Despite winning their last two games, our Mal Meninga Cup U19 team just fell short of finals football in 2025.

In a hotly contested competition, with dozens of NRL-contracted players spread across different teams, our boys played admirably through a bad run of injuries.

Using 32 players across 9 games, with most being bottom-age, showed just how many injuries disrupted their season.

After a strong start with 2 wins in a row, the next 4 games were against the best teams in the competition, which proved too much.

We scored a couple of important wins at the end of the season to finish 8th on the table, with finals consisting of the Top 6 teams.

We look forward to welcoming back the eligible players in 2026, and aim to transition as many players as possible into our Hostplus Cup and BRL A Grade squads as their development continues at the Seagulls. Some players will make the step up to the BRL squad immediately and push for a Cup debut later in the season.

Well done to Blake Trace and his coaching team for your efforts across the season. And thank you to our Academy partner McDonalds Bayside for your support of our juniors.

Our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams have endured a season of mixed results in 2025.

The Harvey Norman U19 and U17 female teams will play their rescheduled Round 4 match at Tweed Seagulls this Wednesday night, with both teams looking for their first win of the season. This will be their last game of this season with the coming weekend a Round 7 bye.

The past 6 weeks have been a learning curve for our female players, and they will no doubt return in 2026 stronger for the experience. Some of our U19 players will also make the step up to our BMD Premiership team as their pre-season training block starts after Easter.

Our Mal Meninga Cup boys started the season strongly with a couple of good wins over close rivals Souths Magpies and Brisbane Tigers. In a hotly contested U19 competition, we were then beaten by the Devils, Bears and Dolphins, with an injury-riddled loss to Tweed in a rescheduled match last Wednesday night.

There are still 3 rounds remaining for our U19 boys as their season is longer than the other junior teams, and they will fight all the way to the end to play finals football.

Our Cyril Connell Cup team have been impressive all season, winning 5 out of 6 games to sit first on the ladder. Their only loss came in Round 5 at home with a late field goal from Burleigh beating them 17-16.

A bye this weekend ensures we will finish the regular season at worst in 2nd place, however likely in 1st with points differential.

Finals football then awaits, with our opponent to be decided based on results this weekend.

The McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams will take the field for their Round 1 matches against Souths Logan Magpies this Saturday.

Commencing preseason training in November, our junior squads are excited to get underway this weekend.

In recent seasons, dozens of Seagulls junior players have been signed to NRL and NRLW contracts, solidifying our position as one of the best rugby league pathways in the country.

And in 2025, many more players will aim to impress during their respective seasons, and reach the heights on the NRL and NRLW in future.

With plenty of footballing talent on show, come down to BMD Kougari Oval on Saturday to see our superstars in waiting.

Saturday 15 February details:
10am – Gates open
10:30am – Harvey Norman U17
11:50am – Cyril Connell Cup
1:10pm – Harvey Norman U19
2:30pm – Mal Meninga Cup
4pm – Hostplus Cup trial match

3 out of 4 of our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams have now finished their season following last weekend’s matches against Redcliffe Dolphins.

The Harvey Norman U17 girls team played only 4 games, but showed a lot of promise for the future in the inaugural year of the U17 competition. Some of these girls were also good enough to step up to play in the U19 competition when needed.

The Harvey Norman U19 competition also wrapped up against Redcliffe for 2024. With only 6 games in the season, this is another great step in the development of these female players as the aim for our BMD Premiership team. Similar to the U17 team, some of the players will now step up into the squad above them, as the BMD Premiership competition continues. Notable mentions to Mariah Brown and Caitlin Tanner who have made their BMD Premiership debuts in the two most recent matches.

The Cyril Connell Cup U17 team started the year very strongly and won their first two games. A few injuries to key players stunted their winning momentum and they ended up just missing the finals series. The positive for this group is that a lot of players are still only 15 years old, meaning they will be able to play Cyril Connell Cup again next year for the Seagulls.

We’d like to thank McDonalds Bayside for their support of our Seagulls Academy again in 2024. The remaining McDonalds Seagulls Academy team is the Mal Meninga Cup U19 men’s team. These boys take on the Norths Devils at home in Round 8 of the competition this Saturday as they chase a finals position.

All 4 McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams headed to Bishop Park on Sunday afternoon to take on Norths Devils in Round 2 of the junior rep competitions.

The Cyril Connell Cup and Harvey Norman U17s played at 1:10pm, across two fields, before the Mal Meninga Cup and Harvey Norman U19s kicked off at 2:30pm.

Our Cyril Connell Cup team made it two from two (22-18) in a tight match, while our Harvey Norman U17s went down 32-26 in an exciting finish.

Up next, our Mal Meninga Cup team came home strong, but it just wasn’t enough as they lost 24-22 in a close game.

Our Harvey Norman U19s rounded out the day with a comfortable 28-6 victory, to get their season back on track.

Round 3 is back at BMD Kougari Oval against the Burleigh Bears this Saturday, with the following timings:
10:30am – Gates Open
10:50am – Cyril Connell Cup
12:10pm – Mal Meninga Cup
1:40pm – HN U17s
3:00pm – HN U19s

The McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams have wrapped up their regular seasons over the weekend with final round matches at the Redcliffe Dolphins.

Providing a clear pathway through the club to our Hostplus Cup and BMD Premiership teams and beyond, the Seagulls Academy continues to develop strong local talent.

Supported by McDonalds, our Cyril Connell Challenge U16s, Mal Meninga Cup U18s and Harvey Norman U19s have done us proud again in 2023.

Our U18s finished the regular season in equal first place in the South East QLD pool, and will progress to the semi-finals after Easter. There are many talented players in the side and this is just reward for their hard work and excellent performance on the field.

Our U16s were competitive throughout their season with a young squad, of which most will get the opportunity to play again in 2024. Finishing mid-table, these boys will be stronger next season after experiencing competitive football in a tough competition.

The U19s were undefeated after 4 rounds and playing great football, eventually finishing 4th. A number of girls were identified to move up into the BMD Premiership side, solidifying this pathway for our younger players and exposing them to higher quality opponents which will aid their development for next season.

The support of our Premier Partner McDonalds is crucial to the success of the Seagulls Academy each season, and we’d like to thank them for their continued affiliation with the club.

For now, our U16s and U19s will return to their local club football, while our U18s will prepare for well-deserved finals football after the Easter break. Following that, some of our U19s Women will step up to play in the BMD Premiership and some U18s Men will play in the Hastings Deering Colts U21s.

In a split weekend of matches, our McDonald Seagulls Academy teams had some mixed performances.

On Saturday, our BMD Premiership team went down to Souths Logan Magpies after conceding a try in the final few minutes.

Shaniah Power was very impressive on her debut for the Seagulls with 2 tries, while perennial top performers Kim Hunt and Emily Bass also got on the scoresheet.

At the same time on Saturday, this time at Brisbane Tigers, our Harvey Norman U19s girls endured their first loss of the season. After sending 3-4 of their best players up to the BMD Premiership team, the U19s were faced with a tougher task than usual, and unfortunately couldn’t get past the Tigers.

Our Cyril Connell Challenge U16s kicked off Sunday’s matches at the Tigers. Their up-and-down season continued after a great win at home last week, going down 26-14 in the morning heat.

Up next were the Mal Meninga Cup U18s who hadn’t lost a game in 2023. Their dominance continued, leading 34-0 at half time and closing out the game, 46-18.

Our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams will now get a bye after 5 games in a row, and then finish their seasons with a final game at Redcliffe Dolphins on Sunday 2 April.

Our U18s remain undefeated and equal top of the ladder, with finals football on the horizon. While our U19s are 3rd after the loss on Saturday, and our U16s are 12th.

The BMD Premiership team will play at Iona College on Saturday 25 March before the Hostplus Cup team as they look to get their season back on track.

On Saturday, our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams headed to Capalaba Warriors junior rugby league club to take on the Burleigh Bears across 3 games.

In a show of support for our junior affiliate club, the Seagulls moved this home game to Capalaba, and were rewarded with a great turnout of supporters on the day. We’d like to thank the Warriors for hosting us on Saturday and for continuing to host our junior teams’ training sessions in 2023.

Up first were the Cyril Connell Challenge U16s at 2pm. The game was quiet free-flowing, but riddled with handling errors. The Seagulls were the better team but struggled to finish the game off when attacking their opponents tryline. However, Wynnum ran out winners 16-10.

The Mal Meninga Cup U18s match started similarly to the U16s, with handling errors causing a stop-start first 10 minutes. The Bears opened the scoring before Wynnum bounced back and headed to the break at 12-12.

The second half started with another Bears try before the Seagulls finished the stronger team to win 28-18.

In the Harvey Norman U19s, the Bears scored in the 2nd minute, before Wynnum hit back in the 6th minute. Another Bears try was followed by two Seagulls tries, and the girls from Wynnum led at half time 12-10.

As was the story in all three games on the day, the Seagulls were the stronger team but struggled to finish their attacking moves when on the Burleigh tryline. Our U19s were rewarded for continuous pressure and scored twice in the final 10 minutes to seal the third win of the day for the Bayside club, 22-10.

All three teams will now face Norths Devils this Saturday in Round 2 at BMD Kougari Oval on a huge day of football for the Seagulls. Our BMD Premiership and Hostplus Cup teams will also play a final trial game against Brisbane Tigers on the same day.

Tomorrow will see our Harvey Norman U19s Women, Mal Meninga Cup U18s and Cyril Connell Challenge U16s take the field for their Round 1 matches.

The games have been moved to our junior affiliate club, Capalaba Warriors, to show support for providing us with training fields throughout the pre-season.

Our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams will take on the Burleigh Bears in an exciting Round 1 match up.

The Seagulls have high expectations of all three teams in 2023 and are hoping to start with three wins tomorrow.

Details:
Location – John Fredericks Park (Banfield Lane, Capalaba)
2pm – Cyril Connell Challenge U16s
3:15pm – Mal Meninga Cup U18s
5pm – Harvey Norman U19s Women

The BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls Hastings Deering Colts took on the Townsville Blackhawks for a spot in this weekend’s Grand Final.

Playing out of Bishop Park, Nundah, a large flock of Seagulls supporters made the trip to the Northside to cheer on our boys on an unusually hot September morning.

Our remaining McDonalds Seagulls Academy team had trained well and we’re visibly pumped during their warm up.

They also started the better of the two teams when a fortunate bounce from a Blake Moore kick created a contest between opposition wingers. Only for Luke Philp to dislodge the ball, regather it and tip toe down the sideline, then pass inside to Max Plath who scored within the first minute.

Unfortunately for Wynnum, that was the only bright spot in the first half, as the Blackhawks then went on to score 5 tries in a dominant performance. Both centres and wingers from Townsville were incredibly athletic and strong, and created chances most times they touched the ball.

The Seagulls went into the break down 26-6. However, finishing minor premiers and knowing just how good they can be when they get it right, the boys from the Bayside were not daunted by the challenge that lay ahead.

A couple of head knocks to Nathan Ward and Kobe Martin also caused havoc to the Seagulls bench rotation, as both players would usually play big minutes.

The second half started just how the first 40 minutes had gone, with two quick tries to the Blackhawks. Townsville scored again in the 67th minute to effectively seal the game as they extended their lead to 42-6.

Cassius Cowley was dangerous when he was introduced into the game, created a few chances and breaking tackles.

Wynnum grabbed three late tries in the final 10 minutes to add some respectability to the final score, with Nathan Ward kicking the final conversion.

Townsville finished 42-22 winners and were simply the better team on the day, in a clash of the best two teams of 2022.

Our Colts have done the club proud this year, winning 14 games in a row through the regular season, and playing an attractive style of football.

A special mention to head coach Michael Dobson who has coached the team for the past 2 seasons and will now move to the Newcastle Knights. ‘Dobbo’ finished his Seagulls Colts coaching stint with 2 minor premierships, 1 premiership, a prelim final, and 30 wins and a draw from 37 games.