The Wynnum Manly Seagulls are an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football club based at

Wynnum Wynnum is a coastal suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The suburb is a popular destination in Brisbane due to its coastline, jetty and tidal wading pool. In the , Wynnum had a population of 14,036 people. Wynnum and the adjo ...

. They competed in the

Brisbane Rugby League The Brisbane Rugby League premiership was a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in Brisbane Rugby League (2001), 2001, kno ...

from 1951 to 1997. Since 1996 they have competed in the

Queensland Cup The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league, rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League, Queensland Rugby ...

. Their jersey is red, green and white. From 1995 to 2005 they were known as the Wynnum Seagulls.

History

Wynnum-Manly entered the Brisbane premiership in 1931 but withdrew after two seasons due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. After World War II, the Seagulls re-entered in 1951 as the Wynnum-Manly District Rugby League Football Club, with Jim Cloherty as President until 1964. Before relocating to

Kougari Oval The BMD Kougari Oval is a sports venue in the suburb of Manly West in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Since 1967, it has been the home of the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls, a rugby league club playing in the Queensland Cup.Valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

when Norm Pope kicked nineteen goals – and forfeitures in the lower grades. "The Seasiders", as they were known then, improved by 1959, when they achieved their first season with more wins than losses and defeated Valleys in the minor semi-final. Winger Lionel Morgan made history in 1960, becoming the first player from Wynnum-Manly and the first Aboriginal player to represent Australia when he debuted against France. The team faced challenges in the 1960s and 1970s, collecting ten wooden spoons and never finishing higher than fifth in the eight-team competition. By 1980, their win-loss-draw record stood at 173-415-14 in 603 games. Their fortunes began to turn around in 1981 under President Arthur Lovell. Having secured star players

Gene Miles Gene Miles (born 21 July 1959) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative , he played his club football in the Brisbane Rugby Le ...

and

Greg Dowling Greg Ian Dowling (born 15 January 1959) is an Australian former politician and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative prop forward, he ...

from north Queensland, Wynnum-Manly became a power for the first time, winning the Brisbane premiership in 1982, 1984, and 1986, with a runner-up finish in 1985. Four Seagulls players, Miles, Dowling,

Bob Lindner Bob Lindner (born 10 November 1962) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s. An Australia national and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he is ...

and Australian captain

Wally Lewis Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...

, were part of the "Unbeatables" 1986 Kangaroo squad that completed an unbeaten tour of Great Britain and France. Lindner would be the last non-NSWRL player chosen for Australia. Facing receivership in the early 1990s, the team rebranded as the Wynnum Seagulls, securing their fourth BRL premiership in 1995. The BRL was succeeded by the

in 1996. In 2010, Paul Green became Wynnum's coach, leading the team to success in 2011 when they defeated Tweed Head Seagulls twice in the finals series, including in the grand final. The team defended its title in 2012, beating Redcliffe 20–10 in the decider.

Representative honours

Australia

* Lionel Morgan: 1960 * Johnny Gleeson: 1963, 1964 *

John Wittenberg John Wittenberg (2 October 1939 – 3 November 2005) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer. A front-row forward with the St. George Dragons, he was a representative in the Australian national team in 1966 and from 1968 to 197 ...

: 1963 * Johnny Rhodes: 1975 *

Lew Platz Lew Platz (born 2 October 1952) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. In his career he played for and the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels clubs and also represented Australia an ...

: 1975 *

: 1982 *

Rod Morris Rod Morris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative front row forward, he played club football in the New South ...

: 1982 * Colin Scott: 1983 *

: 1984 *

: 1984* *

: 1986 * Wally Lewis who joined the club from

Valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

in 1984, is the only Wynnum-Manly player to captain the

Australia national rugby league team The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Com ...

. Lewis captained the Kangaroos on 16 occasions while a member of the Seagulls from 1984-1987 including captaining the unbeaten

1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France The 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the sixteenth Kangaroo tour in which the Australian national rugby league team (known as the Winfield Kangaroos due to sponsorship) plays a number of tour matches against British and Frenc ...

Personnel

Results

Head-to-head records

Current to 2023 season.

Current teams

Former teams

References

Sources

Wynnum Seagulls Results
retrieved 26 December 2023
Wynnum Seagulls Statistics
retrieved 7 February 2006
Wynnum Seagulls Club Profile
retrieved 7 February 2006

External links

Official website

QRL website Club Facts
{{Rugby League in Queensland Wynnum, Queensland Manly, Queensland Rugby clubs established in 1931 1931 establishments in Australia