The Dolphins' successful NRL expansion bid surprised many over the past week by electing to drop Redcliffe from the name.
While the franchise will still be located in the region, it's now seeming more likely that the Dolphins may have no location attached to their name at all.
It had been rumoured they would allow the public to vote on potential options, with some possibilities including "North Brisbane" or "The Sunshine State", however, bid chief Terry Reader told SEN 1170 that the NRL had very detailed criteria in terms of being able to attract an audience.
It had been rumoured elsewhere that the NRL were also keen to have a team with Brisbane in the name to help promote and build the rivalry with the Brisbane Broncos.
“What we presented to the NRL, you can imagine the submission was very detailed and the criteria was very detailed,” Reader explained.
“Obviously attracting fans and making sure we can bring a younger demographic in was all parts we had to address.
“We worked with a branding company to come up with a new brand being ‘The Dolphins’ which we thought had appeal and still salutes our history."
Read explained that Redcliffe will act as a similar base to the Dolphins as Red Hill does for the Broncos, allowing the club to maintain its roots in Redcliffe.
“Redcliffe to us will be what Red Hill is to the Broncos, it’s our base, it’s where our club and our facilities are, but we’re a lot more than Redcliffe and we’ll appeal to a lot bigger region," Read said.
“We presented as ‘The Dolphins’ and that’s how intend to do it.”
It's understood the club will play most of its games from 2023 onwards at Suncorp Stadium, with a handful played in Redcliffe or on the Sunshine Coast.
The Dolphins edged out the Brisbane Firehawks and Brisbane Jets for the NRL's 17th licence.
