The newest head-to-head battle in NRL was on display at an exclusive lunch presented by The Courier-Mail yesterday with guests including corporate and sporting heavyweights, ARL commissioner Kate Jones and Olympian Liesel Jones.
The inaugural game between the six-time premiers Broncos and new-kids-on-the-block Dolphins on Friday has Brisbane in an Origin-level spin with the unexpected top-of-the-table clash sold out.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters and Dolphins assistant coach Kristian Woolf, the man tipped to take over from super coach Wayne Bennett, gave the crowd of 60 invited guests an insider’s view of each team’s preparation.
The Courier-Mail’s veteran sports journalist Robert Craddock and Fox League presenter Yvonne Sampson hosted the event, which also included an expert panel featuring Broncos great and SuperCoach ambassador Corey Parker, and The Courier-Mail’s award-winning journalists Peter Badel and Travis Meyn.
Dolphins
Earlier this year, Mediaweek spoke to Nine’s director of 9Now and programming, Hamish Turner, about making the most of the Dolphins, and how the focus on Queensland will lead all the way up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
“I think it’s probably one of the most exciting things that has happened to the NRL in many years,” Turner says of the arrival of the Dolphins.
“It’s always challenging having a team come in and be competitive from the very get-go, but watching the Dolphins emerge and then find their place – as well as the new stars that will emerge out of that franchise – is a really interesting narrative to underpin this new season. It’s a really good sign of where the NRL is taking the game from a national footprint perspective.
“We know there’s an emerging market, you’ve got to go fishing where the fish are.”
See also: Making a splash: What the Dolphins mean for Nine’s NRL strategy in 2023
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Top image: Broncos coach Kevin Walters (left) and Dolphins assistant coach Kristian Woolf