LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The Wynnum Manly Seagulls, an affiliate of the Brisbane Broncos, secured their place in the Hostplus Cup Preliminary Finals with a hard-fought 30-24 victory over the South Logan Magpies.
The Seagulls got off to a strong start, taking a commanding 10-0 lead, but the Magpies showed resilience and fought back to close the gap to 18-12 by halftime.
The game remained closely contested as Souths scored first in the second half to level the scores, but Wynnum ultimately pulled away for the win.
They will now face the Burleigh Bears next week for a chance to compete in the Grand Final.
Broncos player Ben Te Kura, playing for the Magpies, had a solid performance, making 10 ball carries for 93 meters and contributing 22 tackles in his 54 minutes on the field.
This marked his 20th appearance in the Hostplus Cup season, and he demonstrated exceptional defensive skills by not missing a single tackle for the eighth time in the year 2023.
In addition, young winger Israel Leota, who was playing only his second Hostplus Cup game after debuting earlier in the season, scored his first Cup try and gained an impressive 142 meters from 16 carries.