The Dolphins have put their jersey sponsor Alternaleaf, a clinic that prescribes medical cannabis, under cover, following legal advice, while the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reviews the world’s first sponsorship.
The TGA has commenced legal action in the Federal Court of Australia against Montu Group Pty Ltd, its subsidiary Alternaleaf Pty Ltd, and their shared director, Mr Christopher Strauch.
It is alleged that Montu and Alternaleaf unlawfully promoted medical cannabis, using terms such as “medical cannabis” and “plant medicine” to advertise the Alternaleaf online clinic, which allowed patients to purchase prescription drugs after completing an online consultation process.
They are accused of illegally advertising medical cannabis on websites and social media, including the Dolphins’ controversial sponsorship deal, which marks a world first in displaying the medical cannabis brand name on a jersey.
Jamayne Isaako of the Dolphins with the Alternaleaf logo covered during the match against Parramatta in Darwin
Jack Bostock is also pictured with the Alternaleaf medical cannabis logo covered as the company is embroiled in a legal dispute with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
The Dolphins are not involved in the lawsuit and there is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the NRL club.
However, the club has been forced to hide the sponsor logo while legal proceedings continue.
The decision to include the sponsor did little to dampen the underpowered Dolphins enthusiasm against Parramatta on Friday, with the winners running away 44-16. Darwin’s TIO Stadium.
Despite missing several key players, the Dolphins tore apart the tiring Parramatta defense from long range and ran away with eight tries to one in the second half.
The Dolphins made history in March by becoming the first NRL club to sign a sponsorship deal with a medical cannabis company, signing a two-year deal with Alternaleaf, the largest plant medicine clinic in Australia.
Some players, such as Dolphins forward Josh Kerr, had their tape fall off in the humid conditions in the Northern Territory
And eagle-eyed NRL fans would have noticed Dolphins players had the tape across their chests to cover the Alternaleaf sponsor logo.
It was a plan that exploded in the humid conditions in Darwin, with many players’ tape peeling by the time the second half started.
The Dolphins are likely to continue masking off the logo while the sponsorship deal is investigated for possible breach of Australian advertising laws.
Although medical cannabis is legal in Australia, the TGA prohibits the advertising of prescription medicines, including medical cannabis consultations.
A club spokesman said covering the Alternaleaf logo was based on legal advice pending the TGA’s review of the sponsorship deal.
“There has obviously been some buzz around this issue this week,” a club spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The Dolphins have sought some advice to be proactive until the matter can ultimately be resolved with a final conclusion.”
Previously, Montu spokeswoman Kelly King said she did not believe the Dolphins sponsorship deal violated TGA advertising laws.
“What we’re promoting is a healthcare clinic, and while there are rules about how we go about that, we’ve revised them where necessary,” she said.
‘The TGA has confirmed to us in writing that partnerships between sports teams and entities involved in the supply of therapeutic goods are not prohibited by law.
‘Alternaleaf is a healthcare clinic with over 150,000 patients and we promote our expert doctors and easy booking process. We do not find promotion of our clinic itself to be problematic.’
The Dolphins showed no signs of the sponsorship drama affecting them and made eight attempts to blitz the Eels in the second half
Dolphins livewire Trai Fuller had a big game replacing the injured Hamiso Tabui-Fidow at fullback in the big win
Last week, Foxtel and Channel Nine changed their broadcasts to avoid showing the controversial logo.
Fox Sports did not conduct player interviews during the final broadcast of a Dolphins game, unlike previously, but Channel Nine did show a post-match interview in which the Alternaleaf logo was visible.
Injuries saw Dolphins players Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Felise Kaufusi, Herbie Farnworth and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow sidelined for the match against Parramatta, with coach Wayne Bennett also absent due to illness.
However, the team still managed to dominate the match and showed impressive attacking skills despite the challenging weather.
“I’m very proud of the effort,” stand-in coach Kristian Woolf said.
“There were plenty of reasons for us to make excuses for ourselves and not put on a performance, but we didn’t do that.”