2018 Year in Review: Redcliffe Dolphins

Redcliffe Dolphins: The Season by Numbers

Final Position on Ladder:  1st

Regular Season Win %:

* Won: 16  

* Drew: 1

* Lost: 6

Home and Away Record:

* Home: 8-3

* Away: 8-3

Scoring:

* Scored: 600

*  Conceded: 382

* F/A: 218

Players in Focus

Standout Player: Kotoni Staggs

Tries: 13

Try Assists: 3

Goals: 63

Line Breaks: 16

Tackle Breaks: 57

Average Run M: 96.5m

Notable Player Mentions: Jamil Hopoate, Toby Rudolf

Highlight: 2018 Intrust Super Cup grand final win over Easts Tigers

Notable Player Achievements:

* Kotoni Staggs: Staggs was the Intrust Super Cup Centre of the Year, played Junior Kangaroos and was named in the Emerging Blues squad

* Jamil Hopoate: Hopoate was the Intrust Super Cup Lock of the Year

* Sam Anderson: XXXX Queensland Residents selection, Dolphins-picked best player in the Intrust Super Championship

* Jonus Pearson: XXXX Queensland Residents selection, signed with the St George Illawara Dragons

* Jake Turpin: made his NRL debut for the Brisbane Broncos against Gold Coast Titans on July 8, in Round 17

* Toby Rudolf: won the Redcliffe Dolphins' Peter Leis Medal, named Player of the Match in the Intrust Super Cup grand final, signed with Cronulla Sharks

* Trai Fuller: the Dolphins-picked Best Player in the Intrust Super Cup grand final

* Tom Opacic: signed with North Queensland Cowboys

Key Factor:

The Redcliffe Dolphins finished the regular season on top of the Intrust Super Cup ladder and did not waver throughout the finals series.

The Dolphins, as minor premiers, had the first week of finals off before beating Burleigh Bears 13-6 in Week 2 of finals.

The Dolphins then had the third week of finals off, before coming out and dominating in the grand final against Easts Tigers to win 36-22.

Unfortunately for the club, they could not cap their run of Intrust Super Cup success with a win over NSW Intrust Super Premiership winners Canterbury Bulldogs in the national final; the Bulldogs defeated the Dolphins 42-18.  

Crucially for the Dolphins in the first half, Duncan Hall Medal winner Rudolf left the field early with suspected ACL injury and hooker Turpin suffered a strained calf and was unable to return.

Overall, the Bulldogs were too strong and were deserved winners; but the Dolphins will be ruing the cost of their errors and penalties conceded that rendered a tough challenge even harder without two of their main attacking weapons.

Looking ahead in 2019:

Redcliffe Dolphins are confident going into season 2019. 

Coach Adam Mogg said he was happy with the squad the club had put together since losing star players including Rudolf to Cronulla Sharks, Opacic to North Queensland Cowboys and Pearson to the Dragons.

Mogg said there was plenty of depth to this year’s squad, and he looked forward to seeing some young players step up. 

New faces include young gun Zev John from the Melbourne Storm 20s, former Australian schoolboy Gerard McCallum, Dolphins junior Harrison Smith back from Cronulla Sharks and Mackay Cutters duo Jordan Grant and Nick Brown.

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With the 2018 Intrust Super Cup season having drawn to a close, QRL Media have taken a look back through the year for all 14 clubs to see what went right, what went wrong and what the club are likely to focus on going forward into the 2019 season.

Intrust Super Cup 2018 Year in Review series:

Easts Tigers
Mackay Cutters
CQ Capras
Wynnum Manly Seagulls
Tweed Heads Seagulls
Sunshine Coast Falcons
Souths Logan Magpies
Norths Devils
PNG Hunters
Townsville Blackhawks
Northern Pride
Ipswich Jets 
Burleigh Bears