Wally Lewis, Gene Miles lead top group of Seagulls who have played for the NRL’s richest club
As the Brisbane Broncos take on the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in a trial match tonight, see the top players who had stints for both famous clubs.
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Wynnum Manly were crucial to the success of the Brisbane Broncos, with the Seagulls forming the foundation of the club’s inaugural 1988 team.
Wally Lewis, Greg Dowling, Colin Scott and Gene Miles – playing in the second row – ensured the Broncos were instantly competitive against Sydney teams.
There was also a fifth Wynnum Manly player, crash tackling second rower Mal Green, who the Broncos wanted.
Green, a premiership winner who knew no fear, was one of the first players approached from the BRL to join the Broncos but he declined, preferring to return to his home region of the Darling Downs.
In more recent times, there have been stars who made the jump up to represent the NRL’s richest clubs after leading the Seagulls to their first ever back-to-back premierships in 2011 and 2012.
Players such as hard-nosed forward Mitchell Dodds and cult figure Jake Granville while others, including Broncos legend Dane Carlaw, spent the last years of his career winning more premierships at the lower level.
See the top players who have been a part of both clubs:
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WALLY LEWIS
The Broncos simply could not have done without The King, the Queensland and Australian captain, during the club’s foray into the NRL. The first Queenslander to be immortalised, Lewis made an instant impact when he scored two tries in Brisbane’s rollicking first round win over premiers Manly – one of which was a steam rolling burst which beat seven defenders from 18m out.
GENE MILES
The most underrated great in rugby league who NSW legends like Steve Roach and Geoff Toovey rank as among their favourite footballers to play with. Miles was so good he was at one stage the best centre in the world, and when he moved to the second rower for the Broncos’ first season he became an automatic selection in that position for Queensland and Australia.
COLIN SCOTT
The easy moving Scott was a fabulous fullback for the Seagulls and Queensland throughout the 1980s. A capable winger and centre, he was deceptively fast at his peak and gave Brisbane invaluable experience during the club’s formative seasons.
GREG DOWLING
Dowling started in the BRL with Easts and finished it with Norths, but in between he was a Wynnum hardman, the Test prop who played well above his weight. Dowling got down and dirty and would have lifted young Broncos by his mere presence.
ANDREW TESSMAN
A big hitting Wynnum Manly junior, Tessman was a tough prop who earned a reputation of hurting his opponents with stinging tackles. A very good player.
CHRIS MCKENNA
McKenna was a fantastic local junior who started with the Broncos and then played briefly with the now defunct Crushers. But his best football came in 118 games for Cronulla where played centre as well as he did in the second row. A veteran of seven Origin games, he always rose to the occasion on State of Origin night.
PAUL GREEN
Green is best known for being John Lang’s halfback at both Easts and Cronulla, but of course he was a Wynnum Manly junior who played briefly with the Broncos toward the end of his career. He has the distinction of winning Rothman’s Medal in both the BRL and NRL – an award which was effectively the Dally M of his time. He later etched himself in the Seagulls history books after leading the bayside club to its first ever back-to-back premierships in 2011 and 2012.
JAKE GRANVILLE
One of the biggest fan favourites in the history of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. Jake Granville burst onto the scene after helping Wynnum Manly’s fairytale run to the 2011 Intrust Super Cup title when he played at dummy half in attack and fullback in defence under Paul Green. Earned a spot with the Broncos after playing in the Seagulls’ 2012 premiership and played 10 games for the club before moving onto the North Queensland Cowboys, where he won another premiership with Paul Green. Has gone on to play 138 NRL games.
DANE CARLAW
Carlaw was one of the best to do it for both teams. A dynamic second rower for the Broncos, who had incredible speed for a big man and could break a game open with his damaging runs. Played in both the 2000 and 2006 NRL premierships for the Broncos, where he amassed 188 games for the club, and also played six matches for Queensland and six for Australia. He then spent the last stop of his career at the Seagulls, where he stepped into the front row and won back-to-back premierships in 2011 and 2012 before retiring from football.
MITCHELL DODDS
Another player who played a massive role in the first ever back-to-back premierships for the Seagulls. Dodds was a bayside junior, who was known for his bone-crushing tackles and old school technique, which allowed him to play 76 NRL games for the Broncos before injuries forced him to step away from the game in early retirement.
LUKE DALZIEL-DON
Possibly one of the biggest hardluck stories in sport, Luke Dalziel-Don’s Brisbane Broncos career was over before it began. One of the absolute greats of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, the man who led the club to consecutive premierships in 2011 and 2012, was signed by the Broncos for the 2013 season in his big NRL break. However, Dalziel-Don tore his ACL in the 2012 Intrust Super Cup grand final and never ended up running out for the NRL’s biggest club.
JOHN TE REO
Te Reo was another cult figure at the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. The Wellington-born utility, who started out as a dummy half, played seven games for the Brisbane Broncos before arriving at the Seagulls. It was there he helped Paul Green’s teams win back-to-back premierships and then helped the club’s reserves team claim consecutive titles before retiring.
KEENAN PALASIA
The first member of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls development academy to go on to play in the NRL, Keenan Palasia is a star to watch in the future. A consistent figure for the Seagulls in the Intrust Super Cup, Palasia has already represented the Queensland Residents and has played two games so far with the Broncos but has a bright future with the club.
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