Redcliffe in the box seat to become Brisbane’s second NRL team

The shock frontrunner to become Brisbane’s second team to rival the Broncos has been revealed, as the ARL Commission is keen to establish an NRL foothold in the area.

The Redcliffe Dolphins win the Grand Final. Easts vs Redcliffe in the Intrust Cup Grand Final. Pic Peter Wallis

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Redcliffe is the shock frontrunner to become Brisbane’s second team to rival the Broncos with the ARL Commission keen to establish an NRL foothold on the peninsula.

The Sunday-Mail can reveal Redcliffe is the No.1 target to one day join the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans in the big league as NRL CEO Todd Greenberg prepares to begin a wide-ranging investigation of the code’s possible expansion zones.

Well-placed sources have told The Sunday Mail that if a Sydney team went bankrupt tomorrow, Redcliffe would be on standby to receive an NRL licence.

Redcliffe powerbrokers last night said the Dolphins would have the resources to bankroll Queensland’s fourth NRL team, declaring: “We’re keen as mustard”.

The NRL has come under fresh pressure to recognise southeast Queensland’s importance to the code’s national footprint with leading coaches Paul Green and Wayne Bennett saying the time is right to launch a second Brisbane team.

Redcliffe are the reigning Queensland Cup champions. Picture by Peter Wallis.

For the past eight years, the Brisbane Bombers, Central Queensland and Ipswich’s western corridor bid have worked so tirelessly and vocally they were regarded as the standout contenders to clinch another NRL licence, possibly for the code’s next broadcasting deal in 2023.

But Redcliffe has jockeyed into the box seat.

NRL powerbrokers now rate the Brisbane peninsula powerhouse ahead of Ipswich, the Bombers and Central Queensland as a prospective NRL team.

The code’s governors believe a second Brisbane team may still be at least five years away, but that time frame will be expedited if a Sydney-based NRL rival sinks into heavy debt, with the NRL warning they will not provide a financial bailout.

ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie confirmed Redcliffe is on the radar and a serious option for an NRL licence.

“Clearly Redcliffe has got the skills (to run an NRL team),” Beattie said.

“I wouldn’t be too specific because you need competent people to run the club.

“We don’t want to set up a club that runs into trouble.

“There has been interest in Ipswich (from previous NRL administrations), so you have to look at all areas.

Redcliffe have the facilities to join the big league.

“We have to look at the people running the club, what is their financial viability, what’s their business case, because this (a possible second Brisbane team) is not something we want to set up to fail.”

Greenberg’s end-of-year report will provide a definitive blueprint for the code’s growth. The ARLC will ensure that any expansion plan be a competitive process that explores every option.

Redcliffe _ currently a feeder-club to the Broncos _ ticks the boxes in a number of critical categories.

Founded in 1947, the same year as Parramatta and Manly, Redcliffe are one of Queensland’s most famous clubs with a rich 72-year history. They are the reigning premiers in Queensland’s elite league competition, the Intrust Super Cup, and possess the financial backing of the powerful Redcliffe Leagues Club.

In 2015, Redcliffe received $4 million in federal government funding to complete a $12m upgrade of home ground Dolphin Stadium. The 10,000-seat stadium is the perfect training headquarters with a view to playing NRL fixtures as a cotenant with the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

Redcliffe is part of the wider Moreton Bay region, which is home to 425,302 residents - double that of Ipswich’s population of 210,000.

Redcliffe would also expand their catchment area to the Sunshine Coast.

The Brisbane metropolitan region has 2.4 million people, but Redcliffe would also expand their development area to include the Sunshine Coast.

Redcliffe Dolphins chairman Bob Jones said his organisation has been in quiet negotiations to one day emerge as an NRL force.

“There’s no doubt - we’d certainly be interested in having an NRL team,” Jones said.

“We have previously had some discussions with the NRL about the requirements and what would be needed to play in the NRL.

“We have always kept things quiet which the NRL has appreciated. The Bombers and Ipswich have pushed like hell to make it happen but we’ve always felt it’s out of our hands, we can’t do anything about it.

“We believe we have the infrastructure to set up a good base but we still would have work to do and it’s pointless doing that work if it (expansion) is not going to happen.

“We could certainly sustain an NRL team. The Redcliffe brand in itself is a very strong brand, it’s been around for a long time and has great recognition with the people of Brisbane.

“If and when expansion happens, we’ll have our hat in the ring.”