SUNDAY afternoon brought a heartbreaking end to Wynnum-Manly Seagulls’ Hostplus and BMD seasons with both sides falling to the Brisbane Tigers at BMD Kougari Oval.
Locked on 10 wins and in the hunt for the top eight, both Queensland Cup sides entered the thrilling decider with finals on the line as the Seagulls came out firing.
Alex Lobb opened the scoring in the 17th minute, the winger converting his own try to put Wynnum- Manly 6-0 ahead.
The Seagulls continued to dominate, with hooker Temple Kalepo crossing in the 29th minute and Lobb again adding the extras to stretch the lead to 12-0.
At the heart of another attacking surge five minutes later, Lobb grabbed his second try of the afternoon before converting for the third time, sending the Seagulls into half-time with an 18-0 advantage.
The Tigers came roaring out of the sheds for the final 40, clawing back the 18-point deficit.
They opened their account two minutes after the break and quickly built momentum, adding another try in the 53rd minute before scoring again four minutes later.
The Tigers continued their second-half charge, crossing twice more to take a 28-18 lead with time running out.
But the Seagulls dug deep for one final push through centre Ben Farr, crossing in the 70th minute before Lobb converted to bring Wynnum- Manly back within four.
The Seagulls searched for a late lifeline, but the visitors stood firm to secure a 28-24 win.
The defeat brings the curtain down on a strong Seagulls season with Wynnum-Manly falling just short of finals contention in a campaign that went down to the last siren.
The BMD Women’s side struggled to find form in their final outing, suffering a brutal 46-0 loss to Brisbane as their challenging season came to an end.
Both Seagulls sides will now turn their attention to the off-season, with a refreshed 2027 campaign on the horizon.
