Have The Dolphins Overtaken The Broncos As Queensland's Team To Beat?
The 2026 NRL season marks a significant shift in Queensland rugby league. Once seen as underdogs, the Dolphins have emerged as the state's most in-form and dangerous team, boasting a powerful attacking roster and strong performances. In stark contrast, the Brisbane Broncos, long considered the glamour club, are underperforming and outside the finals spots, plagued by issues both on and off the field. Although the Cowboys and Titans remain inconsistent, the Dolphins clearly top the state’s rankings at the halfway point, but a premiership push is yet to be realized.
- Dolphins now Queensland's most in-form and dangerous NRL team.
- Broncos struggling outside the finals zone and underperforming.
- Dolphins lead state rankings, but premiership ambitions are still unproven.
Isaiya Katoa of the Dolphins celebrates with team mates after scoring a try. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Have The Dolphins Overtaken The Broncos As Queensland's Team To Beat?
A couple of years ago, this conversation would have sounded ridiculous.
- Have The Dolphins Overtaken The Broncos As Queensland's Team To Beat?
- The Dolphins Are No Longer A Feel-Good Story
- Brisbane Keep Searching For The Answer
- Are The Dolphins Queensland's Best Team?
The Brisbane Broncos were the glamour club. The Dolphins were the expansion side trying to carve out an identity. One club was expected to challenge for premierships while the other was expected to spend years building towards relevance not only in the NRL but in South East Queensland.
Fast forward to the halfway point of the 2026 season and the conversation has completely changed. After another dominant performance in Round 15, the Dolphins are not only Queensland's most in-form team, they could be the most dangerous side in the competition outside the top premiership favourites.
Meanwhile, Brisbane are sitting outside the finals picture and searching for answers at both ends of the park.
The Dolphins Are No Longer A Feel-Good Story
For the first couple of seasons, there was always a tendency to view the Dolphins through the lens of overachievement. If they won games, they were punching above their weight and if they were able to challenge the bigger clubs it was seen as a bonus.
That label no longer fits because the Dolphins have assembled one of the most explosive attacking rosters in the NRL and for the second year in a row, those combinations are clicking.
Their backline can hurt teams from anywhere on the field while their mobile forward pack are winning the middle. This has seen their confidence grow every single week.
What stands out most is how quickly they can put games away. Take for example the game against the Roosters in Round 15, they shifted through the gears and completely blew the game open. Once momentum swung in their favour, the result was never really in doubt and that is something genuine contenders do.
Brisbane Keep Searching For The Answer
The contrast with Brisbane is hard to ignore, the Broncos still have representative players across the park and on paper there is certainly no shortage of talent. Yet the results continue to disappoint fans.
One of the recurring themes in our League of Inches Round 15 review in the video above, was that Brisbane have too many players trying to be the hero and not enough players willing to do the less glamorous work that winning teams require.
Whether that's fair or not, the reality is the Broncos are now sitting alongside teams they were expected to comfortably finish ahead of and for a club with Brisbane's resources and expectations, that simply isn't good enough.
Are The Dolphins Queensland's Best Team?
Right now, the answer is yes, let's look at the rest of the Queensland teams. The North Queensland Cowboys have been inconsistent, especially defensively and the Gold Coast Titans remain a work in progress.
The Dolphins are the Queensland side carrying the most momentum and producing the most complete football but whether that will translate into a premiership remains to be seen. If you're ranking Queensland clubs at the halfway mark of the season, the Dolphins deserve to be sitting at the top of the list.
The Dolphins take on the Wests Tigers in Round 16 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium check out the NRL hub for the full game preview.
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