Brisbane's second NRL team will only succeed on passion

And don't the Storm have exclusive areas of QLD for junior development? Seems farcical!

Yet Freo & Port Adelaide have no trouble getting fans and corporate support...so why the hell wouldn't an NRL Redcliffe side get that support???

Nonsense Brad! How come Freo got so many kids north of the Swan supporting them then?

They already stated that the games would be played at Lang Park for the next 10 years regardless. They will use the overflow of Federal and State Government money intended for the Olympic Games bids to build a 35k seat stadium in Ipswich. Get your facts...

As I said to you above most of the chatter that I have been involved in either online, at work or in pubs id that no one likes the Bombers, and I work with people from all around south east QLD. And a new club needs to be able to stand on it’s own two feet. The Bombers don’t have a high performance centre, a club for the community to be a part of, a juniors program or even a regular training pitch, they are not ready. The Dolphins can go next year. All the Bombers have is an AFL logo and money, which the Dolphins have plenty of as well. The Bombers will need a lot of that money simply to create what the Dolphins already have, if they don’t go broke in the process. In my experience the average fan doesn’t want them they will not stop supporting which ever current team they have to get behind them. I trust that you have great contacts in the rugby league community but attracting fans from outside of that community is a different matter. As I said I know a lot of passionate diverse fans through my work which takes me all over Brisbane and the southern part of the state and if they are after a second Brisbane team they want someone to cheer for not a simple alternative. The Dolphins have a built in fan base that will expand, they are respected and active in rural areas and look to be working with the sunshine coast and there is even talks of working with clubs in the south of Brisbane. As I said before many fans outside of the rugby league inner circle are not concerned with QRL to your average punter a South QLD Dolphins team in Lang park would just be a Brisbane team that trains in Redcliffe. And to your more than average punter they will be the club of Big Artie, with a history of success built on hard work and community support. I am biased to success and the Dolphins have been successful in everything that they have done. They were a team that was expected to be nothing more than a Sandgate suburban club, yet has risen to the heights of the BRL/ QRL and say that they will continue to rise. I believe them, based on a track record of success. They have already said that they will not be the Redcliffe Dolphins but a new club that embraces Brisbane and it’s surrounds as well as the Dolphin brand and history, the Redcliffe Dolphins will play QRL. They will attract more fans than some flashy alternative to the Broncos. History, infrastructure, stability, community, future, a brand that resonates outside of the peninsula and a track record of success is what the Dolphins offer and if that is not enough then I don’t know what is. I know you have a lot of knowledge and experience in the Brisbane RL scene you would know that the Dolphins achieve what they do by putting in the work and they will put in the work to create a team for Brisbane as well as Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast. We probably won’t agree but I have enjoyed the banter, I appreciate people who respect the history of the game and not just repeat what Phil Gould says. Lets hope for a good future for Rugby League in south east QLD whatever form that takes, as you said, just wait and see. Cheers.

My experience with clubs in Sydney is that anyone can get screwed if you lower your standards enough, FACT. It's important not to lose your sense of humour. Clearly we disagree on multiple areas and that's ok, you believe that a made up team is the way to go, I believe a Dolphins team, call them south QLD if it helps, playing out of Lang park has the best resources to be a competitive Brisbane team. If there is a better option I would like to know about it, on this topic there is a lot of disagreement but the one standard comment is that no one wants the Bombers and passion before fashion. You seem to be a passionate QLD rugby league fan I am sure that on other topics we would agree, just not this one.

The South QLD Crushers were not mismanaged at all, they were a victim of Newscorp and the politics of the Super League War. Again, their home crowd average was better than almost every Sydney club. They were screwed. FACT!

I honestly respect your opinion but if you think someone from the south side, west side, east side or any other area of Brisbane is going to support a Redcliffe team in the NRL you are completely delusional and clearly blinded by bias. It’s like asking someone from the outer western suburbs of Sydney to support a new team in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, not a chance, it makes no sense. The Brisbane Bombers have put together a fantastic bid supported by big dollars and supported by great corporate sponsors so their bid is very strong. You will get more fans from all of the areas of Brisbane if you have a new team that represents all areas of Brisbane, whether that be the Bombers or someone else. And the NRL will know this and will see this as a matter of importance and will go for a team that represents a much larger geographical area than just the Redcliffe Peninsula. Having good contacts in the NRL through my line of work I believe that is the case, just wait and see… ????

Never tried to hide being a Dolphin fan, and I am biased but it doesn't mean I'm wrong. Like you I played in junior comps, although a lack of talent and wanting to chase girls in highschool lead me to quit so respect to to you for staying. Even more respect for your continued support as a fan. I love the QRL and find it more meaningful and enjoyable than the NRL. So I can see why you are against teams like Ipswich and the Dolphins if you don't like them. You even stated that many don't like the Dolphins well they will continue to support the Broncos even more passionately. And it doesn't matter if people tune in to watch a team win or get beaten as long as they tune in, apathy is worst option and that is what the bombers are also the point of this article. It is also important to remember that Vlandys is probably not a QRL fan and is only interested in results. Sydneysiders would not see the difference between Redcliffe, Moreton Bay and Brisbane it is all the same to them. Many Queenslanders don't follow QRL, they're missing out in my opinion, but to them a Dolphins team that plays at Lang Park called Moreton bay, south qld or greater Brisbane would be a legitimate team for Brisbane. Lastly I take most of what you said with good humour I was put back at being called selfish. Look at the bids on their own merits no one has been able to put together what the Dolphins have it has been 10 years in the making a new bid would probably go broke trying to build what they already have. This opportunity could be the end or the beginning for all of South East QLD. My vision would be 4 teams in SEQ. Jets in the west, Dolphins in the north, Broncos in the east and the Titans in the south. The Dolphins are the best bid for immediate and lasting success, and if they are successful then the NRL may return to SEQ. Sorry for the long post, although I am sure that there's stuff I forgot. I may be a fan of the Dolphins but I do find their bid objectively the strongest, and the best shot at future planning in SEQ. Too many times the NRL is reactive and not pro active. But hey if you disagree that's cool, from one QRL fan to another have a good one.

I know the Crushers had good attendance I was there it was free. I have had this conversation already if you prefer financially mismanaged it's up to you, either way they're gone and unlike South's no one marched for them to return. Hence why a team that has a built in support base and history is preferable if available.

The South QLD Crushers did no fail. You need to get your facts straight! They were a victim of the Super League War and were forced out of the comp. They actually had good home ground attendances and many members, actually the Crushers had better home ground attendances than most of the Sydney clubs that survived the Super League War. They did not fail! Get your history right mate. It was a political decision from NewsCorp to narrow down the number of teams to 16 from 20, and sadly the Crushers got screwed. Had they not got screwed they probably could have picked up great QLD talent like Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater instead of them going to the Storm and they could possibly have gone on to be a club as successful as the Storm & Broncos.

You seem biased, obviously a Redcliffe Dolphins fan hey... lol :-) The NRL will NOT choose the winning bid based solely on who has the most money. Actually, V'landys has already said it will be a combination of factors and not just based on who has the wealthiest of finances. Yes finances are an important part of what's required but it's not just about that, what's more important is the fans and the Brisbane people deserve a club that can represent all of Brisbane. Redcliffe is far too narrow an area and focus to be seriously considered as a second Brisbane team, it would be a huge mistake from the NRL to go that way. And I must say your comment is silly, being, "A team for all of BRISBANE already exists it is called the Broncos". Well, this topic of discussion is about a second BRISBANE team, meaning another Brisbane team in addition to the Broncos, and not a Peninsula team who are a local club team plucked from the local QLD Cup who are only supported by and mean something to the people/fans in that area. What about the rest of Brisbane?!? Brisbane is the second strongest Rugby League city in the world! Therefore they desperately need a second BRISBANE team that represents ALL areas of Brisbane and not just a small fraction of Brisbane. I know the local Brisbane Rugby League scene and it's fans very VERY well having played in the comp for over 21 years and having supported in for over 42 years. I can tell you now a person from the south side of Brisbane will not support a Redcliffe team in the NRL, nor would someone from the eastern or western suburbs so it would be a huge mistake to simply ignore and basically shun all of those Brisbane Rugby League fans who have been waiting decades for a second Brisbane team and an option other than the Broncos to support. The new Brisbane team really needs to be a brand new team built from scratch that anyone from Brisbane can support regardless of whether they are from the south, east, north or west of Brisbane. A new team that can build it's own history just like the Broncos, Storm and Cowboys did quite successfully, so the rubbish talk that it needs to be an existing club is nonsense. Bring on a new team please and people like you need to stop the bias towards a team you have an emotional attachment to because that frankly is a little selfish and basically thinking with the blinkers on.

A team for all of BRISBANE already exists it is called the Broncos. I happen to think the most important thing about a new team in the Brisbane area is that it's successful. Just found out a hundred million new reasons why the Dolphins will be that team.

Choosing Redcliffe would be a huge mistake by the NRL considering they'd essentially be disregarding and wiping out the rest of the local Brisbane Rugby League fans who want a second BRISBANE team and not a team from the Peninsula in the far northern outskirts that represents a very small area of a big fast growing city. It needs to be new team built from scratch that represents ALL of Brisbane and not just one small part of Brisbane. For example, Imagine building a new team in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney in Bondi and asking all the people of western Sydney to support them, it won't work and it makes no sense at all. Redcliffe is no different, they do not represent all of Brisbane and being a local Brisbane Rugby League player and supporter my whole life I know for a fact that anyone outside of Redcliffe dislikes the Redcliffe Dolphins as they are seen as an opposition glamour club, harsh but true. Remove your bias towards the Dolphins and think of all of the Brisbane Rugby League fans wanting a new team to follow as an option to the Broncos. It needs to be a new team.

As a born and bred Brisbane person who played Rugby League in the local Brisbane competition for over 21 years including playing in the senior grades and being a Rugby League fan based in Brisbane for over 40 years I will speak with sincerity and with great intimate knowledge of the local Brisbane Rugby League scene and the general consensus of the majority of true Rugby League fans in Brisbane and I will do it without bias or an agenda (unlike this article). Firstly, I have no doubts that whichever Brisbane bid the NRL choose it should NOT be an existing QLD Cup team but rather a brand new team that represents all of Brisbane and not just one area of Brisbane. Why? Because Brisbane needs a new team that represents ALL of Brisbane and it’s closely surrounding areas and not a team that represents just the far north of Brisbane or the East or West of Brisbane because that then leaves out a huge supporter base across the rest of Brisbane that have been waiting decades to have a team they can call their own. For example, A person from southern, eastern or western suburbs of Brisbane is simply not going to support a team from Redcliffe and vice versa, it would be very unlikely. I know this for sure as I have lived and breathed the local Brisbane Rugby League scene and know the true fans here in Brisbane intimately! Let's put it this way. It’s like asking the people of western Sydney to support the East Sydney Roosters or some new team in Bondi, it just makes no sense! It would be a TRAGEDY for the NRL to leave so many Brisbane Rugby league supporters out in the cold by choosing just one small area of Brisbane like Redcliffe or Easts to represent all of Brisbane. Especially considering the Rugby League fans of Brisbane have been waiting an eternity to get a second team in Brisbane and they need one that represents all of Brisbane and not just one small area of Brisbane. Good finances and an existing strong local supporter base alone is not enough. You need a team for the masses not just a team from one small area of Brisbane with a strong local club. Finally, think about this. The Broncos had no history when they started and now after just over three decades they are a well supported wealthy club with a rich history of success so the notion that a new team having no history is an issue because they allegedly have 'no spirit' is just absolute nonsense! Spirit and a strong history can be built quite quickly as long as the club is well managed as you only need to look at the success of the Brisbane Broncos and the Melbourne Storm as proof of that, so I'm confident that a new Brisbane team built from scratch that can represent ALL of Brisbane and it's Rugby League fans is the way to go and not a team that is just a strong local team that represents just one part of our big growing city. Whether that new team be the Brisbane Bombers or another franchise it's important that it be built from scratch with no bias to one area of Brisbane. No offence to Redcliffe, Easts or Ipswich but let's bring on a brand new second Brisbane team built from scratch that we can call our own, one that can rival the Broncos and gives us great local derbies. That's what the vast majority of Brisbane Rugby League fans want and that's what matters the most.

Yeah be interesting to see how the Warriors thing works out. Mail is, as soon as the Redcliffe deal was established the Warriors informed the NSW cup they were pulling their team out of that comp. the whisper is they will play non NRL 17 at Redcliffe each week. Unconfirmed at this stage. History of one ISC feeder system hasn’t been pretty. The Broncos with Brothers, Toowoomba and Aspley while successful at the time has turn to ruin or close to for those clubs. Manly with Sunny Coast was also good but once they left the SC club struggled until the Storm stepped in. Obviously those clubs were much smaller commercially than the Dolphins. So it shouldn’t hurt them financially but makes for hard going bringing through local talent. The crushers stories are from conversations with other people that also work in the game. I Played against the Crushers under 19’s in 95 and 96 and had mates go on to play for them in 97 but only heard these stories in the last 2 years. Cracking stories!

I think that we agree on a lot, and disagree on some fundamentals, which is cool that's the purpose of this site. Thank you for letting me know the story of the crushers player, being young at the time of their existence I obviously didn't know. It doesn't change my view of going with an established brand but it shows that for any modern club knowing and caring for player needs is very important and will benefit everybody. I did like the club as a youngster, it is a shame how things turned out. We can both agree that the courier mail as well as many media outlets gave up actual reporting for populist drivel long ago. However they are good at reading public opinion and giving it back to them, so reports on what teams people may support could actually be accurate. We both agree that the Dolphins would be successful if in the NRL, and it is interesting to note that they seemed to have left the standard feeder system model. It will be interesting to see where their agreement with the Warriors goes.Where we seem to really disagree is philosophically, you seem to believe in shooting for the stars and hitting the moon, a great way to live life and one I respect. I think that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. By that I mean there is possibly a smaller area of support for the Dolphins, although North Moreton Bay is growing, but that area of support is definate. Where as the possible fan base of a brand new team may be large but may not yield any support. There is no such thing as no risk, even not having a club may further open the door for AFL. I guess it comes down to what you think the best odds are. It is worth thinking about this though; the League fans I work with in Brisbane that don't support the Broncos have various reasons for doing so, none of which include representing Brisbane. It usually comes down to coming from somewhere else usually Sydney or NZ, having heritage somewhere else or Identifying as country which seems to be automatic Cowboy support. I don't believe that a new team with no difference to the Broncos would sway the majority of fans but that is just my opinion, you have yours and thank you for sharing it. It has made me think which is always a good thing, cheers.

Yes I’ve been to the Dolphins facility. I’ve been going there yearly for over 30 years. I’m not arguing that it’s not a great club, facility or Have great people involved. My comments are that to Brisbane that wouldn’t be a true representation of Brisbane. Plus I feel that the market share of corporate support would reach far better commercial response from a club base in Brisbane. I also think that the fact that the brief is to have RL played at Suncorp every week. Long way to go for mum dad and two kids for 8pm kickoffs on school nights if the Dolphins or Jets get the nod. For the majority of broncos history they have been a development club, their recruitment in the past few years is very questionable as we are seeing now. They have at least 8 full time staff in the development space who’s roles are separate to NRL duties. This would be an NRL benchmark or if not would be second behind Penrith I’d say. Now if we were arguing Redcliffe’s development from 15 years ago or before then you’re bag on. Where 80% of their Q cup side were Dolphins juniors. They were awesome at development but that has been in decline for a number of years. Crushers went broke because of the exploding salaries. One average player who wanted a $10k increase from $60k to $70k for his final season went into discussions with ARL during the SL war...... this player had a stutter that ARL reps were unaware of. Long story short, because he dithered in the conversation due to his impediment they increased and increased the offer until finally saying “$190k, final offer, take it or leave”. As you could imagine paying $120k overs for average player isn’t a great business model for a club in its infancy. There was also a lesser known push from their Brisbane counterpart to wind the club up. Stories from people in the room of sliding blank cheque books across the table to officials. The Courier Mail....... There’s an old bumper sticker that says “is it true or did you read it in the Courier Mail”? Gee, I miss the days where journos would only actually report on what happened, they seem to just write opinion pieces these days. Most of them write opinions on something they aren’t really qualified to write about. And If they don’t like the coach or player they also make it personal. Do I think Redcliffe will be successful should they get the nod? Of course I’d do. I’m not arguing that they won’t. I just feel a Redcliffe or Ipswich team would only appeal to possibly 1 or 2 out of every 10 RL people left in Brisbane. So makes commercial sense to try and go after the 80-90% and then be creative to see how you can go after the 10-20% in the Ipswich and Redcliffe areas.

Haha fair enough on the commenting. I think Moreton Bay Dolphins would work. Council area population is about 450,000 but you're not setting it up for the people now, it's 20 years time you should be looking for. Moreton Bay is a name that historically fits and represents all of Brisbane. Even if it doesn't attract all brisbanites (this could be worked with by the media), having grown up on the Northside (and what I would consider Bayside), most people around here either are fans of the Dolphins or have played for them or their feeders so it would be a natural fit to go for them (or if they currently don't, for their children to)

Yeah that's what I was alluding to above. Feel like the NRL could really play off that history