By Amelia Pattel
Townsville Blackhawks Media

The Townsville Blackhawks hosted Wynnum Manly Seagulls at Jack Manski Oval for the Round 17 fixture in a highly anticipated game, the first between the clubs for nearly two years.

This round was specifically special for the Blackhawks as they celebrated Women in League and was the first time the side has played on their home soil since late July due to postponement from COVID-19.

The first half was very high paced with intense energy from both sides, but Selwyn Cobbo put Wynnum Manly Seagulls on the board in the fourth minute. Jack Campagnolo added the extras for a six-point lead.

After a wealth of possession, the Blackhawks scored through Kalifa Faifai-Loa with a successful conversion from Shaun Nona, levelling out the scores at the 10-minute mark.

The Seagulls hit back through their captain Sam Scarlett in the 15th minute with another successful conversion.

Two high tackles from the Seagulls’ Issac Luke saw him sent to the bin and allowed the Blackhawks to score through Riley Price in the 29th minute, levelling out the scores once again.

Despite being a man down, the Seagulls scored the last try of the first half through Kalolo Saitaua in the 36th minute, giving a half-time score of 18-12.

Luke redeemed himself on his return to the field to score the first try of the second half in the 47th minute with a successful conversion extending the lead of Wynnum.

In the 52nd minute, Blackhawks player of the year Josh Chudleigh took a scoot from dummy half and put his team back in the contest, with Carlin Anderson taking over the kicking duties to put his team back in striking distance.

However, in the 56th minute the Blackhawks were unable to keep their opponents out as Delouise Hoeter scored for Wynnum Manly Seagulls with Campagnolo continuing his perfect kicking streak.

With pressure building on the Blackhawks, Michael Bell scored in the 74th minute but Anderson was unable to add the extras.

An escort from the Seagulls allowed Anderson to convert a penalty goal, bringing the Seagulls’ lead to only a converted try difference and ensuring an enthralling finish.

Despite the best efforts of the Blackhawks to force a draw, the Seagulls were victorious with a final score of 30-24.

The win kept the Seagulls in second position on the ladder, with the remaining games in the round still set to determine which teams would jostle for the top 4.

By Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Norths Devils Media

Norths Devils produced 10 minutes of defensive steel to end a decade-long drought at BMD Kougari Oval with a 24-16 win over Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round 16. The Round 16 Crazy Sock Round in support of Men of League pitted the minor premiers against second-placed Wynnum Manly and it didn’t disappoint.

The Devils had the first points on the board with an early penalty, however the Seagulls struck with the first try of the day.

Delouise Hoeter showed his strength to offload to Tom Farr, who engaged 3 defenders and managed to offload the ball back to Hoeter before being taken over the sideline. Hoeter showed his quick reflexes with the presence of mind to dive for the corner and plant the ball down in the 12th minute of the game.

Hoeter was impressive on the day, running for 143m (with 3 tacklebreaks and a linebreak) and making 15 tackles, and earning the Barton’s Player of the Match award.

The Devils’ first try came when Moses Noovao-McGreal burst through the Seagulls defence in the 20th minute to score in front of the Chook Pen.

A try to Ben Shea in the closing seconds of the first half allowed the Gulls to extend their lead. The Seagulls forward pounced on a Kalolo Saitaua grubber, to the delight of the home crowd.

The Seagulls took that narrow 10-8 lead into the break, but despite strong field position and possession during the early stages of the second half, were limited to just 6 points in the second half.

Between the 41st minute and the 51st minute, the Devils held the ball for only four tackles. Wynnum Manly capitalised on penalties, repeat sets and errors, but the Devils’ defensive line didn’t crack. A number of missed opportunities and discipline errors allowed the Devils to withstand the pressure and hold their line.

The Devils then rolled downfield, showing excellent handling in the greasy conditions to regather an attacking kick and place a second kick by halfback Bryce Donovan that fell perfectly for winger Rashaun Denny to score.

From the restart, the Devils moved the ball on the second tackle as centre Bernard Gregorius made a break, finding Donovan on his inside for an 80m try that put Norths ahead 20-10.

The Seagulls found a way through when interchange forward Issac Luke crashed over from dummy-half in the 71st minute, but the Devils cashed in penalty goals in the 75th and 80th minutes to seal the win.

A narrow margin means the Seagulls retain a strong for and against on the Intrust Super Cup ladder. The teams immediately below the Seagulls on the table lost, leaving the club in second position ahead of this coming weekend’s last round of the regular season.

The Seagulls will play the Blackhawks in Townsville for the final round of the regular season.

By Jim O’Reilly
Seagulls Contributor

The Sunshine Coast Falcons were shooting for a spot in the finals and the Wynnum Manly Seagulls were hoping to arrest a three-game losing streak, so this game was always going to be a tough encounter.

After the two-week COVID-19-enforced break, both sides were near to full strength and fresh for a good run and that’s what the crowd at BMD Kougari Oval got.

It was a very tight match where ball security and ill discipline from both teams proved pivotal.

The mood in the Wynnum Manly dressing room was upbeat, the boys buoyed by the return of Matiu Love-Henry and Kalolo Saitaua. Saitaua played his first game for 2021, after working hard through rehab to overcome a knee injury which put him out of the game for a year.

Wynnum Manly were off to a flyer when they regained the kick-off after the wind only allowed the ball to fly just 15 metres. Falcons did not really have a player there in coverage and the Seagulls pounced to get the ball and within the first minute were on the board with a try to Love-Henry. Jack Campagnolo converted and the Seagulls were up 6-0.

No to be outdone, the Falcons scored just six minutes later when Thomas Rafter reached out to plant the ball on Wynnum Manly’s try line out wide. Todd Murphy missed the conversion and it was clear that the crowed would be get their monies worth – this was going to be a ding dong battle.

Errors from Wynnum Manly’s Max Elliot and then the Falcons’ Sam Burns robbed both teams of the momentum they were building. In the 13th minute, Wyatt Reynolds left the field for a HIA and would not return, leaving the Falcons one man down.

However, the Falcons were tenacious and Nathan Saumalu crossed out wide. After Murphy slotted the conversion; the boys from up the coast were ahead 10-6.

During the next 20 minutes, Wynnum Manly started clearing their interchange bench, which greatly assisted the playing group in the very warm conditions.

In the last minute of the first half, perennial play maker Tristan Hope pounced on a grubber and grounded it just short of the dead ball line to level the scores. Campagnolo slotted the conversion to put the Seagulls up 12-10.

During the break, Coach Adam Brideson encouraged his players to back themselves and each other and maintain their intensity before heading out for the second half.

The Falcons received a penalty from a Lachlan Lee dangerous tackle and Murphy kicked the penalty goal, to lock up the scores at 12-12.

In the 48th minute, Hope forced himself over for the second of his two tries, much to the delight of team mates and nearby fans. Campagnolo missed the conversion and the Seagulls took a small four point lead, with the score 16-12.

Errors were costly to both sides during the second half and after the Falcons gave up an error and two penalties with three minutes, Campagnolo slotted a penalty and the the score was out to 18-12 to Wynnum Manly.

Injuries began to reduce the benches of both teams and fatigue became a real issue in the hot sun. This led to a mistake by Love-Henry in the 61st minute, which was pounced on by Luke Polselli, who scored out wide. Murphy adeptly slotted the conversion and scores were locked up again 18-18.

Unfortunately for the Sunshine Coast, this is where the scoring would end for them; tenacious Issac Luke burrowed over next to the post and Campagnolo converted to put Wynnum Manly ahead 24-18. The Falcons then lost Tyson Smoothy to a HIA and had virtually no one left on their bench.

Ill discipline would cost the Falcons one last time, when Kurt Baptiste was ruled offside in the 79th minute. While lining up the penalty goal, Campagnolo heard the final siren below, before he slotted the penalty and the Seagulls sealed it 26-18.

Brideson said he was happy for the win, but stressed mistakes and ill discipline made it a lot harder for Wynnum Manly, adding those areas needed to be addressed to have a successful finals run.

The players celebrated a grateful Saitaua in the sheds after the game, as he thanked medical and physio staff, Brideson and his teammates for sticking by him.

By Jim O’Reilly
Seagulls Contributor

Anyone thinking the Northern Pride aren’t up to it in the Intrust Super Cup would be sadly mistaken.

The Pride commuted down from Cairns to Pinklands Sports Complex on Saturday to take on the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. The Gulls took the game to Redlands as part of their Deadly Choices partnership and the first of two Indigenous Recognition Matches, working with local health clinic Yulu Burri Ba to support indigenous health initiatives.

You could assume all that travel would make Pride tired and lethargic, but they were anything but. 

On the back of a Joshua Stuckey hat-trick, the Pride ran in seven tries to two to completely overpower the Seagulls flock 42-12.

Right from Grant Anderson’s try for the Pride in the third minute, Pride were up and about and applauding each players’ efforts in defence, attack, play the balls and more.

It was the polar opposite for the Seagulls; who appeared to be lacking their usual spark. 

For a brief moment in the the eighth minute when Francis Kalisolaite-Tualau crashed over close to the posts and Jack Campagnolo converted, you were guilty of thinking “…ok here we go, the ‘Gulls are back in it”. But sadly, that was a very fleeting thought.

Four minutes later Stuckey scored his first of three tries close to the posts, converted by Grant Anderson, taking the Pride to 12-6.

The mood of the Seagulls soured even more when perennial workhorse Matiu Love-Henry was taken from the field with a significant leg injury, that could see him out for the season. Love-Henry is very much the barometer for team cohesion and energy and when he left you could see the Wynnum Manly side’s heads drop.

From there, errors and poor defence took over the Wynnum Manly team’s game and the Pride took full advantage.

A converted try to Tom Steadman in the 35th minute saw Pride go to the break 30-6 up and the comments in the fairly sizeable local crowd were “…….the Seagulls will bounce back in the second half”. 

Unfortunately that would not be the case.

Tries in the 50th and 70th minute and a penalty shot in the 77th minute saw the Pride run out winners 42-12.

Coach Adam Brideson shared, “we allowed ourselves to be outplayed in every facet of the game today…. we are better than that”. 

The Seagulls travel to Maryborough next week to face the PNG Hunters in the second Indigenous Recognition Match for the year.

By Jim O’Reilly

Driving into the town of Chinchilla, nearly four hours west of Brisbane, the tallest structures in the city are the giant grain silos on the right hand side of the main road.

Continue reading “Burleigh win battle in the bush” →

By Jarrod Vidler (Redcliffe Dolphins correspondent)

Jayden Nikorima scored two tries and set up another in his first Intrust Super Cup game in more than two years to help the Redcliffe Dolphins defeat the ladder-leading Wynnum Manly Seagulls 40-34 on a chilly Saturday night at Moreton Daily Stadium.  

The former Sydney Roosters player scored the opening try of the game in the fifth minute and was also involved in the next two tries for the Dolphins. 

Nikorima threw the last pass to set up winger Junior Ratuva for a debut try, and then shortly after, raced almost the length of the field to make it a double in his return game before half-time. 

Coach Adam Mogg was pleased with the performance of Nikorima, who has had to overcome some adversity in his career. 

“I thought he was outstanding and he’ll get a lot better than that too,” Mogg said. 

“Full credit to the kid, he works really hard on his own personal development.

“He’ll get where he needs to go, that’s for sure.”

The match was a see-saw battle with a total of 13 tries scored. 

After the Dolphins scored first, the Seagulls hit back with two tries in the space of four minutes to Edward Burns and Zeb Taia to take the lead. 

Burns scored again in the first half, but the Dolphins led 18-16 at the break.

The second half was entertaining for the crowd, with both teams taking turns in crossing the try line. 

With 15 minutes to go, the Intrust Super Cup’s leading point-scorer this season Jack Campagnolo put the Seagulls in front with a try under the posts.

A penalty from the ensuing kick-off then gave Wynnum Manly an opportunity to take control of the game, but they dropped the ball off the restart which gave the Dolphins a chance to hit back. 

Redcliffe did just that with a brilliant cut-out pass from captain Cameron Cullen finding the chest of winger Samual Elara, also on debut, who finished brilliantly in the corner.

Justin Worley, who finished with six from seven with the boot, converted from the sideline to give the Dolphins the lead with less than 10 minutes to play. 

The match-sealing try came in the final minute when Trai Fuller chased through a Sheldon Pitama kick and won the race to the ball to make it four home wins in a row for the Dolphins. 

Mogg was proud of his players for finding a way to get the result. 

“Really proud of our team with a lot of guys on debut,” Mogg said. 

“I thought they (Dolphins) did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game, slowing it up when they needed to and speeding it up when they wanted to.

“I felt like the score line was a fair result.”

Next week, the Seagulls will head to Chinchilla to play the Bears for the QRL’s Country Week.

By Jim O’Reilly
Seagulls Contributor

The day was special in many ways as fans, former players and the two current Intrust Super Cup teams – Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Souths Logan Magpies – gathered at BMD Kougari Oval for the inaugural Mitch Cronin Memorial Cup.

Both teams walked onto the field in unison in front of the Chook Pen and the newly unveiled Mitch Cronin Hill. The procession, including former teammates from across Cronin’s footballing career, linked arms to watch a video tribute in honour of the club legend.

You could have heard a pin drop as the crowd stood and observed one-minute of silence to remember a great footy player and amazing human.

From the kick off, the gravity of the game was clear and both teams had come to play.

It was a tight defensive game for the first 10 minutes before Brisbane Broncos star Corey Oates crossed over out wide for a try to put Souths Logan Magpies on the front foot, 4-0.

Their lead was short lived as big Max Elliott barged over close to the sticks and Jack Campagnolo slotted the conversion and the Seagulls were on the board, 6-4.

Just on the 20-minute mark Jayden Berrell jumped on a mistake by Ethan Quai-Ward and forced his way through three tacklers to score next to the posts. Campagnolo slotted the conversion and the Seagulls were out to a 12-4 lead.

The next phase was dotted with errors and penalties from both sides, which kept the game mid-field.

Lachlan Cooper took advantage of a ruck infringement penalty to score out wide and Isaiah Tass slotted the conversion and the Magpies were only two points adrift of the Seagulls.

Then right on half-time Quai-Ward made up for his earlier lapse by crashing over for a strong try, which Tass converted. The Magpies were off to the dressing sheds 16-12 up.

One minute after the restart, perennial finisher Ed Burns gathered a Sam Scarlett bomb and crashed over out wide to tie up the game at 16-16. Five minutes later Seagulls work horse Francis Kalisolaite-Tualau used his formidable frame to power to the line and extend his arm placing the ball on the line for a great try. Campagnolo converted and the Seagulls had the lead again, 22-16.

Ten minutes later, a professional foul saw Zeb Taia sin-binned, giving the Magpies a distinct advantage. They capitalised with a Cooper try that was converted by Tass to lock up the scores at 22-22.

Cooper would go on to put in a Hastings Deering player of the match performance and really moved his team around the park effectively. This kept Wynnum on the back foot for much of the second half. 

In the 62nd minute, Christian Hazard was penalised and put on report for roughing the kicker and given the closeness of the game, the Seagulls took the penalty and moved ahead 24-22.

Just three minutes later, the Chook Pen erupted when popular forward Matiu Love-Henry crossed to score. He capitalised on the momentum after some great one-off-ruck play by the Seagulls turned the Magpies around and had them back peddling. The conversion was missed and the score was 28-22; Wynnum and the crowd were starting to feel like the Seagulls were home.

The Magpies kept the pressure on and kept coming, with their hard work rewarded with a Ezra Mam try on 69 minutes. Tass converted and the scores were locked again at 28-28.

With five minutes left Jack Campagnolo slotted a field goal from 35 metres out and and Wynnum were up 29-28.

With two minutes left Oates retrieved a Scarlett bomb and ran nearly 50 metres before being brought down by a great tackle by fullback Ben Farr. 

Two tackles later and in the 79th minute, Oates was on the receiving end of a pass that saw him score in the corner, breaking the hearts of the Wynnum side 32-29.

The Cronin family presented the trophy to the victorious Magpies and both clubs enjoyed a meal with the family after the game.

Coach Adam Brideson remarked “it was a great game of footy, played in the right spirit by both teams with Souths been better on the day and deserved the win”. 

The Seagulls are back at home on Sunday June 20th to take on the Brisbane Tigers.

By Ian Apps
Sunshine Coast Falcons Correspondent

The Wynnum Manly Seagulls have solidified their position atop of the Intrust Super Cup competition ladder with a stunning come-from-behind 38-24 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

With both teams coming off last-start victories, there was plenty like about the opening quarter of the match.

The Falcons shot out of the gates and through the pinpoint kicking game of Falcons co-captain Todd Murphy, the home side were able build some early pressure to take an early 18-0 lead within the first 25 minutes.

Sunshine Coast hard man Daniel Dole was forced from the field mid-way through the first half with a suspected broken thumb, which put an immediate strain on the Falcons bench.

This was all the invitation the Wynnum Manly side needed and before the first half drew to a conclusion, the visitors posted their first points of the afternoon with back-to-back tries, heading into the sheds eight points behind.

The second half was one way traffic as the ladder-leading Seagulls started to flex their attacking muscle.

Their hooking combination of Jayden Berrell and Issac Luke proved too hot for the Falcons to handle.

The former NRL rake showed plenty of class and experience, chiming in with some lovely, long-range kicking from dummy-half, while Berrell bagged himself a second half double off the back of some brilliant offloads from his mobile forward pack.

Ultimately, it was these offloads that set the pace of the closing 40, with the Falcons struggling desperately to withstand a constant barrage of second-phase footy.

In the few second half moments where the Falcons had an opportunity to get themselves back into the contest, execution let them down with both Cooper Johns and Murphy throwing intercept passes when going for the miracle cut-out ball to their respective wingers.

The Coast did finally slow the Seagulls’ momentum, turning the tables and posting a last-minute consolation try.

Improving in the second half and “going on with the job” has been a real focus for coach Sam Mawhinney and the Falcons, but today was a case of them falling back into old habits and falling out of the game entirely in the second period of play.

Trent Loiero was strong in a beaten side, and has become one of the club’s most consistent performers after his NRL debut earlier in the year – awarded the Falcons’ player of the match award but was understandably sombre.

“It was pretty disappointing out there today,” the back-rower said.

“Our discipline in the second half made it really hard for us.”

The win sees the Seagulls remain undefeated and on top of the table, while the Falcons have just held on to fourth position, thanks to a fairly healthy for-and-against.

The challenges don’t stop for the Falcons, who travel down the Bruce Highway to rumble with the Norths Devils – who leap-frogged Tweed into outright second, setting up what’s sure to be another mouth-watering top four encounter.

The Seagulls tackle Ipswich on May 30th – watch it live on Kayo, 9Now or QPlus.