Mal Meninga Cup Season Finishes In Cairns

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.

Tough Two Points Earned After Late Comeback

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls travelled to Cairns to play the Northern Pride in Round 6 of the Hostplus Cup.

With the Pride losing their first 4 games, the 2024 Minor Premiers presented a dangerous matchup, as they were due to bounce back at any stage.

The game started in sunny conditions and the Pride flew out of the gate with a try in the 5th minute. Further tries followed in the 15th and 22nd minutes and all of a sudden, the Seagulls were down 18-0.

Captain Brendan Frei grabbed one back for Wynnum Manly in the 30th minute, before the Pride scored again before halftime to head into the break at 22-6.

The heavens opened and torrential rain started pouring down in a typical North QLD tropical shower. But the wet weather didn’t stop Seagulls winger Ron Philitoga from taking a classic catch above his head from a Jock Madden kick, and beat his winger to score.

Jamie Hill then dived over untouched off a Chaz Jarvis short ball to bring the score to 22-18 to the Pride.

The Pride then scored out wide to go in front by 8 points with 14 minutes remaining.

James Uesele barged his way over under the posts of a Cameron Bukowski short ball and the Seagulls got to 2 points behind with 8 minutes to go.

Then with 3 minutes remaining, Jock Madden found his winger again with another cross-field dime as Ron Philitoga outjumped his opposite number and scored.

Seagulls in front 28-26. The boys from Wynnum Manly held on in the final 2 minutes, which included a trysaver from Jock Madden as he tackled a Pride player over sideline who was on a breakaway run.

An important 2 points on a difficult away trip.

Up next, we travel to Tweed on Easter Saturday for our rescheduled Round 1 game against the Seagulls. Following that game, we retrun home on Saturday 26th of April to face the Ipswich Jets, who will boast a few former Seagulls, in what should be a tough clash.

Successful Day at Home for Mitch Cronin Cup

With 5 games at BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday, you’d be forgiven for thinking that we were handing out free lottery tickets, as people came from everywhere to see some high quality football.

4 wins and a golden point semi final loss capped off a near-perfect day in front of a Chook Pen crowd that reinforced our home field advantage as only they can.

The Wynnum Manly Juniors BRL Reserve Grade won 30-6 over Souths Magpies, before our BRL A Grade team won 42-10, also over Souths Magpies.

Up next, the Cyril Connell Cup U17 played their semi final against Burleigh Bears. The two best teams in the South East pool were both loaded with NRL-contracted players in what promised to be an entertaining match.

The Seagulls had an 18-4 lead with 14 minutes remaining before Burleigh fought back to score 3 tries in 9 minutes and flip the game. Heading into the final seconds, Burleigh led 20-18, before giving away a penalty after the siren.

Lachie Hooker kicked the penalty goal from the sideline in front of a rapturous crowd to send the game into golden point extra time. Unfortunately, Burleigh scored off the back of a penalty and won the game 24-20. Our Seagulls U17s had a fantastic season, only losing one game by a field goal, before going down in the semi final in golden point.

The Mal Meninga teams played next, with the Seagulls looking to get back in the winner’s circle after a few losses in a row. A barnstorming performance saw them run away with the game, winning 38-12 over the CQ Capras.

Leading into the Hostplus Cup match between the Seagulls and Souths Magpies, both teams observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of Mitch Cronin after being led onto the field by his family.

Souths sported names such as Marty Taupau, Tyson Smoothy, Ben Te Kura, Anthony Milford, Coby Black and Blake Mozer in what was a formidable lineup.

Wynnum Manly scored off the opening set after a Brendan Frei break to set up Cameron Bukowski next to the posts. The momentum continued in the Seagulls direction from that moment onwards as Souths were never really in the contest.

The Magpies managed to get a couple of tries back, but the Seagulls led 24-10 heading into the break with further tries from Ron Philitoga, a second to Bukowski and then Jock Madden.

Beni Allen opened the scoring after the break, before Jamie Hill and Oskar Enasio also crossed the line. Ben Far sealed the outstanding performance with a double within 3 minutes, as Wynnum Manly secured a 54-20 victory over a Broncos-stacked Souths Logan Magpies team. Jock Madden kicked 9/9 conversions in a great day for the Seagulls both on and off the field. Chaz Jarvis also made his Hostplus Cup debut for the Seagulls and will feature heavily throughout the season.

The team travel to Cairns to play the Northern Pride this Sunday at 2:10pm. The game can be watched for free on Kayo Freebies, 9Now and QPlus.tv.

RISE Program Registrations Now Open

The Seagulls RISE Program registrations are now open

RISE is an NRL program for boys and girls aged 13 to 15, and a great opportunity for these players to develop their skills before aiming for our respective U17s teams in the future.

The sessions will be run by Seagulls coaches, they’ll meet new people and have fun along the way.

Click this link to register.

For any questions about our RISE Program please email, jon.buchanan@wynnumseagulls.com.au

McDonalds Seagulls Academy Female Teams Finish Their Seasons

Our Harvey Norman U19 and U17 teams finished their respective seasons on Wednesday night at Tweed Seagulls.

The rescheduled Round 4 game ended up being their last game of the regular season, with a Round 7 bye last weekend for our junior teams.

Whilst our girls didn’t get the results they were after, there was a lot to learn throughout the season. Our players will come back in 2026 more experienced and confident because of their coaching this season.

Our new female academy manager Darren Ferricks, who also coached our U19’s team, finished the season with excitement for what is to come in this group.

Some players will now step up to the BMD Premiership squad as their preseason begins in mid-April.

McDonalds Seagulls Academy Wrap

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.

Tough Round at Redcliffe

Our Hostplus Cup team made the trip to Redcliffe to play the Dolphins in Round 3 on Saturday. Playing our traditional rival in XXXX Rivalry Round, and coming off a great Round 2 win against Burleigh, there was strong expectation that this would be a big game for both clubs.

Wynnum Manly opened the scoring in the 3rd minute as Sione Hopoate scored in the corner to give the Seagulls the dream start.

The next 10 minutes were a mix of strong defensive efforts and handling errors from both teams.

Redcliffe then scored in the 15th minute to go in front and unfortunately for the Seagulls, the momentum remained in their corner for the next 40 minutes.

A steady run of 6 tries to the Dolphins were compounded by many penalties that kept the Seagulls stuck in their own half.

At 36-4 down, Luke Gale got one back for the Seagulls. And the Ron Philitoga scored in the 69th minute to bring the score to 36-16 and provide a glimmer of hope for the remaining 10 minutes.

Ron Philitoga competes for the ball

However, the score remained at 36-16, leaving Wynnum Manly with work to do ahead of the next game.

The NRL match between the Dolphins and Wests Tigers followed our game, giving our players greater exposure and a bigger crowd than would normally watch Hostplus Cup games at Redcliffe.

Our McDonalds Seagulls Academy teams then travelled to the Dolphins on Sunday to play across 4 matches.

Redcliffe were too strong in the Harvey Norman U17 (42-4), Harvey Norman U19 (20-8) and Mal Meninga Cup (48-0) competitions. Our Cyril Connell Cup had a great win 42-10 though, and remain in 1st place on the ladder after an impressive season.

Round 4 is a bye this weekend, before we welcome the Souths Logan Magpies to BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday the 6th of April to play for the Mitch Cronin Cup.

Hard Earned Win Against Burleigh

The Seagulls hosted Burleigh Bears at BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday across 5 games.

Traditionally strong at every age level, the Bears generally provide a tough game each and every year.

Our Harvey Norman U17 and U19 women’s teams were up first, and unfortunately Burleigh proved too strong.

The third game was a top of the table clash in the Cyril Connell Cup as both teams were currently undefeated. Our Seagulls were in front for most of the game, but went down by a point in a thriller, 17-16.

Mal Meninga Cup were up next and Burleigh again were the better team on the day.

Hostplus Cup kicked off at 3pm for our first game of the season, after Round 1 at Tweed was delayed dur to the wild weather.

The Bears opened up an 18-0 lead after 19 minutes, with the Seagulls slow out of the gate. However, after a demanding preseason, and a focus on recruitment of defensively strong players, the Seagulls knew the game was nowhere near over.

Ben Farr, returning to the club after 2 seasons with the New Zealand Warriors, scored the Seagulls first try of 2025, followed by Broncos-contracted Delouise Hoeter 5 minutes later.

One more try to Burleigh before halftime and the Seagulls were down 24-12 at the break.

The strength of the Seagulls middle forwards shone through early in the second half as Beni Allen collected a Cameron Bukowski grubber to score under the posts. And then new recruit Jordan Grant crashed over the line from a Bukowski short ball to level the scores at 24-24.

The scores were locked up for 18 minutes, before Ron Philitoga, on his Seagulls debut, beat two players to run through and score in the corner, sending the Chook Pen into a meltdown.

Tempers flared as the game hung in the balance, but the Seagulls held strong, before Jock Madden retrieved his own kick off a ricochet to score untouched under the posts and ice the game.

Madden the kicked a penalty as time expired, with the Seagulls running out 36-24 winners. Burleigh were held scoreless in the second half as the Seagulls ground them down and showed glimpses of their attacking strengths, with more to build on as the season progresses.

Our next match is at Kayo Stadium against our traditional rival, the Redcliffe Dolphins, on Saturday afternoon as a curtainraiser to the Dolphins vs Tigers NRL match.

Coach Mathew Head Re-Signs For 3 Seasons

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls Hostplus Cup Coach Mathew Head has officially re-signed with the club for a further 3 seasons. This deal will keep Head at Wynnum Manly until the end of the 2028 season, totalling six years in charge of the Seagulls football program.

Head has lifted the professionalism at the Seagulls during his first two seasons, coming from the Dragons and Tigers NRL coaching systems, with notable changes in strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, communication and the structure of our programs.

Implementing his coaching style from the Hostplus Cup team downwards, has also seen dozens of Seagulls players sign with NRL/W clubs during this time.

“It’s a proud moment for me and my family to extend my contract here at the Seagulls. This is where I want to be, and it feels like an exciting time to be at the club. I’m grateful to Wayne and the board for the opportunity, and can’t wait to play on Sunday.

“It’s a great opportunity to solidify the changes that we’ve made to the Seagulls football program. Everything we have implemented, we’ve believed is a positive change, and we will reap the rewards in the future”.

Head overseeing a training session against the Brisbane Broncos at Red Hill.

The club has undergone a transition since 2023, with many high-quality staff and players recruited to the club by Head and his staff. “There’s plenty of new faces in the squad this year, which brings a fresh perspective, and us as coaches have enjoyed working with them all during the pre-season. Now we get to kick off 2025 with Burleigh at home on Sunday, and there’s not a better way to start, in my opinion”.

Asked whether the Seagulls can go all the way this year, Head said: “The ultimate goal of every season is to win the premiership. And we have certainly put a squad together that we think can do that. Obviously, the affiliation with the Broncos helps our chances, as it does every club with their own NRL affiliate, but we are very confident in the players we have signed at the Seagulls and our goal is to win the last game of the season”.

This is great news for the BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls on the eve of our first game of the season on Sunday, and provides stability for the playing and coaching groups for the year ahead.

2025 Hostplus Cup Squad Revealed

The BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls hosted the 2025 Season Launch on Friday at Wynnum Golf Club, following the conclusion of a great day on course.

Players, staff, club sponsors, life members, and guests, joined together to bring in the new season.

The QLD Rugby League’s Tom Mitchell led from the front as our emcee for the evening and touched on the excitement around a new season across all statewide competitions.

Seagulls CEO Wayne Weekes reinforced the Seagulls’ effort to embrace our local community more than ever in 2025, and wished all players and staff well for the season.

Wynnum Manly Seagulls CEO Wayne Weekes

After announcing our 2025 playing squad, Hostplus Cup coach Mathew Head and Captain Brendan Frei, joined Tom Mitchell on stage for an interview. See below for full Hostplus Cup squad.

Our BMD Premiership coach Ron Troutman and player representative Lilly Green, then spoke about the upcoming changes to the women’s competition format, and how that will impact their 2025 season.

Following on, our two junior academy mangers, Jon Buchanan and Darren Ferricks, talked through their player identification and development process. The Seagulls have a long history of developing youth talent and it was great to get an insight behind the scenes from these to coaches.

Our final panel for the evening consisted of Hostplus Cup players Chaz Jarvis, Josh Coric and Toni Tupouniua. All three boys have moved from interstate to play for the Seagulls this season, and also happen to live together. A great group of young men, with some good stories to tell.

Toni, Josh and Chaz on stage.

There is plenty of exctiement in the air with the 2025 Hostplus Cup season kicking off this weekend. You can view our full season draw here.

We hope to see you at BMD Kougari Oval very soon!

2025 Hostplus Cup Squad:

Beni Allen Zane Ford Charlie Johnstone Ugo Tison
Will Allen Justin Frain Ethan Malt Jeremy Trappett
Tahj Amone Brendan Frei (Captain) Will Parslow Lebron Tuala
Josh Berryman Luke Gale Ronald Philitoga Toni Tupouniua
Cameron Bukowski Jordan Grant Cooper Roberts Ethan Unicomb
Josh Coric Jamie Hill Tieran Ross Marcus Walker
Cassius Cowley Richard Holani Kalolo Saitaua Nathan Ward
Bryce Donovan Sione Hopoate Jude Saldanha Lachlan Watt
Oskar Enasio Patrick Hoult Nathaniel Tangimataiti Jamie Zaghini
Ben Farr Chaz Jarvis