The Dolphins are the newest team in the NRL competition, having entered at the start of the 2023 season.
It's never easy for a new team to enter such a strong competition, but The Dolphins have captured the imagination and can be seen as a success so far.
They have been a breath of fresh air to the competition, but their vague name may leave casual fans wondering where on earth they are based out of.
The Sporting News is here to clear up that question.
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Where are The Dolphins from in the NRL?
The Dolphins are the second NRL team in the Brisbane area after the Brisbane Broncos, and are based out of Redcliffe in the city's north.
There had been clamouring for a second team in the footy mad Brisbane for years, and when the NRL decided to finally introduce a rival to the Broncos, they decided on a team in Redcliffe for multiple reasons.
The area itself has a large population with a unique identity around the town, and an existing rugby league club called the Redcliffe Dolphins, one of the biggest in the Queensland Rugby League competition.
The area also had a stadium capable of hosting NRL matches, with Dolphin Stadium having a capacity of 11,500 fans.
Why is 'Redcliffe' not in The Dolphins name?
When The Dolphins were first announced in 2021, there was confusion as to why 'Redcliffe' was not included in their name given the clear links the team had to the area.
The reasoning behind the decision from the NRL is the desire to broaden the supporter base of the club beyond the Redcliffe Peninsula, with the ever-expanding Sunshine Coast in particular a market of interest.
"This is about owning not just Brisbane and having a second Brisbane team but owning the north as well", NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said on the team's launch.
"This is about owning not just Brisbane and having a second Brisbane team but owning the north as well.
The NRL has previously experimented with this in the late 90s and early 2000s when the Canterbury Bulldogs went by the moniker 'The Bulldogs'; the move was widely unpopular with supporters, though, and the club went through a rebrand in 2009, including reverting their name to Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Where do The Dolphins play?
Despite being based in Redcliffe, The Dolphins play most of their home games at Suncorp Stadium in the centre of Brisbane, also home to their rivals the Broncos.
This is largely due to the greater facilities and capacity of Suncorp Stadium, especially needed for marquee fixtures such as the 'Battle of Brisbane' and finals matches.
The club does take a select amount of games to Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe, as well as Sunshine Coast Stadium in an attempt to draw in more fans.
