There were two bids that went up against the Dolphins a few years back.
Brisbane Jets which was a joint venture between the Brisbane Bombers and Ipswich Jets (corporate money meeting an established RL club with pathways)
And the Brisbane Tigers branded as the Brisbane Firehawks due to the Tiger brand already existing in the NRL.
These two bids attempted a last minute merger to defeat the stronger Dolphins bid but they couldn't agree to terms (probably a bit rushed for such negotiations to be successful).
The NRL have been clear that they don't want to have teams overlapping fan bases too much in SEQ (not repeating what the game has in Sydney) hence Dolphins North, Broncos Central, Titans South. The NRL have also indicated for more that a decade now that they'd like a team in the west which, now that we have the Dolphins would complete the puzzle in SEQ.
Ipswich are the local team and brand that resonate out that way, they have an established QRL team with a decent pathway system in place (strong RL area). They just don't have the sort of money to bid for an NRL licence. Leagues club is a tiny old pub in Ipswich.
Tigers are the third wealthiest RL club in Brisbane behind the Broncos and Dolphins and certainly do have the money to make a successful NRL bid, however, they are an inner city club (overlapping the Broncos) and their Tiger brand can't be used (Firehawks was a dog shit brand that was super unpopular).
If these two can successfully work out a marriage, they would instantly tick all the NRL's boxes. Ipswich council had even approved a 20k stadium if the Jets won the bid and were in the process of seeking additional funding for it from the State and Federal Governments.
For what it's worth, I don't think we should be looking at this option until 2032 at the earliest though. Give the market and Dolphins a chance to adjust.
