Behind the rebuild of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls
After missing the finals from 2016-18, the Wynnum Manly Seagulls are back on top of the Intrust Super Cup and will face the Burleigh Bears in this Sunday’s grand final. Here’s how the Brisbane rugby league powerhouse returned to form.
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A CULTURE built on care for the jersey and for your teammates as well as a renewed development program is behind the resurgence of one of Queensland Rugby League’s powerhouses.
The Wynnum Manly Seagulls have the chance to add a sixth premiership cup to their trophy cabinet on Sunday when they face the Burleigh Bears in the Intrust Super Cup grand final.
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But for the past three seasons, Seagulls fans, who were used to success after back-to-back premierships in 2011 and 2012 and regular finals appearances since, were left wondering what was going on after the team missed the finals from 2016-18.
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Before the 2019 season, the last time Wynnum Manly featured in the finals was in 2015 under coach Jon Buchanan when they fell to the Easts Tigers in an elimination final with a team which still included a bunch of premiership players, who were nearing the end of their career.
Former player Hanan Laban was then appointed as the club’s CEO in the off-season but the Seagulls struggled in 2016, finishing 10th and missing the finals for the first time since 2009.
“During that year, we still had a fair few guys who played in the premierships in 2011 and 2012 and to be honest they were towards the end of their careers,” Laban said.
“But we realised we had probably put too much load on them and then didn’t have the depth in place to cover that transition and just keep rolling on.
“You look at the Melbourne Storm, they have Billy Slater retire, Cooper Cronk leaves and the machine keeps rolling, people step into those roles and they remain successful — we didn’t have that.”
The Seagulls then made the tough decision to not renew the well-liked Buchanan as coach with weeks still left in the 2016 season and announced former Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and Wynnum Manly forward Adam Brideson to take over.
That decision was met with some backlash but Laban and the board at the time were confident Brideson, who knew the club’s culture after playing for the Seagulls and coaching the colts team, was the right man for the job.
“What made us confident about Brido first of all was that he was just a genuine bloke and those are the type of people we want here at the club but he also has a history with the club and cares about the place,” Laban said.
“He will do anything to help make this place successful and that’s what we love.”
But success would not come immediately for Brideson and the Seagulls, who struggled in both of the following seasons, finishing 10th again in 2017 and 12th in 2018, as arguably the most parochial fans in the Queensland Rugby League were starved of finals football.
Midway through the 2018 season, Wynnum Manly even appointed veteran NRL coach Neil Henry as an adviser.
But Laban said Brideson, the board and himself never doubted the club’s direction during those first two seasons of the coach’s tenure.
“Not really, we knew we were doing stuff behind the scenes to make sure we were successful,” he said.
“Brido was developing the culture he wanted in the team while we were also creating depth throughout the senior and reserve grade, Colts, Mal Meninga Cup side and through our academy headed up by Glen Dreger.
“We knew that vision to create depth throughout our squads was starting to show and it showed this year when we had three of our academy players debut in the Intrust Super Cup.”
Then came preparations for the 2019 season, where even though officials at the club could see their vision starting to shine through, they needed more.
They identified three areas they needed to address — a playmaker who could run a team leadership and an x-factor who could break a game open.
In come veteran playmaker Sam Scarlett, New Zealand forward Matiu Love-Henry and PNG fullback Edene Gebbie.
“Everyone we brought in had relationships with people already here and we thought that was important because then the team chemistry would develop quicker,” Laban said.
On top of that, the Seagulls brought in Leading Teams — a company used by several professional sporting clubs around Australia, including the Sydney Swans with a focus on leadership development, team development and culture change.
”That’s one thing that’s been great over the past few seasons is we have been able to sit down and honestly and thoroughly review everything,” Laban said.
“One of the things we needed to address was leadership in the senior program.”
Seagulls players then voted in dummy half Mitch Cronin as the club’s new skipper and Wynnum Manly had one of the strongest leadership groups in the competition with Cronin, Scarlett, Love-Henry, Patrick Templeman and Aaron Rockley.
“We knew with that leadership group and the players we brought in that we had a special group,” Laban said.
“The biggest thing that is a consistent theme with our club at the moment, is all these guys care about the team and the club.
“We were gutted when Matiu Love-Henry went down with a broken leg late in the season, he really deserves to be part of it this weekend.”
The Seagulls then shook off a disappointing round one loss to the Sunshine Coast Falcons to quickly establish themselves as one of the competition’s elite teams.
Scarlett seemed to be the buy of the season while Gebbie dazzled at the back and provided the x-factor Brideson wanted, which earned im an NRL contract with the South Sydney Rabittohs.
The culture Laban speaks about was on show in the team’s preliminary final victory against the Townsville Blackhawks as the Seagulls gritted their teeth and kept showing up for each other play after play to get the win in what is historically a tough place to play.
Nothing showed how much these players care than Sam Scarlett’s incredible try-saving tackle in the second half when the Blackhawks were mounting a comeback — a toughness that former captain Luke Dalziel-Don said was similar to the way the Seagulls played during the back-to-back premierships in the Paul Green era.
And while Laban could not be more proud with the senior team making the grand final, he said the thing that made him happier was the success of the club as a whole.
Wynnum Manly also have the Colts team in the grand final on Sunday, the BRL team won their second consecutive premiership last week and Mal Meninga Cup side played in the grand final earlier this year.
The Seagulls have also had nine players, from their academy to the Intrust Super Cup squad, sign NRL deals for next season.
“Never had we had this many players selected for representative sides and sign NRL deals and to have four teams in grand finals is just incredible,” Laban said.
“You have to credit first of all Adam Brideson for the amazing job he has done but all the other coaches of our other teams, Glen Dreger and Michael Dobson with their work on our academy, all our support staff and our board.
“We had a direction we wanted to go in and we have stuck to it and we have had one of the most successful years in the club’s history.”
At 6pm Sunday, the club’s vision may earn the ultimate reward with an Intrust Super Cup premiership and Laban said the impact that would have on the Seagulls and the bayside community would be huge.
“It would be an incredible reward for the people who have worked so hard to get us here from the players, coaches, officials, volunteers and sponsors, it would mean a lot to everyone,” he said.
“But also for the community, that’s all we want to be — a club the community can be proud of.”
WYNNUM MANLY SEAGULLS TIMELINE
2010: Wynnum Manly Seagulls appoint former State of Origin player Paul Green as head coach
2011: Seagulls come from sixth position to beat Tweed Heads 16-10 in the grand final to win the premiership
2012: Wynnum Manly win back-to-back premierships after defeating rivals, the Redcliffe Dolphins, 20-10 in the grand final
— Paul Green leaves club to join Sydney Roosters as an NRL assistant coach
— Wynnum Manly appoint former NRL coach Graham Murray to replace Paul Green
2013: Graham Murray suffers a heart attack during pre-season and despite recovering, Murray suffered a second heart attack and dies in July
— Jon Buchanan takes over as coach
— Seagulls lose elimination final to Ipswich
2014: Wynnum Manly lose in preliminary final to the Easts Tigers
2015: Seagulls lose elimination final to Easts
2016: Wynnum Manly finish 10th, club announces Adam Brideson to replace Jon Buchanan
2017: Seagulls finish 10th and miss the finals again
2018: Wynnum Manly finish 12th and miss finals for third straight season
2019: Club announces Mitch Cronin as the new captain and team qualifies for the grand final to face the Burleigh Bears after beating Townsville in the preliminary final
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