The Sydney Roosters beat the Dolphins 36-20 in Friday night's preliminary final, ending Redcliffe's bid for a maiden grand final appearance.
The match had chaotic and controversial moments, while Mark Nawaqanitawase's night included freakish moments.
A crowd of 52,286 watched at Suncorp Stadium as the Dolphins' fairytale campaign came to an end.
Despite the disappointment, their fourth NRL season established them as contenders, with refinements to be made before preseason begins in November.
"One thing about this group is we're definitely motivated. We wanted to be there next week as much as any team in the comp, and at the end of the day, the realisation in the group is we have a great squad that can do that and achieve those things," Dolphins co-captain Tom Gilbert said.
"It's a disappointed change room, but I know with the right preseason and right time off that we can propel this into a better season next year."