Category: McDonald’s Seagulls Academy

Perseverance pays off in Plath’s path back to play

By Colleen Edwards
QRL content producer

Months of hard work and perseverance have paid off for Wynnum Manly Seagulls talent Max Plath who returns to the football field this weekend after a long stretch side-lined by injury.

Plath – who can play in the halves and as well as a hooker or lock – has been named on the bench for this weekend’s Round 16 Hastings Deering Colts clash against Sunshine Coast Falcons in what is set to be his first game of rugby league this season.

Returning from an ACL injury, which he suffered in playing for the Seagulls in their Brisbane Rugby League A Grade semi final victory last year, Plath has endured his fair share of injury setbacks in his young career.

“It’s been tough… I have had a bad run,” Plath said of his injuries.

“I did (my ACL) in BRL, in the semi-final … it’s been rough … (but it was) good timing in a sense, because as soon as I did it, I was straight into pre-season, so the coaching staff and the gym staff are highly qualified and they take good care of their players.

Check out the full profile on Max on the QRL’s website here: https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2021/08/26/perseverance-pays-off-in-plaths-path-back-to-play/

Max’s development through a long term history with the Seagulls is another example of the importance of the Seagulls Academy. Thanks to proud club partner McDonalds Bayside, the Seagulls Academy supports an elite pathway from junior football through to QRL major competitions.

The Hastings Deering Colts take on the Sunshine Coast Falcons in a curtain raiser on Saturday 28th of August at BMD Kougari Oval, kicking off at 12.10pm.

Head Coach Michael Dobson named his team earlier this week, including the return of Max Plath. Check out the full team list below!

Hastings Deering Colts – Wynnum Manly Seagulls – Round 16

  1. Ben Farr
  2. Grand Hagai
  3. Sebastian Winters-Chang
  4. Kurt Farr
  5. Tom Farr
  6. Braden Whittaker
  7. Corey Herdegen
  8. Jacob Sturt-Tobin
  9. Kobe Martin
  10. Caius Faatili
  11. Alec MacDonald
  12. Ethan Malt
  13. John RadelInterchange
  14. Max Plath
  15. Nathan Ward
  16. Isaac Carpenter
  17. Caleb Savelio Thompson

Germaine Bulsey hat-trick keeps the Colts on top

The Colts continued their run of fine form last Saturday, beating the Burleigh Bears convincingly with a final score of 38-6. The win sees the Seagulls retain the top spot on the Hastings Deering Colts ladder, three points clear of east side rivals, the Brisbane Tigers.

The development of players across the Seagulls pathways is a key pillar of the club, proudly supported by McDonald’s as the naming rights partner of the Academy Program.

Seagulls Centre Germaine Bulsey earned himself the McDonald’s Player of the Match award in the game on Saturday, with an impressive effort on both sides of the ball.

Bulsey was a standout across the competition, also earning the Hastings Deering ‘Heavy Lifter’ award for Round 10. Check out his highlights here!

The Colts played a curtain raiser at Pinklands Sporting Complex as part of a community round for the club.

McDonald’s Player of the Match Germaine Bulsey

Bulsey opened up the scoring for the ‘home’ team in the 11th minute, busting through the line and showing his pace to beat the fullback and diver over the line. He crossed for his second six minutes later, showing his agility and quick reflexes to pounce on a deflected kick.

Bulsey made a number of crunching tackles to show his effectiveness in defence, and ran the ball well out of the backfield to earn his team good field position. He scored his third try early in the second half, to extend the Gulls 16-6 lead.

A clean team effort from the Seagulls helped hold the Bears to only a solitary try, running in seven themselves. Devontai Seumanutafa had the first points of the second half, with a try converted by Braden Whittaker who was five from seven on the day.

Ben Farr returned to the Colts side and made his mark on the game, scoring in the 67th minute. Jacob Sturt-Tobin and Caius Faatili capped off the scoring, with both players crossing in the final ten minutes.

The Colts take on the Western Mustangs on Sunday in Round 10, with Michael Dobson naming his updated squad of 17 ahead of the clash.

Colts Team List

  1. Braden Whittaker
  2. Grand Hagai
  3. Kurt Farr
  4. Germaine Bulsey
  5. Carsen Huth
  6. Blake Moore
  7. Corey Herdegen
  8. Jacob Sturt-Tobin
  9. Shaun Packer
  10. John Radel
  11. Ethan Malt
  12. Kobe Martin
  13. Nathan Ward
  14. Jackson Rohweder
  15. Isaac Carpenter
  16. Caleb Savelio-Thompson
  17. Bailey Coles

Colts ready to roll against Redcliffe

The Seagulls Hastings Deering Colts will look to continue their impressive season as they take on Redcliffe in the curtain raiser this Saturday at 4pm.

The Round 11 fixture is a top of the table clash, with the Gulls sitting in first place with one loss and one draw, and the Dolphins close behind in third.

After a scheduled bye round and the postponement of their most recent game, the Gulls are eager to get back out on the field and face off against the Dolphins for the second time this season. When the clubs took the field for the first time in Round 2 earlier in 2021, the Seagulls scored 7 tries and came away with a strong win.

In their most recent match, the Colts took on the Tweed Seagulls for the first time since their pre-season trial. After being beaten fairly comprehensively in that trial, coaching staff were pleased to get a good win when the points counted in Round 9.

Braden Whittaker was the Gulls’ best in that game, and walked away with the McDonald’s Player of the Match Award.

The five-eighth steered the team effectively in attack on the day, and was defensively sound. The Gulls primary goal kicker, Whittaker also converted five conversions from five attempts.

Colts Head Coach Michael Dobson was pleased with the team’s ability to convert points on the day and impressed with a more complete performance than he had seen in recent weeks. “We ticked the effort areas a bit better against Tweed and met the KPIs that we set as a team”.

Despite losing the possession and kicking metres battle, the Gulls showed strong discipline and defensive intensity, limited their opposition to 12 points.

The Colts team has gone from strength to strength in 2021, in a boost to the credibility of the McDonalds Seagulls Academy Program. With a number of NRL call ups for players in the Seagulls Intrust Super Cup side this year, pathways continue to open for Colts players to earn opportunities to play at the next level.

This week, Alec MacDonald is set to make his ISC debut after impressing Academy staff and ISC Head Coach Adam Brideson throughout the year. The ongoing development of players remains a key pillar of the Gulls football program and the Club is grateful to McDonalds for proudly supporting the Seagulls Academy.