Former NRL star Matty Johns firmly believes the Dolphins will continue to build into an elite powerhouse club following a rapid rise since their entry into the NRL.
The Dolphins have only existed for four seasons and will play in a preliminary final on Friday after a strong year on the paddock.
The club boasts one of the most stacked back lines in the competition, with the likes of Selwyn Cobbo, Jack Bostock, Herbie Farnworth, and Jamayne Isaako arguably all top three players in their position.
Throw in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and you've got a club who can score points from anywhere on the field, while having a forward pack who works hard for each other and has adjusted perfectly to the swift increase of pace introduced into the NRL recently.
With Isaako heading to Melbourne after season's end, it is expected Tevita Naufahu will get a chance to cement a starting spot on the wing for 2027.
Naufahu recently inked a two-year extension to keep him in Redcliffe until the end of 2029 and now has an opportunity to continue the dominance Isaako kept on the Dolphins' wing.
The club finished third in the regular season and had zero finals game experience before entering September this year.
Now, they sit in the box seat for a Grand Final berth when they host the Roosters after a week-off.
With a strong core of representative players, and the squad littered with youthful talent, Johns believes they will reach similar heights we've come to know of the Melbourne Storm during the 2010s.
“It's just a remarkable story,” Johns said on SEN's The Run Home with Joel and Fletch.
“And that club, I reckon they could be the Melbourne Storm of the next 10-15 years. That long a dominance.
“I went through; they (Daily Telegraph) had a thing about the top 100 young players coming through the grades and the pathways.
“Mate, I reckon the Dolphins had 40 or 50. They're a powerhouse club.”
Johns, accompanied by his Immortal brother Andrew, played alongside each other in a dominant Newcastle outfit during the 1990s, and shared premiership glory in 1997.
The club's biggest task will be finding a way to hold on to Farnworth, who is set to head to the open market on November 1 this year for a 2028 contract.
Farnworth is currently one of the best players in the world right now, and fresh after re-signing Cobbo, the Dolphins will be pushing hard to keep him in Redcliffe.
If they can deliver a premiership in their fourth season, it will mark an incredible start for the NRL's 17th franchise, and will no doubt propel conversations for further expansion.
Week 3 of the finals will see the Dolphins face the Roosters at Suncorp, while the Panthers will host the Knights in Sydney.
