The NRL has been approved to set up a new team in Brisbane, with the Redcliffe Dolphins winning the race to join the competition.
Over the next 12 months, the competition will undergo a significant shift as it prepares to make room for a 17th team.
With around $70 million of financial muscle, the Dolphins will be one of the NRL's richest franchises. While this is good for the outlook of the game nationally and particularly in Queensland, it also makes Redcliffe an almost instant threat to the other 16 teams on the field.
Here are the teams that will be most impacted over the next 12 months by the Dolphins' arrival.
MELBOURNE STORM
As the newest team in Queensland, signing a high-profile local player, someone that will immediately draw fans and sponsors, is expected to be top of Redcliffe's priority list.
This could be bad news for Melbourne, with some of their biggest names - Harry Grant, Cameron Munster, Brandon Smith and Christian Welch - thrown up as marquee signing targets for the new team.
With all four set to come off-contract in the next two years, the Storm now faces an almighty fight on their hands to keep their star-studded roster intact.
Munster in particular has voiced an interest in getting involved with Brisbane's new team in 2023, and while he's technically contracted until the end of 2023, strange things can happen.
On top of the aforementioned names, Melbourne's list of 15 players coming off-contract at the end of next year is the biggest in the competition, meaning they're bound for some huge player turnover next season.
Aside from fending the Dolphins off their star players, Melbourne also faces a fight over one of their primary player nurseries.
The Storm have occupied the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland for several years, which has produced the likes of Grant and Nicho Hynes, however Redcliffe have also identified that as a key catchment area for talent.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Kalyn Ponga is another name that's been identified as a primary target for Brisbane's next team, which represents bad news for the Knights.
Newcastle have spent the last three years since luring Ponga to the Hunter from North Queensland trying to lock him down long-term, amidst strong interest from New Zealand rugby.
The superstar fullback has an option in his favour for seasons 2023 and 2024, making him extremely gettable for Redcliffe if they can pitch the move to Ponga over the next 12 months.
A game-wide fan favourite, Ponga represents the perfect signing target for the Dolphins in helping them attract other players to the club who would be eager to play alongside one of the game's most exciting players.
PARRAMATTA EELS
For the same reasons, the Dolphins' introduction in 2023 is a huge cause for concern for the Eels and their player retention.
Along with the Storm, the Eels have one of the longest lists of players coming off-contract at the end of next year with 14. At the top of that list are names like Clint Gutherson, Reed Mahoney, Junior Paulo and Marate Niukore.
A Nambour product, Mahoney has been linked with a move to the new team in Brisbane. As a young hooker who has found his way inside Maroons circles over the past 12 months, he represents an ideal signing target for the Dolphins.
Equally, signing an on-field leader in the shape of Gutherson or Paulo would also prove a major coup for Redcliffe.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
The approval of Redcliffe's introduction to the competition in 2023 also has huge implications on the Rabbitohs.
While Wayne Bennett will leave the Rabbitohs at the end of this season to return home to Queensland, South Sydney have pushed to keep the master coach on board in a remote capacity in 2022.
The only issue is Bennett has been vocal with his interest in being the inaugural coach of the 17th team.
The Dolphins will make hiring a coach one of their first pieces of business to get the ball rolling on setting up their football program and recruitment before pre-season for the 2023 season starts in November next year, meaning Bennett could very soon become unavailable.
OTHER QUEENSLAND TEAMS
Ensuring the new team in Queensland doesn't cannibalise the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys has been a key factor in the NRL's decision to expand.
While the Dolphins will undoubtedly bolster the game's growth in the state across all levels, they realistically threaten to dilute the reach and power of the other three teams also.
While the Broncos boast one of the biggest fan bases in the competition, there would still be thousands of fans supporting them out of convenience, who could defect to the Dolphins over the next year.
Then there's the genuine threat of Redcliffe poaching players from the other three Queensland-based teams in the near future, which, let's be honest, is bound to happen.
