Ghosts Of Brisbane's Failed 2nd Teams Look On With Pride As Dolphins March Towards NRL Grand Final

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The remnants of Brisbane's failed second teams are beaming down with pride today, as they watch the Dolphins begin their semi-finals preparations.

This includes the consortiums that put forward rival bids to the Dolphins, namely the East Brisbane Tigers - who rebranded as the Brisbane Firehawks to avoid any confusion with the Sydney club of the same name - and Ipswich Jets, who rebranded as 'the Western Corridor'

Let's not forget the failed Brisbane Bombers franchise. Who don't appear to be aligned with any real clubs.

For years, the River City was a one team town for NRL fans, with the Brisbane Broncos winning six premierships in less than two decades.

But still, the city was filled with vast cohorts of rugby league fans that believed the Broncos were an invention by the Sydney football powerbrokers - and disrespected the local rugby league clubs that has existed for over 100 years before the Courier Mail ran a poll on what the new Brisbane NRL club should be named.

Still, the Broncos ended up over-performing - and in turn won over the city by effectively fielding a Queensland Origin side and benefiting from media saturation on every billboard and can of beer from the Gold Coast to Cape York.

During the Super League War of the late 1990s, the southern elites tried to invent a second team to compete for the Brisbane market - the South Queensland Crushers - who went on to absorb all of the other jilted local fans who refused to support the Broncos.

But the Crushers folded after playing just 65 first-grade premiership games. This was perceived as evidence that a 2nd team could never survive in Bronx Nation.

The long-suffering fans of the Redcliffe Dolphins had to watch on in heartbreak, as their beloved side continued to dominate the QRL - until 2021 when the NRL suddenly gave them a licence because the regular season needed to be expanded to fit more sportsbetting ads into their TV broadcast deals.

In three short seasons, the Dolphins have proven a 2nd team can indeed survive in Brisbane. Even as their cross-city rivals won the premiership last year.

But things are different in 2026. The Dolphins look like they could go all the way, and the failed 2nd Brisbane teams of years gone by are just glad to see someone prove it could happen.

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