ever larger.
"I need to make it clear that I'm involved with the ISC (QLD Cup) team," he explains to ESPN.
"I've not played the part of guys like Terry Reader, Bob Jones and Tony Murphy in this NRL bid process."
Despite his insistence that the NRL teams hit list is largely out of his hands, Cleal is clearly excited about the prospect of providing a bonafide one club pathway for elite talent in South East Queensland.
"Kids from as young as six start out with that dream of playing in the NRL," he explains. "The difference now is, you can start as a 6-year-old and get all the way to NRL level without getting out of a Dolphins jersey. No other club can offer that. We cater for all levels of rugby league."
While a lot of the focus will be on acquiring established stars, Cleal readily nominates a few of the Redcliffe Dolphins current state league (Intrust Super Cup) playing stocks as potential candidates for NRL contracts.
"We're like a lot of other teams, in that we've got a smattering of players that could make that leap to the top level. Our player of the year is a young front rower by the name of Lachlan Timm, he's one guy with a great work rate and a real pro attitude.
"Trai Fuller is another. A really exciting and instinctive little fullback, he won the player's player award this season. I think a guy like him could definitely make the jump.
"That'll be a big milestone, to have one of our senior guys convert to the NRL. But I'm looking forward to the day a local junior makes that jump; into our state team, and then to the NRL. That'll be a big day for us."
The potential for dreams to materialise into reality for starry-eyed state league players is far broader than the Hornibrook Bridge- which is the only road that accesses Redcliffe from the mainland. Pathways for Queensland players will exist in the form of affiliations with clubs as far away as the Central Queensland Capras (based in Rockhampton). This may be the time in the sun for Redcliffe, and an accolade every other team would trade their leagues club for, but according to Cleal, there is a strong sentiment that what is good for the Dolphins is great for the game in Queensland.
"It helps to provide that extra pathway for kids right through- from the Moreton Bay region, right up to Central Queensland," Cleal adds. "It's a terrific region for talent, and for a lot of years they haven't had that NRL affiliate club that can assist with things like junior development, and the flow of players not making an NRL 17 every week. I see it as great for that area, and great for that region as well."
With just days remaining until the November 1 contract deadline, the question on many a league -focused mind is: "Who will the Dolphins get?"
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