NRL new boys the Dolphins “horrible” 2023 shirt gets leaked

In 2023 the NRL is set to welcome its newest club: The Dolphins.

Still with no location attached to the name, though building off the Redcliffe Dolphins in Queensland, the newest NRL side have 22 first team players on their books for 2023 and need another eight more to complete their squad.

They have been chasing the likes of Kayln Ponga and Cameron Munster but neither have come of yet.

Their debut is half a year away in an NRL season which will be longer than previous years to accommodate them with 27 rounds and teams enjoying three byes within that playing 24 times resulting in an earlier start date after the World Cup.

The Dolphins are preparing for their debut which will come under former England and Great Britain boss Wayne Bennett who was the man who instantly turned Brisbane into a forced to be reckoned with after their debut in the division.

Meanwhile, former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf will act as his assistant.

As they prepare for their debut, there has been much focus on the on field stuff such as players and coaching staff. However, their branding still needs to be determined and now their home shirt for their inaugural campaign has been leaked online.

According to reports and Fox League, an image of the new jersey appeared on their website under the title “home shirt.”

Shortly after, the image was taken down before the shirt was unveiled to fans at the Grand Final between Penrith and Parramatta.

It’s one that has caused widespread debate with plenty of fans not happy with the new shirt as you can see below:

Nooooooooooooo pic.twitter.com/4g8RSGRyAN

— Jack (@jackkcronin) October 2, 2022

One fan felt like Dolphins members should have been consulted about its look:

Don’t know about this Dolphins jersey.. as a full member should we have been consulted? It looks like a loaf of bread… can’t wait till 2023 for Wayne to be back!! pic.twitter.com/EGWmDUiwWt

— Kirsty Callander (@kirsty112233) October 2, 2022

Meanwhile, many have made the bizarre comparison with vanilla coke:

We knew we’d seen the Dolphins’ home jersey before… pic.twitter.com/Z1byQMwqnV

— TAB (@tabcomau) October 4, 2022

It’s not the launch the Dolphins would have wanted especially as NRL great Scott Sattler saying on SEN: “It’s horrible. Honestly, it’s a horrible jersey.”