Come on NRL, the Redcliffe Dolphins are the only real choice for Brisbane expansion plans

Are we really going to be going through this circus for the next year, as the NRL tries to settle on its 17th team — and second Brisbane organisation — ahead of the looming 2023 season? The answer is simple: pick the Redcliffe Dolphins, full stop.

Outside of a few classic NRL controversies — Israel Folau and Payne Haas have seen to that — the talk of the town in the offseason heading into 2021 has been one thing: Brisbane expansion.

All the way back in 2012, the NRL flagged the possibility for expansion in 2023. The current TV deal is slated to end then, giving the league a chance to take stock. Now, as the season looms, Peter V’Landys has declared the plans “100% locked in,” and the ball began rolling.

There’s three suitors circling the opportunity already too, or at least three real bids.

The first bid is the new, Easts Tigers-backed franchise, the “Brisbane Firehawks.” This bid hangs on the name ‘Brisbane,’ but has fallen by the wayside in recent weeks in favour of the latter two.

The second, strengthing bid, is the Brisbane Jets. A combo deal between Ipswich and the recently-founded “Bombers” (they’ve since dumped that name), this expansion plan would see the western corridor covered, as well as one half of the city.

The last, however, is the only bid the NRL should actually consider.

Why the Dolphins are the NRL’s only choice

Founded in 1947, the Dolphins have been a rusted-on rugby league team in Queensland for nearly 75 years. They started life in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, before joining the Queensland Cup in 1996. They’ve since been crowned state champions seven times.

The coastal club has the legacy, and they boast the facilities to go with it. Redcliffe has their hands on a $15m boutique stadium, a grand leagues club, and an enviable sporting centre attached as well.

The state club is actually better equipped than half the clubs in the NRL right now, and are playing a division down.

All this adds up to one thing: the Dolphins believe they’re “ready to join the NRL tomorrow” if called upon.

“We’ve got all the facilities, all the infrastructure already in place. The club has been building that, especially over the last ten years. We’ve been waiting for the chance to compete at the highest level in rugby league, which is the NRL,” Dolphins NRL bid chair Terry Reader said. “We’re NRL ready.”

“With our facilities to support a team, I would have thought there was no-one that has got anything compares to what we already have,” Redcliffe Dolphins chairman Bob Jones added.

One issue that Australian sporting codes have struggled with when flirting with expansion is attracting fans. New ventures with no history, no fame, and a shiny new stadium no one recognises is one thing.

75 years of history, premierships, and glory is another thing altogether.

The only thing that really needs to change is the name — Redcliffe is a bit of a narrow name for the grand Brisbane expansion. Luckily, the club is already aware that they need a do-over.

“The Redcliffe Dolphins will always exist and they will play in the Q-Cup and down to juniors and under-6s but the NRL entity will have a broader appeal so we want the public, who are going to be our fans and support the team, to take ownership of it and suggest a name,” Reader explained.

“We operate from Brisbane north through the Moreton Bay region and the Sunshine Coast corridor, and the Moreton Bay region is actually the third biggest council area in Australia and the fourth biggest is the Sunshine Coast.

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“The Moreton Bay region is set to grow by 15 percent in the next 10 years and the Sunshine Coast by 25 percent so we are conscious that we have got to appeal to more than just people in Redcliffe and the Dolphins as an NRL entity will hopefully do that.”

Two early options being discussed are “Sun State” and “River City.”

“Brisbane” is, of course, also in the mix.

“When it is time we will seek input from the community,” Jones said. “Very rarely do you hear anyone say ‘Brisbane Broncos’, it is usually ‘the Broncos’. It will probably be the same with the Dolphins.”

So, the Dolphins basically tick every checklist, looking in. They’ve got the boutique stadium, and the training facilities. They’ve got the history, and the chequebook. They’re here to play, “as soon as possible.”

And just to ice the cake, they’ve got supercoach Wayne Bennet in their corner.

Bennett has come out publicly and stated the Dolphins were the leading candidate of all the expansion bids in Brisbane. Jones confirmed the Dolphins would be keen to talk to him as a prospective coach.

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“If we’re going to seventeen teams, Brisbane is a great place for it. Redcliffe is a great pick… it’s all there. You don’t want the NRL to have to prop a club up in three or four years time,” he said.

“They’ve got the wealth, the facilities, the player base. It’s the logical pick.

“I think that the Dolphins are the number one contender if there’s going to be seventeen teams.”

And there, Bennett — who hasn’t ruled out helming the club in its first year — hit the nail on the head. Redcliffe (or whatever name they choose) is the number one leading contender for the 17th spot.

The NRL may still be tossing up between the Dolphins, Firehawks, and Bombers/Jets, but on paper, there’s really only one option, at least in the eyes of The Sporting Base. It just needs V’landys’ green tick of approval.

And besides, who doesn’t agree the “Dolphins” is just a really great club name?

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