Category: McDonald’s Seagulls Academy

Seagulls Named to Represent U17 QLD City Teams

The BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls are proud to have numerous representatives in the boys and girls QLD City teams, named earlier today by QLD Rugby League.

The QLD U17 City vs Country fixtures will take place before the Hostplus Cup Grand Final at Moreton Daily Stadium on September 24.

Some familiar names have appeared again for the Seagulls in the representative arena, adding further recognition to the McDonalds Seagulls Academy program, as the club has had 4 boys and 2 girls named in their respective City teams.

For the girls, Sienna Lofipo and Jaydah Tofae, will do the Seagulls proud in a City jersey.

While the boys City team contains Jeremy Trappett, Cameron Bukowski, Beni Allen and Lewis Symonds.

All of these players had successful seasons within their McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams, and will now look to perform on the big stage at the Hostplus Cup Grand Final.

The City boys team will be coached by former Brisbane Broncos player David Stagg, who was also involved in last year’s game as a City mentor.

“Off the back of last year and seeing what it is all about, it’s more about giving them an insight into what is required at this level and their progression moving forward,” Stagg said.

While former Queensland and Australian representative Deanna Turner returns to coach the talented City girls team for a second year.

Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons Women head coach Tahnee Norris said, “It’s a wonderful opportunity for all players to learn from the camp environment during the week, and further develop their own game and skills leading into next year’s Harvey Norman Under 19s and BMD Premiership competitions.

“We’re proud to have a genuine pathway through our representative program and hopefully we’ll see future Maroons come through from this group of talented players.”

Good luck to all the Seagulls representing their region in a few weeks time!

The full team lists can be found here: Girls and Boys

Seagulls Colts Go Down in Tough Trip to Rocky

The McDonalds Seagulls Academy Hastings Deering Colts travelled to Rockhampton over the weekend to take on the Central QLD Capras.

The winner would enjoy a week off and head to a preliminary final in two weeks time, while the loser would get a second chance this coming weekend.

Wynnum Manly, despite finishing 1st, were the away team to the Capras, who finished 4th, as the Colts schedule follows the Hostplus Cup schedule in finals.

Central QLD opened the scoring before Seagulls captain Ethan Malt replied in the 9th minute.

Then the Capras scored twice in 4 minutes to hold a 16-4 lead.

Seagulls try-scoring forward Felix Faatili then did what he does best – pushed his way past multiple defenders and scored near the posts.

Capras then had a player sin-binned in the 39th minute, but took a 16-10 lead into half time.

Jack Bowyer competes with the Capras winger for the ball.

Despite being a man down, the Capras scored in the 42nd minute and also kicked a penalty goal to put 8 points on the board with only 12 men on the field.

There was a sense that a Seagulls fightback was coming – they are too good a team to play well at some point.

However, two Seagulls sin bins stalled their progress as they continued to make big metres across all of their sets.

The Seagulls were unlucky as they were disallowed 4 tries via forward passes, obstruction and a knock on in the in-goal area.

Blake Moore took an intercept and ran 80m to give the Seagulls some hope with two minutes remaining, however the Capras just held on to scrape home for the win.

In promising signs for the Seagulls, they only went down by 4 points to a good Capras side, in a performance riddled with ill-discipline and handling errors.

The boys from the Bayside will be much better for the run and now head back home to face Tweed Seagulls at BMD Kougari Oval this weekend. Game time to be released by QRL soon.

McDonalds Seagulls Academy Presentation

The McDonalds Seagulls Academy award presentation was held on Saturday 14 May as a curtain-raiser to the Hostplus Cup match vs Ipswich Jets.

Both Player of the Year and Player’s Player were awarded across the Harvey Norman U19’s, Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup U18’s and Cyril Connell Challenge U16’s.

Players from the 3 Academy teams, plus their parents, braved the weather and headed to BMD Kougari Oval for the presentation.

The awards were won by the following players:

Harvey Norman U19’s

Player of the Year: Jaydah Tofae

Player’s Player: Emma Barnes

Jaydah Tofae wins Player of the Year in HN U19s

Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup U18’s

Player of the Year: Felix Faatili

Player’s Player: Jeremy Trappett

Jeremy Trappett wins Player’s Player in the MMC 18s

Cyril Connell Challenge U16’s

Player of the Year: Zac Herdegen

Player’s Player: Zac Herdegen

Zac Herdegen wins Player of the Year and Player’s Player in CCC U16s

The BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls would like to thank McDonald’s Bayside for their incredible support of our Seagulls Academy program over many years. McDonald’s Bayside’s commitment to the Seagulls and to the local Bayside community has significantly influenced the quality of our Seagulls Academy program and increased the opportunity for kids in the region to play high-quality rugby league.

Colts move on after second half comeback

The Seagulls turned in an impressive second half performance against the Mackay Cutters on the weekend, to advance to the Preliminary Final and Week 3 of the Hastings Deering Colts Finals series.

The game took place at Tugun on Saturday, a neutral ground, with both clubs fighting to continue their premiership campaign. The Seagulls opened the scoring, with an early try to Malachi Retchford, but found themselves trailing 18-14 at half time.

Max Plath had the Seagulls only other try in the first period, with Braden Whittaker continuing his fine form with the boot going 2 from 2 alongside a penalty. A small lead was erased in the second twenty minutes of the game, with the Cutters bouncing back and scoring two unanswered tries.

Despite the half time deficit, the Gulls came out firing in the second half and quickly swung momentum in their favour. Seagulls Colts Head Coach Michael Dobson said that the boys knew they had the ability to win the game and score points, if they went back to basics and played their own brand of footy.

A strong preparation leading in to the game kept the team’s confidence high, despite coming off a loss in Week 1 to the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Defensive intensity allowed the Colts to slow down the Cutters point scoring in the second half and win the game off the back of their own impressive attack. The Colt’s 2021 season included an impressive for and against thanks to dominant attack and stifling defence, in a show of strength for the McDonald’s Seagulls Academy Program.

Tries to Harrison Graham, Grand Hagai and Ben Farr helped build a moderate lead in the opening phase after half time. Malachi Retchford claimed his second try with 9 minutes to play before a Plath field goal put the result beyond doubt.

The Seagulls finished a strong second half winning the game 39-28.

The Colts will take on the Redcliffe Dolphins at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday evening, with a spot in the Grand Final up for grabs. Tickets are still available to head to Redcliffe and support the club as we look to qualify for the final two Grand Finals of the QRL season.

 

Seagulls Academy Trials coming in October

The Wynnum Manly Seagulls are inviting Junior Rugby League players from across the community to register for our trials for the 2022 season. Trials are being held for U18s in the Mal Meninga Cup and U21s in the Hastings Deering Colts teams.

The McDonald’s Seagulls Academy provides a pathway for local athletes through elite rugby league systems. As a direct affiliate of the Brisbane Broncos, the Seagulls Academy program develops talent from the junior level through to opportunities to play in the NRL.

A number of Seagulls Academy athletes signed NRL contracts in 2021 and the club has a long history of successful player development.

Trials will be held on the evening of Friday October 8th, at BMD Kougari Oval, 92 Wondall Rd, Manly West.

U18s will trial from 5pm to 6.30pm. Only players born in 2004 or 2005 are eligible to register, trial and play in 2022.

U21s will trial from 6.30pm to 8.00pm. Only players born in 2001, 2002 or 2003 are eligible to register, trial and play in 2022.

Due to limits on capacity, all players wishing to trial must register at this link https://forms.gle/LRp2j3vTfVgNo5uT6 by October 1st.

Further information will be provided to registered participants closer to the trial.

Colts secure Minor Premiership

With only one loss and one draw leading in to the 14th and final round of the season, the Seagulls have locked up the Hastings Deering Colts minor premiership. Off the back of an impressive year for the McDonalds Seagulls Academy, the Colts sit five points clear of the second placed Blackhawks.

This Saturday will see those top two teams go head to head in the final round of the season, with what looms to be a key finals matchup preview. The Colts will play the Blackhawks up in Townsville at 12pm, as a curtain raiser to the Intrust Super Cup game.

Seagulls Academy Manager and Colts Head Coach Michael Dobson said he and his team were excited for the challenge ahead.

“We knew we had a tough run into the finals, we have played three strong teams and now we have to finish with the Blackhawks in Townsville,” Dobson said.

“We want to see high intensity in defence and you are going to need high completion rates because it’s going to be hot up there.

“We are excited and it’s all about that high intensity football.”

Read the full preview of that clash on the QRL’s website.

Last Sunday’s game against Norths Devils was the clincher for the Colts minor premiership, with a strong victory allowing the team to seal their own fate. The Gulls crossed for seven tries on the day, including doubles from Alec MacDonald and Harrison Graham. Jacob Sturt-Tobin, Germaine Bulsey and Will Parslow also scored, with Braden Whittaker continuing his strong form with the boot and converting 6 from 7 goals.

The Colts again maintained their defensive intensity throughout the game, only allowing the Devils to score 4 points.

In his second game back from injury, Max Plath was also impressive and earned the McDonald’s Player of the Match award. Plath started in five-eighth after coming off the bench in the prior round, steering the Gulls around for 400 kick metres and over 1,700 run metres.


The club would like to thank McDonald’s Bayside for their continued support of the Seagulls Academy program.

McDonald’s Seagulls Academy Wrap – Falcons in Round 16

The Hastings Deering Colts notched another win in an already impressive 2021 season on Saturday, defeating the Sunshine Coast Falcons 24-18. A game of swings and momentum meant both sides were well and truly in the hunt throughout the game, with the Falcons looking to maintain their ladder position in the top 4.

It was a sloppy affair for the first 30 minutes, with both teams failing to take care of the football and struggling with discipline. However, Max Plath made sure his impact was felt when he opened the scoring within his first 5 minutes of footy for the season.

Plath started this game on the bench, after a long rehabilitation process to overcome an ACL injury. Plath rejoins a number of teammates across the Seagulls program who have overcome injuries in 2021. The club wide long-term view to football development is supported by the McDonald’s Seagulls Academy.

Seagulls Fullback Braden Whittaker was the McDonald’s Player of the Match, guiding the team around defensively through crucial momentum swings.

Colts Head Coach Michael Dobson was happy with the team’s defensive effort. “It was especially pleasing to see those effort areas after coming off a long break. We were a bit scrappy with the ball, but our middle forwards and Braden in Fullback had really strong games and helped us get it over the line”.

The Colts’ Will Parslow also crossed for the Seagulls in the 37th minute, allowing the home side to take a 10-0 lead into the break in what was proving to be a tight contest.

The Falcons had the first two tries of the second half, taking a 12-10 lead by the 51st minute. But the lead had swung back the other way by the 63rd minute, with Germaine Bulsey bagging a double. Set restarts against the visitors allowed Bulsey to build some momentum and take on a Falcons side that were starting to fatigue.

A couple of missed conversions meant the game was still in the balance despite a try scoring advantage for the home side. Emanuel Tuimavave-Gerrard scored the final try for the Seagulls, who held a 12 point lead with 5 minutes to go in the game.

The Gulls would manage to hold on to the win, notwithstanding a late try in the final minute to the Falcons Jai Smoothy.

The Colts will take on Norths Devils at BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday September 4th at 12pm, before the Intrust Super Cup match.