Jordan Grant will play his 100th Hostplus Cup game for the Seagulls this weekend in Round 17.

In a full circle moment, Grant debuted in Cup in 2018 on the very same ground that he will play his 100th game on – BB Print Stadium in Mackay.

Standing at 190cm and 109kg, he has been an immense presence in the middle of the field for the Seagulls this year, regularly playing 60+ minutes per game.

In another strong connection to our Bayside community, Jordan has been working for BMD since his move to Brisbane.

We were fortunate to recruit the big man from Penrith for the 2025 season, with his rugby league experience shining through at BMD Kougari Oval.

It’s been a long journey throughout his career, being part of 2 NRL clubs and 4 Hostplus Cup clubs. ‘It’s been quite the journey, but I’ve learnt a lot and been a part of some great teams’, Grant said.

He has played 23 games for the Mackay Cutters, 26 for Redcliffe Dolphins, 37 for Brisbane Tigers and now 13 for the Seagulls. And with NSW Cup games added in, his complete tally is closer to 175.

In the 2021 preseason, Jordie was given a Melbourne Storm train and trial deal through then-Brisbane Tigers coach (and current Seagulls Pathways Manager) Jon Buchanan. He impressed the Storm enough to be part of their squad that went into the bubble for the majority of the 2021 season. He played 7 NRL games across 2021-23 for the Storm, where he got to reunite with a couple of his best mates in Nicho Hynes and Josh Addo-Carr.

‘It was a dream come true to debut in the NRL and I would have loved to play more. I’ve had a few injuries over my time that have set me back, but I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve’.

The he won the Hostplus Cup Premiership with the Tigers in 2023 and earned a train and trial contract with the Penrith Panthers for the 2024 season.

Heading into 2024, Grant was selected for the Indigenous All Stars, an experience that he describes as ‘one of the best weeks of my life. It was unbelievable to be able to learn about my culture and surround myself with an awesome group of players and proud Indigenous men’.

Jon Buchanan was again instrumental in recruiting him to the Seagulls, and in 13 games in the red and green this season, Jordie has averaged 107 running metres and made 356 tackles at 97.8% efficiency. These stats alone have helped to propel us to 3rd on the ladder as most teams haven’t been able to handle our forward pack dominance through the midfield, led by the man himself.

When asked about Wynnum Manly this year, he said ‘I love it here, and we’ve got a strong group of guys. I’ve been in teams that have won Premierships before and I really think we can go all the way this year’.

Jordie will look to make another positive impact on the field tomorrow against the Cutters in his 100th game and then kick on towards finals football.

You can watch the action on QPlus.tv, with kickoff at 4pm Saturday afternoon.

Celebrating 30 Years: 1995 Premiership Reunion & Fundraiser for CTE Awareness. This event is proudly supported by our major partners BMD, Bartons and the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club.

In 1995, the Wynnum Manly Seagulls made history, claiming their fourth BRL premiership title with a memorable 32–24 victory over Easts in the grand final.

Led by captain Ricky Taylor, the team rallied after a strong showing in the preliminary final against Brothers, delivering a win that would go down as one of the club’s proudest moments.

This year, we’re thrilled to announce the 30th Anniversary Reunion of that iconic team – a night of celebration, reflection, and purpose.

Join us on Saturday, 30 August at Wynnum Manly Leagues Club as we honour the 1995 champions and support a cause close to the heart of our club – raising awareness for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Since the tragic passing of club legend Paul Green, BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls has proudly partnered with the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASBB), a vital organisation committed to research into the long-term impacts of head trauma in sport.

Event Highlights:
Stories from the Field – Relive the magic as members of the 1995 Premiership team share untold stories and memories from their winning season.
MC – Iconic sports journalist Pat Welsh
Special Guest – The one and only Sam Kekovich will bring his signature humour to the stage
Live Auction & Raffle – Bid on exclusive memorabilia and experiences or try your luck in the raffle
50% of all profits will be donated to the ASBB, with the remaining proceeds supporting the Seagulls.

Inclusions:
2-course meal
3-hour beverage package
Live entertainment featuring a live band
Half-price entry for gameday at BMD Kougari Oval on Saturday, 31 August

On Sunday, we’ll take on the Brisbane Tigers in the final round of the Hostplus Cup regular season, featuring the presentation of the Paul Green Medal, awarded to the player who best embodies Paul’s legacy of courage, leadership, and passion for the game. We will also host an Old Boys Game vs Easts Tigers, bringing together past players in a spirited match.

This is more than a reunion, it’s a chance to honour our history, raise critical awareness for brain health in sport, and support the future of rugby league at Wynnum Manly.

To purchase a table, please click this ticket link: https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/d3c67bca-6521-483e-b251-c8965cb0ecab

We look forward to sharing a special Saturday night and a Sunday afternoon of rugby league with you.

The XXXX Chair’s Challenge will see the best players from the South East region go toe-to-toe in men’s and women’s competitions.

Wynnum Manly Seagulls will have plenty of representatives on show at the carnival, with the following players selected to represent Brisbane:

Brisbane Poinsettias Women
Mary-Jane Railton

Brisbane Red
Ethan Unicomb
Levi Hawea

Brisbane White (coached by Seagulls BRL A Grade assistant coach Ian Turner)
Will Parslow
Jack Glossop
Tahj Amone
Max Pakai

Key information for 2025 XXXX Chair’s Challenge

When: Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6
Where: Logan Metro Sports & Events Centre
Broadcast: Qplus.tv (Round Pass – $4.99)
Points system: Two (2) points available for winner of each half, and two (2) points for winner of the match.
Entry Fee: $7 (adults), free (pension, concession, children)

Schedule
July 4, Friday

Women: Brisbane Poinsettias v Gold Coast Vikings 7:30pm

July 5, Saturday

Men: Brisbane Red v Ipswich Diggers 12:30pm
Women: Gold Coast Vikings v Ipswich Diggers 2:00pm
Men: Brisbane White v Gold Coast Vikings 3:30pm

July 6, Sunday

Men: Brisbane Red v Gold Coast Vikings 11:30am
Women: Brisbane Poinsettias v Ipswich Diggers 1:00pm
Men: Brisbane White v Ipswich Diggers, 2:30pm

QLD Rugby League’s Country Week initiative is back in 2025 with a full round of venues announced during our broadcasted Round 15 match on Sunday afternoon.

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls will be heading to meat ant country in Augathella to take on the Norths Devils on July 26.

The game will take place at Brassington Park, home of the Augathella Meat Ants, 767km west of BMD Kougari Oval.

This is the only time we play the Devils in the 2025 regular season, so it presents a crucial opportunity to chase down the reigning premiers who are currently one spot ahead on the ladder at the time of writing.

The Seagulls have embraced Country Week each year, with trips to Cooktown, Wondai, and Sarina in recent seasons.

And this year is no different, as we look forward to immersing ourselves within the Augathella community and surrounding townships.

With the Queensland Government again backing Country Week, presented by Ford, a full round of the Hostplus Cup will be played throughout regional Queensland at the end of this month.

Country Week fixtures:
Saturday, July 26:
Yarrabah – Burleigh Bears v Northern Pride
Moranbah – Mackay Cutters v Brisbane Tigers
Charters Towers – Townsville Blackhawks v Souths Logan Magpies
Emerald – Central Queensland Capras v Western Clydesdales
Augathella – Norths Devils v Wynnum Manly Seagulls
Gayndah – Sunshine Coast Falcons v Tweed Seagulls

Sunday, July 27:
Goondiwindi – Ipswich Jets v Redcliffe Dolphins

Gehamat Shibasaki has been named in QLD’s State of Origin 3 team, capping a remarkable rise in 2025.

Shibasaki was originally signed by Seagulls coach Mat Head and offered a Brisbane Broncos train and trial deal as part of his contract.

He arrived at BMD Kougari to collect his training gear on the first day of Seagulls preseason on November 16, and unfortunately for Wynnum Manly, he hasn’t worn our colours again.

Gem impressed immediately at Broncos preseason training at Red Hill and fought off incumbent Deine Mariner to be named as their starting centre for Round 1 of the NRL.

He has held that position ever since, scoring 12 tries in 15 games, to go along with 13 line breaks and 58 tackle breaks.

This rapid rise has culminated in being selected by Billy Slater for the deciding State of Origin match in Sydney.

We wish Gehamat all the best for next Wednesday night, and for continued success with our valued affiliate club, the Brisbane Broncos.

Article written by QRL correspondent Michael Nunn. 

Some players would look out of place in any other jumper: Delouse Hoeter may have played for the Townsville Blackhawks and Norths Devils, but the damaging centre looks truly at home in the Green and Red of Wynnum Manly.

Hoeter has become a Chook Pen favourite at Wynnum, the Seagulls’ fans know what they like, and they love Delouise Hoeter.

He played his first game for the Seagulls in 2018 and this week against the Redcliffe Dolphins he will play number 100 for the Seagulls.

Hoeter has owned the Seagulls right hand side for 99 games and can’t wait to bring up the century for Wynnum.

His deft lines and effective passing game makes being his outside winger a prime piece of real estate.

Hoeter will be the 19th player to play 100 games for Wynnum.

“I am really proud to play 100 games for Wynnum, they gave me a chance and my goal was to play NRL again and Wynnum facilitated that dream.” Hoeter reflected.

“There have been so many highlights across those 100 games, winning the Mitch Cronin Cup this year and Country round in Cloncurry in 2019 where we beat the Cutters 34-12 are some of the best though.”

In the 2021 preliminary final at the home of Queensland Rugby League, Hoeter rose to the moment, scoring a hat-trick which propelled his side to the Grand Final.

From his first try off a Selwyn Cobbo flick pass, to his third try off a short drop out spin and score – Hoeter put in one of the greatest finals performances from a Seagull since Wally Lewis scored three tries against the Souths Magpies in the 1984 Major Semi Final.

“That was a highlight, Tweed scored first and from 6-0 down to be up 22-6 at half time was a highlight.

“To play in that Wynnum team with Sam Scarlett and Ed Burns was a great time in my life.”

One of Hoeter’s best mates is former Wynnum player Ed Burns.

Burns played 73 Hostplus Cup games for Wynnum and Redcliffe and can’t wait to shake his mate’s hand on Saturday to congratulate him on his 100 games.

“I will be there for sure to celebrate his 100th – what a great achievement for Del,” Burns said.

“I think he resonates with Wynnum because he came there and worked hard for them, he improved himself and Wynnum.

“I think he would be the first to admit that he went down to the Tigers as the child prodigy, came back went to Townsville and Norths but when he got to Wynnum he knew this was probably his last chance.

“He’s a great role model and 100 games is special; there would be countless younger players like Selwyn Cobbo that are better off having come across Del in their career.”

Hoeter will be on the right-hand side on Sunday for Wynnum, running and giving wingers more time and space for them to score – and the Chook Pen will be loving their man for the 100th time.

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls are proud to be returning to North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) again in 2025 for our annual Indigenous recognition match.

Our partnership continues into it’s 12th year with Deadly Choices, Yulu Burri Ba Aboriginal Health Corporation, and Redland City Council, wo relocate a game to the Redlands coast in recognition of our local Indigenous heritage.

The mighty Straddie Sharks will once again play host to this match, this year in Round 11 against the Central QLD Capras on Saturday 31st of May at 2pm. Entry is free and there will be market stalls, activations for the kids, Seagulls merchandise, and prizes to give away. All stakeholders gathered at the Straddie Sharks to launch our Indigenous recognition match for 2025.

Deadly Choices ambassador Steve Renouf welcomed guests and highlighted the importance of the partnership between all stakeholders. “Our deadly partnership with the Seagulls and Yulu Burri Ba has continued to contribute significantly to better the lives of our First Nations population by encouraging individuals to eat healthy, maintain exercise, and avoid smokes and alcohol, and importantly keeping up our 715 health checks.

Brett Nutley, representing Redland City Council, was happy to support this event and stated, “This is one of the most important events on our sporting calendar and it’s also an opportunity for us to celebrate the First Nations history and culture of our city. This year marks over a decade since the Seagulls first brought a match to Dunwich, on this beautiful oval behind me, and Council has been a proud sponsor of the event across this time.

As we know, rugby league is one of the most popular sports on the Redlands coast, and it’s a special occasion when we get to host a game of this calibre. This partnerships built through this match, with Yulu Burri Ba, Deadly Choices, Redland City Council and the Seagulls, assist with promoting healthcare access and initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around the region. Make sure you mark Saturday 31st of May in your diaries, and come along to this wonderful event.”

David Collins, CEO of Yulu Burri Ba Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health, acknowledged the history of the game, “The first of these games over here started in 2014 and there was a big push from one of our Elders to make it happen. She has sadly passed, so I would like to pay my respects to Aunty Lyn Shipway. We always remember her when we have the Seagulls game over here.

As Steve said, we are encouraging people to come and get their 715 health checks. Book into one of our clinics and you can get one of these Seagulls shirts as well. One of the big focuses we have this year is tackling Indigenous smoking, and helping our mob to stop smoking and vaping, as they lead to very unhealthy outcomes.

Make sure you come along on the 31st of May to watch our local team the Wynnum Manly Seagulls against the Central QLD Capras.”

Seagulls CEO Wayne Weekes spoke next to thank all the contributors to the event, “The Seagulls would like to thank everybody that has been on board with this game. It’s something that we are really proud to host each year. It’s been 12 years now, and the big focus has been promoting health across the local community. We’re surrounded by some great people across these organisations, and this event certainly couldn’t happen without them.

We’ve got a new jersey to wear this year, with a great Indigenous design, so thank you to Yulu Burri Ba and Deadly Choices for helping with this design and supporting our event, as well as Redland City Council for your support, Sealink ferries for assisting us with travel, and the Straddie Sharks who are great hosts each year.

We have an addition this year, in that our BMD Premiership women’s team will also come over for an in-house trial match, which will add to the football and the community atmosphere on the day. Again, we are super proud as a club to be involved and thanks to everyone for your contribution.

Host Steve Renouf closed by reminding guests that the 31st of May is also World No Tobacco Day. A great coincidence that helps to elevate our collective Indigenous health messaging around our game.

This is always a great event for the local community, and a highlight of the Indigenous culture on the Redlands coast. We welcome everyone to come along and be part of the day. Sealink ferries will be operating passenger and vehicle ferries to and from Dunwich and offer great support for this event as well. We encourage everyone on the mainland to come over for the day to cheer on the Seagulls.

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls travel to Port Moresby this weekend to play the PNG Hunters in Round 8 of the Hostplus Cup.

Coming off a loss to the Jets that followed a nice run of form, our boys are aiming to get back in the winner’s circle.

Often regarded as the hardest away trip in the Hostplus Cup, the journey to Papua New Guinea is a great experience for our QLD rugby league players. The locals love for the game is unrivalled, as they follow you through the streets and can’t wait to meet the players and staff to talk about rugby league.

On top of that, the humidity and the racous local crowd create a gameday atmosphere unlike anything else in the competition.

The Seagulls travelled to PNG twice last year, first in Round 1 and then again for the elimination final. After losing both games in 2024, there were plenty of learnings taken away, with coaching staff able to use them this week in the lead up to the game.

Kickoff is on Sunday at 3pm on QPlus.tv and you can also watch the game live inside the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club.

Following this weekend, we have a bye and then return home to play the Mackay Cutters on Saturday 17th of May.

Kalolo Saitaua will join an exclusive list when plays his 100th Hostplus Cup game for the Seagulls this Sunday in Papua New Guinea.

A fan favourite for many years, Kalolo has been a stalwart in the Seagulls team since he arrived at the club.

When asked about registering his 100th game for the club, Kalolo said: “It’s massive to play 100 games for Wynnum. Especially to get here from where I started.

I had some setbacks at other clubs and struggled for a little bit, before Brido (former Seagulls coach Adam Brideson) brought me over to Wynnum. He was my Broncos U20s coach and gave me the opportunity to play here.

His words were: nothing is guaranteed, but if you work hard, you’ll get the chance to play some Cup games.”

Having recently registered his 100th Hostplus Cup in Round 3, Kalolo will now cement himself in Wynnum Manly history as a 100-game player. Given the fluid nature of the competition, he may be one of the last few players that reach this milestone for the club.

“It’s been a long road, but I’ve really enjoyed my time at the Seagulls and I connected with the boys as soon as I arrived. That first group of guys like Sammy Scarlett, Aaron Rockley, Matiu Love-Henry, Max Elliot, Mitch Cronin, Junior Pauga, Jayden Berrell, Pat Templeman, Mitch Frei, Delouise Hoeter and Daniel Ogden, all welcomed me in. I admired them and appreciated that they had been at the club for a while before me. I wanted to carry on their legacy as they left over the years.

Even the staff during my first few seasons, guys like Kev Creese, Binga, Seigey, Razy, Steve. They also made me feel welcome and made it feel like home from the start. I knew this was a good club because of the way I was treated when I arrived.

I originally came in as a hooker, but I was stuck behind a couple of talented players in Jayden and Mitch, so Brido converted me to a middle forward and a utility player. And now under Heady (current coach Mat Head), I’ve played second row and centre as well. I’m happy that I’ve been able to help the team with my versatility over the years.”

A tackle-busting machine, you always know that Kalolo is going to give 100% on the field for the Seagulls. He has been a part of some great teams, including the 2019 and 2021 Grand Finals, and has now moved into a position of leadership as one of the older players in the squad. He also won our Player of the Year award in 2022.

“My love for Wynnum started with that first group of guys and has grown each year. Wynnum is home for me and I love playing for the Seagulls.

We’ve got a really good group this year that can go all the way. Every team has quality players though, and it’s hard to win every week. But if we stay focused and enjoy our footy, we can have a good season.

I want to focus on our game against PNG Hunters this weekend, rather than myself. But I appreciate everyone that has helped me along the way.”

 

Our Round 7 Hostplus game is this Saturday at home against the Ipswich Jets.

There will be a few familiar faces in the Jets team, with Ollie Pascoe, Zac Hetherington, Jon Reuben and Luke Maddaford all previously playing for the Seagulls across 2023 and 2024.

Proudly brought to you by Moreton Island Adventures, one of our lucky Seagulls supporters will win a Moreton Island accommodation and ferry voucher at halftime! Visit Moreton Island Adventures here.

We are looking forward to being back at home after a few weeks away.

Saturday’s details:
9:30am – Gates open
10am – Wynnum Juniors Nev Blair U17 vs Norths
11:50am – Wynnum Juniors BRL Reserve Grade vs Carina Tigers
1:30pm – BRL A Grade vs Carina Tigers
3pm – Hostplus Cup vs Ipswich Jets