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.