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Tweed Seagulls 2021

Willingness to make up lost ground
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TWELVE months returned from a self-imposed footy hiatus Will Brimson remains “a work in progress” but Tweed coach Ben Woolf believes the older brother of Titans star AJ will be back to his best by the time the Intrust Super Cup whips are cracking.

Brimson, 24, was lost to the game for two years as repeat injury setbacks fouled his love for footy.

The Keebra Park product spent three years in the Broncos under-20s system, signing for Wynnum Manly and playing 16 games in the 2017 Intrust Super Cup season before giving the game away – in his mind, for good.

“I coached AJ through the 20s and he played Cup at Tweed before making his NRL debut, so we stayed in contact with Will through AJ as well,” Woolf said.

“I spoke to him a couple of times about coming down (but) he just said he’d had enough of footy and more so the injuries that came with it.”

But after two years as an apprentice, Brimson was swayed by his younger brother and Woolf to down tools and return to doing what he does – and loves – best.

That was last year and Brimson’s long-awaited Intrust Super Cup return lasted just one game before the season was put on ice due to COVID-19.

But with his passion for the game restored, Brimson linked with Gold Coast Rugby League outfit Mudgeeraba Redbacks and played a starring role in the club’s maiden A-Grade campaign – culminating in a team of the season nod in the number six.

Far from the prototypical fiveeighth, standing 188cm tall and tipping the scales at 94kg, Brimson boasts an enviable blend of strength, speed and ball playing ability.

That combination led to an invitation from the Titans to join the NRL club for pre-season, where he spent five weeks before returning to the Seagulls in preparation for the 2021 Intrust Super Cup season.

“He’s still a work in progress I think. He knows himself he has a bit of work to do in his game,” Woolf said of Brimson. “He’s two years out of the game and that can take its toll a bit.

“He played in the local comp this year and played well … he showed he can play at the level easily.”

Shaping as Brimson’s biggest fan and hardest taskmaster, Woolf said the five-eighth would likely be back to his brilliant best by the end of the season, adding the Seagulls have “big plans for him this year”.

“I think by the end of the year we’ll really see what Will is capable of,” Woolf said.

“That’s not to say he won’t be up to scratch to start with – he’s had a good off-season. But he’s just short of a run over the past couple of years.

“I think we’ll see his best footy once he gets a bit more under his belt.”

Tweed will launch the 2021 season at the Seagulls to Heroes business breakfast on Wednesday.
 
Tweed Seagulls: Gains and losses for season 2021
https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2021/03/13/tweed-seagulls-gains-and-losses-for-season-2021/

Former Canberra Raiders forward JJ Collins will line up for Tweed Seagulls this season after making a tough decision to leave the NRL club and return home to Queensland with his young family during the shutdown of the competition early last year.

The Raiders wished Collins nothing but the best for the future and praised his professionalism during his time with the club.
Joining Collins at Tweed this season under coach Ben Woolf is a familiar face in Brayden McGrady, who returns to the Seagulls following a stint with Penrith Panthers.

Earlier this year, McGrady featured for the Gold Coast Titans in their trial match against Burleigh Bears, with the talented centre expected to bring a point-scoring punch with him on the field.

Three former Souths Logan Magpies with Intrust Super Cup experience in Liam Hampson, Luke Burton and Harrison Muller, who played with the premiership-winning Runaway Bay Seagulls in last year's Gold Coast QTOP competition last year, have also signed up for the season.

Tweed Seagulls will kick off their 2021 campaign with a home game against Central Queensland Capras in Round 1.

Tweed Seagulls 2021 gains and losses

Gains: JJ Collins (Canberra Raiders), Brayden McGrady (Penrith Panthers), Liam Hampson (Souths Logan Magpies), Luke Burton (South Logan Magpies), Harrison Muller (South Logan Magpies), Faitotoa Faitotoa (Maitland Pickers).

Losses: John Palavi (Burleigh Bears), Jamie Hill (Beerwah - employment opportunity)

*Submissions made by clubs and correct at time of publication.
 
Troy Leo is making his comeback from an ACL this weekend for Burleigh...

Hey hungry, it is on Kayo.
 
Round 1
Seagulls-Round-1-01-scaled.jpg
 
Historic rivalry in Bears’ favour
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Jamal Fogarty playing for the Tweed Seagulls.

THE last time Tweed knocked off Burleigh in the Intrust Super Cup it was Jamal Fogarty steering the ship for the Seagulls.

The Gold Coast Titans cocaptain and Bears premiership-winning halfback was pulling the strings against his future club when Tweed romped to a 50-4 win in Round 12, 2015.

Fogarty joined Burleigh the following season and the Bears went on to defeat Redcliffe in the grand final.

Since 2015 it’s been all oneway traffic in Burleigh’s favour

– the Bears winning the next eight Cup encounters between the fierce rivals.

It’s been a long time between drinks for the boys from Tweed, who have been swept by the Bears each year by an average margin of 19 points.

In the most recent full season, Burleigh’s 2019 premiership-winning campaign, the Bears rolled to 32-4 and 42-6 thrashings at Tweed’s expense.

That history and more makes for an enthralling narrative ahead of Saturday’s Rivalry Round meeting between the two clubs.

Tweed captain Lamar Liolevave laughed when told about the recent record between the sides.

“They’ve had bragging rights since 2015 – that’s pretty funny, I didn’t know that,” Liolevave said.

“For as long as I’ve been at Tweed I’ve never beaten Burleigh and I think I’ve played every game since 2017.

“We’ve come close a few times. I just want to win one.

“I was even messaging some of their boys saying ‘give us the win’.”

Despite their recent dire record against the Bears, Tweed will enter the Round 4 clash as an in-form favourite in the eyes of most pundits.

Ben Woolf’s side sits in fifth spot with a 2-1 record and feeling confident following a 40-26 win over Souths Logan last weekend.

Conversely, Burleigh stumbled to 1-2 when left embarrassed by the previously winless Brisbane Tigers, falling 50-10 at Langlands Park in what was the club’s worst Intrust Super Cup loss since a 46-4 defeat to the Mackay Cutters in Round 19, 2015.

“I’ve played at Tweed for a while now and I know Burleigh

– it doesn’t matter how they played the week before, they always turn up against us,” Liolevave said.

“They’ll come out and try to bully us. We’re a younger team.

“Hopefully we can play our game and go out there and get the result.”

Eyes will be on young Seagulls fullback Jayden Campbell, who swapped from Burleigh in pre-season.

Campbell had his best game of the season in the win against Souths Logan last weekend.

“He’s definitely a talent and one to look out for,” Liolevave said. “Now that he has his confidence we saw last week what he can do. He put on a display for us.”

Kick-off is 3.30pm at Piggabeen Sporting Complex.
 
Six years and eight games later, Tweed have finally ended Burleigh drought
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.a...k/news-story/2569bf75c440827e6b4c054b4130ebbf

A dour defensive effort from Ben Woolf’s team produced a stirring victory – and piled more pain on the Bears.

THE BURLEIGH bunny is no longer a cross for Tweed to bear, after the Seagulls produced their best effort of the season to end a six-year losing streak at the weekend.

The ignominy of eight straight losses to the Bears, predating every player who took the field on Saturday, was finally put to bed in Tweed’s gritty 16-12 victory at Piggabeen.

Joe Vuna put the hosts ahead with 10 minutes to play and the Seagulls held on in the face of a desperate Bears pack to record what could well be a season-defining win for Tweed.

“I think we were as physical as I’ve seen our team,” coach Ben Woolf said.

“The whole forward pack – the whole crew really – got stuck in and gave it to them on defence which helped decide the game.

“It was a really pleasing (win), especially the way we won. (Burleigh) turned up to play.

“It was a bit scrappy at times, but I think we only missed 11 tackles for the game. That showed how hard we worked and dug in for each other.”

Fetuli Talanoa’s try in the corner just minutes from the break, in his first game of the year, produced the only points of a first half that on balance the Bears should have won.

With Toby Sexton sent to the sin bin Tweed was forced to defend a man down during a key period in the first half and it was telling that Burleigh could not capitalise.

Conversely it was Tweed who failed to convert chances in the second half, and when Burleigh crossed through Cory Denniss and Kurtis Rowe the Bears appeared poised to continue the curse on Tweed.

That was until Sexton, returned from his stint on the sideline, won himself a poacher’s try before Vuna scored the go-ahead points.

“We had a lot of possession against us in the first half … to go up 4-nil was massive for our guys,” Woolf said.

“We ended up getting a couple of tries off kicks (but) I think it was through effort and willingness to defend that won us the game in the end.

“Joe Vuna was very physical. Sam McIntyre was our best – he played big minutes, was aggressive and willing and really took it to them.

“Fetuli Talanoa hadn’t played any footy this year so for him to come on a wing and have 20 carries … when we were under pressure he put his hand up for us.”

Woolf welcomed what the breakthrough win meant for the Seagulls’ season – and the end to Tweed’s Burleigh curse.

“In my time we hadn't beaten them. There’s been a few close games … it was definitely good to get the win over them,” he said.

“I’m sure it hurt them as well.”
 
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