I reckon the Dolphins are on a winner with the ‘great name debate’.

Back in 1994 when the South East Queensland Crushers were gearing up for their first year in the-then ARL, their biggest problem was trying to wrestle some media attention away from the Broncos. In the first couple of weeks of their existence the NRL’s latest team has suffered no such issues – and they haven’t had to do a thing to dominate the local media.

Quite the opposite in fact. By not locking in a name, they have attracted more publicity than if they had signed up the entire Queensland State of Origin front row. When the brouhaha over whether a team should be named after a city, a region or nothing at all overshadows the signing of arguably the greatest coach in the game’s history, you know something big is happening.

I’m pretty sure that no media consultant advised Dolphins management to fire up the name debate as a publicity stunt, but if they did, they should be asking for a bonus. It has worked brilliantly, and the best part is that it is totally unnecessary.

Personally, I would have liked to see the team remain as the Redcliffe Dolphins, to retain links to the club’s proud past and feed off a ready-made culture, such as the South Sydney Rabbitohs do so successfully. If Moreton Bay Council say they’ll tip in millions of dollars’ worth of sponsorship if they get naming rights, I’m fine with that to. In fact I reckon it really doesn’t matter what the geographical tag is, because the Dolphins are going to be a huge success regardless, with the annual showdowns against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium shaping up as the biggest local derby in the game.

What do YOU reckon?
 
Agree: You can call them the Timbuktu Dolphins for all that it matters. Everyone will still call them the Dolphins, and all those people who have wanted to see the Broncos knocked off their perch for years will get right behind them.
 
Disagree: They should be called the Redcliffe Dolphins. That’s how everyone thinks of them. Trying to pretend they are another Brisbane club is ridiculous. No-one thinks of the Panthers or even the Eels as Sydney teams but that doesn’t stop them from having fans all over the country.