Flugge Reaches 100

Grant Flugge would rate as one of the quiet achievers with the Pepsi Dolphins. Now in his thirteenth season with the Dolphins since joining from the neighboring Pine Rivers club, Flugge has worked his way up through the ranks to establish himself as a Queensland Wizard Cup regular and this weekend against the Souths-Logan Magpies at Davies Park will clock up his one hundredth appearance in the top grade. Flugge was also a member of the Clubs well respected Development Squad in 1995 and 1996. While he doesn?t have the profile or reached the heights of some of squad team mates Dane Carlaw, Craig Frawley and Aaron Moule, Flugge continues to give his all each and every time he runs out with the Dolphin on his chest and he?s a player his team-mates love to play with. The 26 year old made his senior grade debut for the club in the Steve Day coached 1996 Colts side which made it through to the grand final only to lose to the South Queensland Crushers side that contained his current Dolphins team-mate Phil Shilvock. His second year of Colts in 1997 was very rewarding, the side that included future Dolphins first graders Michael Roberts, JP Cherry, Jamie Tomlinson and Luke Bishop and was coached by current Queensland Cup coach Anthony Griffin went all the way winning the grand final. The next year Flugge made the step up to reserve grade initially starting on the bench in the first few games before coach Robbie Clark put him in the run-on side at lock a position which he held for three quarters of the season and won the A grade best forward award that year. The following year in 1999 under Neil Wharton?s coaching, Flugge picked up his second premiership in three years when the A grade side defeated Norths in the grand final. ?We won the grand final against Norths after they had beaten us in semis,? he said. ?It was a great moment.? Wharton?s elevation to the top job coincided with Flugge?s promotion to the Queensland Cup side. ?I played a fair bit of first grade in 2000 after starting the season in the Reggies,? Flugge recalls. ?I got my chance at the end of the 2000 season when Shane Sanderson hurt his ankle,? he said. ?I was dropped for the major semi-final then I played in the last games, including the grand final. In 2001 Flugge found it hard to consolidate his spot in the Queensland Cup side playing eleven games in top grade before making the spot his own the following year. And it should be noted he has only played two second grade games in the last three seasons which included two Queensland Cup premierships. Grant Flugge?s Achievements Colts Runners up 1996, Premiers 1997 A Grade Best Forward 1998 A Grade Premiership 1999 Brisbane A Grade Representative 1999 Queensland Cup Debut 1999 Queensland Cup Premierships 2000, 2002, 2003 Redcliffe Dolphins A Grade Best and Fairest 2000 Redcliffe Dolphins Qld Cup Best and Fairest 2003