Bears vs WM Seagulls HPC Round 20 Pre Game Report ✍🏼 Michael Nunn

The Hostplus Cup finals race begins to take on added significance this weekend as the Burleigh Bears welcomes the Wynnum Manly Seagulls to UAA Park in a clash featuring two proud clubs with plenty of history between them.

The teams will also be playing for the Adam Watene (Cook) Memorial Trophy which Wynnum currently hold.

Adam Cook played in the QLD Cup for the Burleigh Bears and Wynnum Manly Seagulls before moving to the UK where he played. Adams played 83 games for the Bears and was a member of the 2004 premiership winning side.

He passed away suddenly in 2008 at the age of 31, leaving behind his wife Moana and two children Arana and Ena.

Wynnum are in white hot form having raised their bat three weeks in a row for hitting 50 while the Bears are a bit up and down but from the start of August is when the Bears say game on.

While the Bears will be eager to rediscover their best form on home soil, the Seagulls arrive on the Gold Coast full of confidence after stringing together three consecutive victories. Momentum is firmly with Wynnum, but history suggests they will need to overcome a venue that has rarely been kind to them.

The rivalry has produced 55 meetings since the competition’s inception, with Burleigh holding a commanding advantage. The Bears have claimed 34 victories to Wynnum’s 18, with three matches ending all square. More recently, Burleigh has had the wood over the Seagulls, winning six of the last seven encounters between the two clubs.

The most recent chapter came in last year’s Qualifying Final, when Burleigh overcame a determined Wynnum outfit 22-14 at UAA Park. It was a performance built on disciplined defence and clinical finishing, qualities the Bears will be hoping to rediscover as they look to protect their place in the top half of the ladder.

Home-ground history also favours the reigning premiers. Burleigh has won the last six meetings against Wynnum at UAA Park and seven of the last eight overall at the venue. In fact, the Seagulls have not celebrated a victory at Burleigh since 2017, a statistic that highlights just how difficult the trip south has become.

Yet the current form guide paints a far more balanced picture than the historical numbers suggest.

Burleigh enters the contest searching for greater consistency after dropping three of its last four home fixtures. A side renowned for turning UAA Park into one of the toughest assignments in the Hostplus Cup has been unable to produce the same level of dominance in recent weeks, placing added importance on this weekend’s performance.

For Wynnum, the challenge has been producing their best football away from BMD Kougari Oval. The Seagulls have lost three of their last four matches on the road, but their recent winning streak suggests they are beginning to build the confidence needed to reverse that trend. With each victory, belief has grown within the squad, and they will see this match as an opportunity to claim one of their biggest scalps of the season.

Expect an intriguing battle between Burleigh’s structured, physical approach and Wynnum’s renewed confidence with the ball in hand. Finals-style intensity should be present from the opening whistle, with both teams understanding the importance of every competition point as the season enters its decisive stages.

The Bears will be banking on familiar surroundings and an outstanding recent record against the Seagulls to halt their home slump. Wynnum, meanwhile, will be determined to prove that current form counts for more than historical records.

One statistic will have to give on Sunday. Either Burleigh continues its remarkable dominance over Wynnum at UAA Park, or the Seagulls snap a drought that has stretched back to 2017. With confidence meeting history, all the ingredients are in place for another compelling chapter in one of the Hostplus Cup’s enduring rivalries.