Adam Brideson and Michael Dobson to leave Wynnum Manly Seagulls at end of 2022 season

A legendary Queensland rugby league club is set to lose two of its best coaches with one to step away from the game and the other to be snapped up by an NRL club.

One of Queensland’s biggest rugby league clubs will bid farewell to two of their best coaches as one steps away from the game while another is snapped up by an NRL club.

The Wynnum Manly Seagulls are on the search for a new Hostplus Cup (Queensland Cup) coach after Adam Brideson decided to move on to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his work following six years at the helm.

Brideson, a former NRL forward with the Canterbury Bulldogs, is the legendary club’s most-capped coach in the Queensland Cup era after taking over for the 2017 season.

Wynnum Manly Seagulls coach Adam Brideson. Picture: Renae Droop

The 41-year-old, who has two young children, oversaw Wynnum Manly’s rebuild into a powerhouse as the team struggled in his first two seasons, finishing 10th in 2017 and 12th in 2018, before making back-to-back grand finals in 2019 and 2021.

Despite losing both grand finals, the last three seasons have been one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, but Brideson said it was time to step away even though the Seagulls offered him a multi-year contract extension.

“It is a bit of an emotional decision to make but it’s the right one for me,” he said.

Wynnum Manly Seagulls coach Adam Brideson. (AAP Image/Richard Walker)

“With work and young kids, who are in school and starting junior sport, I need to spend more time with them. I have spent a long time as coach of the Seagulls and loved every minute of it.

“The club has come a long way and it’s because of the people involved and the culture at the Seagulls and even though we would’ve preferred to win those two grand finals, we’ve been able to achieve a lot.”

Former Seagulls captain Mitch Cronin died in 2020. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Brideson had his fair share of success with Wynnum Manly but also coached the club through some of its more difficult times, including the sudden death of captain Mitch Cronin in 2020.

“We’ve had to get through some traumatic times as a group, times that have been incredibly tough for the club and team but because of the people involved here and how tight-knit the group is we’ve been able to push through,” Brideson said.

“I’m just really proud to have been part of and lead such an incredible group.”

Adam Brideson in the lead up to the 2019 grand final. (AAP Image/Attila Csaszar)

Coaching more than 100 games for the Seagulls, which has had some legends of the game lead their senior team including most recently NRL premiership winning coach Paul Green, Brideson said it was special to be the most-capped mentor for a club with such rich history.

Wynnum Manly sits fourth on this year’s ladder and Brideson said he would love to finish his tenure at the club with a premiership and also didn’t rule out a return to rugby league in the near future.

But Brideson isn’t the only talented coach leaving the Seagulls with senior assistant and colts coach Michael Dobson departing to take an opportunity in the NRL.

Dobson, a former NRL player who also played for Wynnum Manly, led the club’s colts team to a premiership in 2021 and will also leave at the end of the season but the club he will be at is unknown.

Michael Dobson playing for the Newcastle Knights. Picture Gregg Porteous

“Dobbo is such a special coach, he’s done such a great job here, including in our development area and he deserves his opportunity in the NRL,” Brideson said.

Seagulls CEO, Hanan Laban, said Brideson and Dobson have both had such a positive impact on the club.

“We wish both Adam and Michael well, they will always be Seagulls, and look forward to finishing off the season together, hopefully with a premiership,” he said.

The Seagulls will start their search for a coach for the 2023 season in the coming weeks.