NRL 2023: Broncos v Dolphins rivalry, Brisbane CEO Dave Donaghy takes swipe at newcomers
The Broncos have fired the first shot ahead of Friday’s blockbuster NRL clash, questioning the Dolphins’ true presence in Brisbane as they laid claim to ‘our city’.
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Broncos boss Dave Donaghy has taken aim at the Dolphins, declaring there is still only “one team in Brisbane” ahead of Friday night’s history-making derby at Suncorp Stadium.
In a spicy prelude to the inaugural Brisbane-Dolphins blockbuster before a 52,000-sellout at Suncorp, Donaghy hit back at suggestions the new $100 million Redcliffe-based franchise could dethrone the Broncos as Queensland’s flagship NRL club.
The Broncos are on track to post 40,000 club members and Donaghy questioned the Dolphins’ true presence in Brisbane given their Redcliffe rivals refuse to play all their home games at Suncorp.
Donaghy is adamant - the Broncos are Brisbane’s true NRL team and always will be.
“Clearly, it starts with the name, there’s still only one team with Brisbane in it,” the Broncos chief executive said.
“I think it’s very generous of us that we’re lending out our stadium to Redcliffe for seven or eight games a year.
“In all seriousness though, the Broncos are 35 years young, which means there’s already such a rich history and connection to our city – but we’re only just getting warmed up.
“We’re proud to have our city’s name on our chests, not just on game day, but every other day as well and that connection means so much.
“It’s the best place in Australia to live, to raise a family and to play and watch footy.
“I can’t wait to see Suncorp Stadium in full flight. It will be the start of a very special rivalry indeed.”
The Dolphins have already amassed 27,000 members in their debut season and possess a sponsorship stable in excess of $10 million, but Donaghy said the NRL’s 17th team is more of a threat to other sports.
Donaghy also took a veiled swipe at rival Dolphins boss Terry Reader, who claims Redcliffe are a genuine powerhouse of the NRL with their $100 million empire.
“I get why Redcliffe was gifted a licence,” he said.
“But if anyone sees them as a threat, it should be other codes.
“I know Terry is counting his money because this is their home game, but it’s also only made us even stronger commercially, as well as lifting standards right across the board.
“That makes us a better club – we just need to keep working hard for each other and keep a laser focus on what we do.
“We’re on the verge of breaking our membership record and we are well on the way to smashing the 40,000 mark for the first time.
“It will be a special moment when we achieve that milestone and one we want to share with all of Brisbane.
“Our members and fans have been through a lot over the last few years. But they’ve stuck with us and we’re very grateful for that.
“As a club, we’ve worked and we’ll continue to work tirelessly to ensure we make them proud of Brisbane’s rugby league team.”
The Dolphins have stunned the league by winning their first three games under the tutelage of super coach Wayne Bennett, who was sacked by Brisbane in 2018.
But the Broncos are also unbeaten after three rounds - setting up a fairytale first Battle of Brisbane - and Donaghy not only welcomed the Dolphins rivalry, but the impact of coach Kevin Walters at Red Hill.
“I’ve never seen Kev so relaxed as I have this week,” Donaghy said.
“He’s brought a real confidence and calm to the whole club. I’m sure he’s leaning on his Origin experiences, such has been the build-up outside of our four walls.
“He’s doing a fantastic job, so too are his staff and the team’s performances across the opening rounds of the competition speak to that.
“It’s a matter of keeping that going and not getting ahead of ourselves and I know they’ll do that.
“I hope this becomes the code’s greatest rivalry.
“I’m confident it will put the Showdown and the Derby in the AFL in the rear-view mirror, that’s how much rugby league means to Queensland and our state’s passion for our game.
“I want to encourage all of our members and fans to wear their colours to the game and make sure they’re screaming Brisbane when they’re not screaming Broncos.”
DOLPHINS’ CUT-PRICE SNIPER ADDS HIGH PROFILE BRONCO TO HIT LIST
- Peter Badel
He is the Dolphins’ halfback giant killer and now Sean O’Sullivan is hellbent on bringing down champion Broncos rival Adam Reynolds in Friday night’s historic Battle of Brisbane.
An understudy last year to NSW Origin ace Nathan Cleary in Penrith’s charge to the premiership, O’Sullivan signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins and will take lessons learned from the Panthers maestro into his showdown with Reynolds at Suncorp Stadium.
O’Sullivan has been maligned for much of his career but the 24-year-old is relishing life as the Dolphins’ main man, despite being one of the NRL’s lowest-paid starting halves, having fired the new expansion team to the top of the league with three consecutive wins.
In his opening month as Wayne Bennett’s chief shot-caller, O’Sullivan has played well above his wage as he has outgunned Sam Walker (Roosters, $450-$500,000), Jamal Fogarty (Canberra, $400,000) and Jackson Hastings (Newcastle, $500,000) … and now he faces a huge test matching the tactical smarts of Brisbane’s $800,000 marquee No.7, Reynolds.
“It’s important I do my job as well as he does his,” O’Sullivan said of his clash with Reynolds in the inaugural Dolphins-Broncos derby before 50,000 fans at Suncorp.
“I have massive respect for Adam as a halfback.
“It is unbelievable what he has done in the game and it’s inspirational for a younger halfback like me.
“He has won a premiership and the control he plays with and what he has done for the Broncos team is a big factor in their success.
“You can see he has got the keys to that team, he steers them around the park really well.
“He has been a godsend for the Broncos, so we need to shut him down.”
There was a time when O’Sullivan had the chance to be Brisbane’s first-choice No.7.
He joined the Broncos in 2019 and played eight games for the club under Anthony Seibold, but when he tore his ACL for the third time, O’Sullivan sought a fresh start and was thrown a lifeline by Penrith last year.
It proved a seminal season in O’Sullivan’s career, with the former Australian Schoolboys star getting the chance to work with Cleary, the code’s No.1 halfback, from close range.
O’Sullivan has transferred Cleary’s wisdom to the Dolphins and so far, he is writing a Dolphins fairytale with an unblemished 3-0 record.
“Learning from Nathan was unreal,” he said.
“Going back to Penrith was a really smart decision, just to learn from Nathan, Jarome (Luai) and their coaching staff.
“The Panthers are the premiers for a reason and I have taken their advice and implemented it into my game.
“The big thing I learnt was how Nathan builds a game.
“He doesn’t try and win the game in the first 10 or 15 minutes. He understands what setting up the game looks like and he looks for little cues with the defence and uses his vision to exploit situations.
“I’ve worked hard on that. With more experience and game time, I will improve as a game manager. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m confident I can make more improvements in my game.
“Wayne (Bennett) has been massive for me. I now have more trust in myself as a playmaker and when you have a coach like Wayne who believes in you and lets me run the team, that only helps my confidence.”
O’Sullivan, who plays his 36th NRL game on Friday night, is close to Broncos sensation Reece Walsh and would relish a Dolphins boilover.
“This is a massive event for Queensland rugby league,” he said.
“I have good mates like Patty Carrigan and Walsh, Reece has been into me for a few months about this game.
“I loved my time at the Broncos, there were a lot of good people there, but I’m now settled at the Dolphins and winning the derby would be great for the culture we are building.”
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Originally published as NRL 2023: Broncos v Dolphins rivalry, Brisbane CEO Dave Donaghy takes swipe at newcomers
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