And the shirt and memorabilia displays on the cell walls of his Bridewell pub have often provoked questions from inquisitive Scousers, with Dominic often having to give his customers a passionate explanation of ‘the greatest game’.
As so this week he is understandably buzzing ahead of Saturday when tens of thousands of rugby league fans will flock to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium for the second test against Australia.
The Bridewell (Image: Mike Critchley)
After decades of ploughing a lonely furrow as a missionary for the 13-man code in a city where the round ball is king, Dominic is excited to see the Ashes bandwagon rolling into Liverpool.
Dominic said: “It is absolutely huge; a game changer to have such a prestigious match on our doorstep, right in the heart of the city.
“Having the Test match here – with the amount of people in town from all over the world including plenty of Aussies and obviously loads of Saints fans – will have an unbelievable impact.
“It may even impact on rugby league further down the line, who knows maybe the Grand Final or Magic moves here.”
Rugby league cell (Image: Mike Critchley)
It is not rugby league’s first foray into the city since the demise of Liverpool Stanley/City/Huyton with Anfield staging two games in the early years of Super League as St Helens sought to generate interest and tap into a big city potential 14 miles down the road.
More recently Anfield hosted a test match against the Kiwis and then staged Magic weekend, but neither had the same ripple into the heart of the city that Saturday’s game has the potential to do.
Born a drop-kick away from Whitehaven’s Recreation Ground, Dominic adopted Saints as his club when he first headed south to work in Liverpool’s licensed trade 30 years ago.
The proximity of Knowsley Road was a factor, but it was not simply a pin in the map decision – and it helped that former early 1960s Whitehaven, Saints and Great Britain prop John Tembey was a friend of his father from back home.
Dominic, 49, swiftly began to build connections, with aspects of his trade soon dovetailing with his love of the sport.
England kit at the bar (Image: Mike Critchley)
“I’m rugby league daft and in a long career in this wonderful city I’ve always tried to promote our game,” he said.
“That is why in the Bridewell we have a rugby league cell, as we call it, with all the jerseys. In all of the pubs I’ve run in this city over the years I have had visuals of our sport and our game, our history and our heritage.
“The Liverpool audience is very inquisitive; they are wonderful people and you get talking because of your accent and they question where I am from.
“I always say I’m from the ‘proper north’, and everyone has a laugh.
“Rugby League has been talked about across my bars from day one, and then over time it just evolved and developed especially from time previously at the Fly in the Loaf.
“I have been very fortunate to make some wonderful connections and hosted various events for the Saints, England Rugby League, and I’ve had Aussies too, so it’s been tremendous.”
Over that time Dominic has made his affection for rugby league a unique selling point for his business. Some of the biggest stars of rugby league and football have been guests at functions he has held at the Bridewell.
The cells (Image: Mike Critchley)
He said: “We’re in one of the football capitals of the world and I’m saying that there’s a gap in the market, rugby league, literally down the road from the heartlands.
“The number of Saints fans dropping in has grown by word of mouth, which is still the best form of advertising.
“If rugby league fans are in Liverpool after shopping or going on a night out they know they can pop in and watch a game and look at the shirts on the walls.”
Dominic also runs the city centre pubs the Denbigh Castle and the Pen Factory – with all three listed in the real ale bible – the 2026 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
The Bridewell, which he and his wife Fiona have owned for more than seven years, is a unique pub – as it is based in a former lock-up police station.
The cells (Image: Mike Critchley)
The old cells that act as mini snugs, complete with heavy doors, are still a strong feature of the character-packed boozer a stone’s throw from Liverpool 1.
The building was one of eight bridewells dotted around the city – and given its proximity to the docks they would have locked up many a drunken sailor over the years.
Last used as a lock up police station just before the outbreak of the Second World War, the building was left derelict until the early 1980s when it was turned into recording studios for local bands.
That crop included one prolific set of mid-1980s Liverpudlian chart-toppers as Dominic explains: “Frankie Goes to Hollywood were formed in here in 1982 and there is a plaque on the wall outside.
“We have also got some gold discs on the wall, very kindly donated by Frankie’s lead guitarist Brian Nash.”
Another period of closure followed until it was opened for the first time as a licensed premises in 2000 and has had various incarnations as a fine dining restaurant, cocktail bar and a piano bar.
But the past seven years has seen Dominic find the winning formula – playing to his strengths with a quality selection of ale and attentive customer care.
“As publicans our strength has always been running pubs and front of the house and service and quality and obviously your product range,” he said.
“So we leaned on that and transferred that to the building to suit what we do, as opposed to letting the building dominate.
“And we’ve turned it round and the last seven and a half years have been very successful.
“We’ve always sold the world’s best beers, from cask to a huge German range, world beers and bespoke spirits.
“We’re a free house, it’s our company, we decide what we sell.”
And no doubt plenty of those pints will be poured for fans heading for Saturday’s pre-match tactic talk…and will be again afterwards for the debrief/post-mortem. Whether that is to drown sorrows or to toast success depends on what happens up the road – but either way its sure to be buzzing with all things rugby league and maybe a few new Liverpudlian converts.