1976 The Year that Was!

Round 1 – 28/03/76

Norths 26 defeated Wynnum Manly 22 (Bishop Park)

The Wynnum Manly A Grade side opened their premiership chase on a dull note, when they went down to Norths 26-22.

It was a hard-fought close match which saw both sides score four tries.  A feature of this match was the running battle between the two five-eighths, both of whom looked dangerous in attack and sparked off plenty of moves.  The Seagulls five-eighth Bob Hardie was the best of all the backs, but he was closely followed by John Rhodes who scored a brilliant individual try in the second half.  This try was scored after a sparkling piece of acceleration and sidestep which completed shattered the defence of the Devils.

Prop forward Ken Churchill was the star for the Seagulls and consistently had the Devils defence in all sorts of trouble with his bustling runs up the middle.  Churchill, who almost scored a good try, had to leave the field with a knee injury and his presence was missed around the rucks.

Wynnum had their chances to win but let the game slip from their grasp when Norths scored two tries in the second half.  Overall a good showing by the Seagulls in a match that could have gone either way.

Scorers: Norths 26 (K.Fletcher, G.Drew, T.Trent, S.Bernardin tries, B.Warwick 7 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 22 (A.Shepherd 2, J.Rhodes, K.Churchill tries, I.McShane 4, N.Hornery goals).

 

Round 2 – 04/04/76

Redcliffe 19 defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (Kougari Oval)

The Wynnum Manly senior Rugby League side played their first fixture at Kougari Oval and went down by 19-12 after leading 8-4 at halftime.

The Seagulls scored two tries to nil in the first half and looked set for their first premiership points, but it was not to be as Redcliffe completely dominated the second half.  The Dolphins run in three tries to nil through some very sloppy Wynnum defence.

A certain try was lost early in the second half when winger Warren Orr lost the ball over the line after a spectacular 70 metre raid. 

This try could have cost Wynnum the match as it would have given them a comfortable lead of nine points and might have tightened up their defence. 

The Seagull forwards failed to put their opponents on the deck and they continual unloaded the ball to put the Wynnum defence in trouble. 

This proved to be Wynnum’s undoing and gave Redcliffe their opportunity for victory.  The best forward on the field was Barry McTaggart who gave an honest 100% effort and didn’t deserve to be in a losing side.  The Seagulls failed to finish off moves in attack and hung off badly in defence in this match.

Scorers: Redcliffe 19 (I.Pearce, M.Rathbourne, R.Carige tries, Pearce 5 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (J.Dowling, W.Orr tries, Dowling 3 goals).

 

Round 3 – 11/04/76

Wests 23 defeated Wynnum Manly 17 (Kougari Oval)

The Wynnum Manly side missed out on the upset of the season when they failed to hold on to a slender lead with two minutes to go last Sunday. At Kougari Oval. 

The Panthers won the game in the dying seconds after the scores were tied up at 17-all with two minutes to go.

The first half was a close tussle and only one try went on the board and that went to Wests to take a 9-4 lead at the break.

The second half turned into a thriller with the spectators on the edge of their seats with plenty of exciting football.  The Seagulls lead for a majority of this half after Warren Hodges had scored a good try from the lead up work by Alan Shepherd. 

After this Wynnum lead 13-9, 13-12, 15-12, 15, 17-15 and 17-all, before a field goal by Geoff Richardson followed by a try to Wests to run out winners 23-17.

When the score was 15-12 the Seagulls could have nearly wrapped up the match when Ian Boustead sent John Rhodes flashing for the corner with a beautiful timed pass, only to see Rhodes taken in cover defence just before the line.

Scrums went Wynnum’s way 14-7 and penalties also favoured them 10-6.

Scorers: Wests 23 (R.Twist, H.Cameron, G.McCarthy, H.Williamson tries, W.Stewart 5 goals, G.Richardson field goal) defeated Wynnum Manly 17 (W.Hodges try, I.McShane 7 goals).

 

Round 4 – 18/04/76

Valleys 19 defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (Kougari Oval)

Wynnum Manly suffered their fourth straight loss at Kougari Oval, when they went down to Valleys 19-12, in a dull disappointing match.

The Seagulls opened the scored with a good try to Ron Milne after Nev Hornery had cleverly put him through a gap.  The conversion from Ian McShane was successful and Wynnum led 5-nil.  After this try Wynnum never looked like scoring again in this half while Valleys ran in two converted tried to lead 10-5 at the break.

Just after the break valleys shot to a 12-5 lead after an Ian Sommer goal only to seethe Seagulls come back strongly with a try and two goals to tie up the score at 12-all.

At this stage it was anyone’s match but then the Wynnum forwards fell back into their defensive lull and Valleys sealed the game with a try adjacent to the post from Bruce McLeod.

With five minutes left the Seagulls could not produce the goods to win and left the field with another loss.  There was 51 stoppages and spectators started leaving the ground five minutes before the game ended.

Scorers: Valleys 19 (R.Strutton, G.Fitzpatrick, B.McLoed tries, I.Sommer 5 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (R.Milne, G.Hoppner tries, I.McShane 3 goals).

 

Round 5 – 25/04/76

Souths 23 defeated Wynnum Manly 20 (Davies Park)

The Wynnum Manly side met with Souths at Davies Park and went down in the dying seconds after staging a magnificent second half comeback.  The Seagulls were down 2-15 after 14 minutes and 9-18 at halftime, came back to lead 20-18 late in the second half.

With two minutes to go and the score at 20 all, it was anyone’s match, then came the winning try in the dying stages when Souths front rower Greg Veivers crashed over.

Goal kicking let Wynnum down with only 4 goals from 10 attempts being landed.  The Wynnum centre Ian Boustead, was the player of the match and scored a superb try as well as taking part in the other three.  Boustead’s try came in the first half after a good break from John Rhodes.

The Seagulls looked gone at halftime after Souths had scored four tries, but then came the great fightback.  The three tries that Wynnum scored were absolute gems with one of them being the try of the match scored by Warren Orr, after a smart piece of work from Ian Boustead who brilliantly shattered the Souths defence in a 60 metre dash to feed Warren Orr a pass that had try stamped all over it.

The other two tries scored in the second half were by Wynnum centres Ron Milne and Rhodes.

Scorers: Souths 23 (T.Gillogly 2, M.Brennan, J.Tronc, G.Veivers tries, T Gillogly 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 20 (R.Milne, J.Rhodes I.Boustead, W.Orr tries, I.McShane 4 goals).

 

Round 6 – 02/05/76

Brothers 29 defeated Wynnum Manly 7 (Corbett Park)

Wynnum Manly suffered one of their worst mauling’s in a long time when they were totally outclassed by Brothers 29-7 at Corbett Park.

The Seagulls defence round the rucks was pathetic and the Brothers forwards were having a field day in attack.  They were allowed to run at will, but unlike Wynnum their defence was watertight and they made sure they smothered the ball.

Neil Kingston who scored Wynnum’s only try, never stopped trying and was the only forward going in with solid defence. 

The pick of Wynnum’s back was Greg Denman, who was tireless in both attack and defence, he was closely followed by Warren Orr who was also trying to get his team going.

Wynnum let a couple of tries go begging through lack of backing up the ball runner in the first half.  However, it was Brothers forwards who stole the show, as they played over the top of the Seagulls forwards.

Scorers: Brother 29 (J.Herlihy, I.Dauth, A.Rafton, J.Short, B.Cock tries, Dauth 7 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 7 (N.Kingston try, J.Phillips 2 goals).

 

Round 7 – 16/05/76

Wynnum Manly 26 defeated Easts 18 (Kougari Oval)

Reeling from six straight losses to commence the season, the Wynnum Manly side played great team football when they overwhelmed Easts and scored six tries to two at Kougari Oval.

Wynnum could have easily made it nine tries if it wasn’t for panic passing which cost them three certain tries, when the line was wide open with no defence to beat.

The Wynnum Manly front row forwards Inosi Toga, John Dowling and Rod McDougall continuously broke the Easts defence and with excellent backing up from Greg Denman and Bob Hardie, five of the tries went on the board.  The sixth one was scored by Neil Kingston after a scrum and Ron Milne scored a wonderful individual try when he brilliantly beat the defence with a strong run. 

The Seagulls wingers Bruce Wadsworth and Warren Orr both picked up two tries each after good backline movements.  One of Orr’s tries was the try o the match and swung the game Wynnum Manly’s way.  The try was scored after Orr go the ball 20 metres out and brilliantly beat three Easts defenders to score near the posts.  

The Tigers were never able to get into this match as Wynnum played as a team from the kick off.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 26 (W.Orr 2, B.Wadsworth 2, R.Milne, N.Kingston tries J.Dowling 4 goals) defeated Easts 18 (R.Khun, W.Lindenberg tries, Lindenberg 6 goals).

 

Round 8 – 23/05/76

Wynnum Manly 15 defeated Norths 8 (Kougari Oval)

In muddy conditions the Wynnum Manly side overcome Norths by 15-8 at Kougari Oval after leading 10-6 at halftime.

The Seagulls played with 12 men for the entire second half after Wynnum prop Inosi Toga was ordered from the field for an indiscretion.  Wynnum Many scored three tries to two in a highly entertaining game which kept the crowd on their toes throughout.

The Devils tried to bridge the gap in the second half, but the Seagulls forwards kept on knocking their opposing forwards down and that paved the way for their win.

Warren Orr, who scored an outstanding try after a 60 metre burst, always had the Devils defence in trouble, while his own defence was solid.  Hooker John Dowling also scored a try and kicked 3 goals from four attempts.

The Seagulls back row of Ian Ogbourne, Neil Kingston and Glen Hoppner never stopped tackling as they had to overcome a scrum deficit of 16-7.  There were also 35 penalties dished out.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 15 (W.Orr, J.Dowling, I.Boustead tries, Dowling 3 goals) defeated Norths 8 (D.Brohman, W.Hale tries, B.Warwick goal).

 

Round 9 – 29/05/76

Redcliffe 9 defeated Wynnum Manly 4 (Redcliffe Showgrounds)

The battle of the Baysiders took place when Wynnum Manly met with Redcliffe at Redcliffe Showgrounds going down in a tight tussle 9-4 after it was locked up at 4-all at halftime.

The Seagulls kicked off to commence play and both pack of forwards played it pretty tight in the middle.  

The Dolphins drew first blood with a penalty goal to Ian Pearce and a few minutes later Wynnum equalised when John Dowling slotted one through.  Wynnum hit the front not long after with another penalty goal to Dowling only to see Pearce equalise for Redcliffe to make the score 4-all at halftime.

In the first 20 minutes of the second half there was a lot of loose ball and during this period Wynnum bomber two tries.  With ten minutes remaining looked like scored but the pass from Ron Milne was knocked down and Redcliffe winger Chris Fenton ran the length of the field to score.

Overall, it was a disappointing match and showers fell on and off making conditions slippery.  Scrums went Wynnum’s way 20-12 while penalties went to Redcliffe 13-11.

Scorers: Redcliffe 9 (C.Fenton, I.Pearce 3 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 4 (J.Dowling 2 goals).

 

Round 10 – 06/06/76

Wynnum Manly 10 defeated Wests 9 (Purtell Park)

After Wynnum Manly’s first round loss to Wests they met Purtell Park with vengeance and downed the competition leaders Wests by 10-9 in a hard close fought game.  The Seagulls scored two tries to one and ran out and were the better side on the day. 

The first half was a torrid affair and the only points to go on the board was a penalty goal to each side for the score to be 2-all at halftime. 

The Panther opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a penalty goal to Wayne Stewart, only to see John Dowling kick one of his own to equalise in the 30th minute.  In the last ten minutes of the first half the defence was very tight, with neither side making any impression in attack.

The second half opened with the Seagulls applying even more pressure on the Panthers and it was only a matter of time before Wests defence cracked.  A few minutes later Wynnum’s first try was scored, when a high kick was put into the goal mouth for lock Kerry Page to score.  The conversion as successful by Dowling and Wynnum had shot to a 7-2 lead.

Seven minutes later Wayne Stewart scored a converted try for the scores to be tied up at 7-all.  Not long after Wynnum speedy winger Bruce Wadsworth gathered in a loose ball and out sprinted the cover defence to score out wide.  The conversion failed and Wynnum lead by three points.

With just on 17 minutes left the game was there for taking by both teams and with ten minutes to go Wests drew within one point with a Stewart penalty goal.  

Right on full time Stewart had a chance to win the game for Wests with a shot at penalty goal, however the kick was wide of the posts, much to the relief of the Wynnum Manly supporters.  The man of the match was Ron Milne, who was closely followed by back row forwards Ian Ogbourne, Neil Kingston and Page.  Scrums went to Wynnum 12-10.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 10 (K.Page, B.Wadsworth tries, J.Dowling 2 goals) defeated Wests 9 (W.Stewart try, 3 goals).

 

Round 11 – 13/06/76

Wynnum Manly 12 defeated Valleys 8 (Neumann Oval)

Wynnum Manly have had four wins from the last five starts when they accounted for Valleys 12-8 at Neumann Oval.  The Seagulls took to the field and tackled Valleys out of the game from the opening whistle.

Valleys took first points I the game with a penalty goal to Ian Sommer.  Wynnum then struck back with a good backline try to Ian Boustead after a scrum 35 metres out from the Valleys line and the Seagulls lead 3-2.  Sommer kicked another penalty goal and Valleys went to the halftime break with a lead of 4-3.  Rain effected the first half with conditions very slippery.

Wynnum Manly kicked off to commence the second half and pinned Valleys down in their own quarter with some good defence.  Wynnum regained the lead in the 43rd minute with Ross Nunn kicking a penalty goal from a scrum breach and lead 5-4, but this was to be short lived with Sommer kicking a penalty goal three minutes later.

For the next ten minutes the game swept along at a fast pace with both sides having the opportunities to score tries, but the defence came good at the last moment.

The Seagulls regained the lead in the 57th minute when valleys were penalised from a scrum and Ross Nunn made no mistake with the kick.  Wynnum was now hanging onto a one point lead.

Nine minutes later Valleys clawed back with yet another penalty goal to Sommer to make it 9-8 in favour of Wynnum, but in the dying seconds of the second half Wynnum went on the attack and Warren Orr took the final pass to force his way into the corner to seal the match.  The final siren sounded with Wynnum running out winners 12-8.

Scorers: Wynnum manly 12 (I.Boustead, W.Orr tries, R.Nunn 3 goals) defeated Valleys 8 (I.Sommer 4 goals).

 

Round 12 – 20/06/76

Wynnum Manly 15 defeated Brothers 12 (Lang Park)

Wynnum Manly travelled to Lang Park to meet with Brothers in a hard fought game and accounted for them 15-11 to record their fifth win in the last six games.

Brothers kicked off to commence play with a deep kick and the Seagulls went right onto the attack.  In the fifth minute Wynnum opened their account with a penalty goal by Ross Nunn.  Four minutes later Brothers equalised with a penalty goal to Alan Power,  only to see the Seagulls hit the front four minutes later with another penalty goal by Nunn.  In the 15 minute Brothers tied it up again for all with another penalty goal to Power.

The game then settled down to a fast flowing match with both sides is trying to get on top with a try. In the 25th minute Wynnum was unlucky not to score when the final past when astray.  The Seagulls hit the front when Nunn kicked his third penalty goal.  In the 33rd minute they went to a four point lead when Nunn kicked his fourth penalty goal.

Before half time brothers kicked a penalty goal to make the halftime score a 8-6 in favour of Wynnum.  This half is very tight defensively one which no tries were scored.

Wynnum kicked off to commence the second half and were running with the wind, but it only took Brothers two minutes to put a converted try on the board compliments pf centre Paul Beauchamp and they let 11-6.   For the next 7 to 8 minutes Brothers applied the pressure, but the Seagulls defence held up.

In the 52nd minute Wynnum scored their first try when Neville Hornery put Ron Milne over and with the conversion failing the scores were all tied up 11 all.  It was still anyone’s match but Wynnum looked the better side at this stage.  For the next 10 minutes the game swept across from one end of the field to the other until never Hornery kicked a field goal to put the Seagulls one point in front.

Bob Clapham made a good run down the sideline to put Wynnum on the attack and just after John Dowling scored a try from dummy half, the conversion failed and Wynnum led by four points.

With eight minutes left in the game Wynnum were playing to get back into the Brothers half and score another try to wrap it all up.  Right on full time a scrum packed down team metres from Wynnum’s line, but the Seagulls won the scrum and had run out winners by 15 points to 11.  Overall a great team effort and a good win. 

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 15 (R.Milne, J.Dowling tries, R.Nunn 4 gaols) defeated Brothers 11 (P.Beauchamp try, A,Power 4 goals).

 

Round 13 – 26/06/76

Souths 24 defeated Wynnum Manly 11 (Kougari Oval)

Wynnum Manly came crashing to to the earth when they met Souths going down 24 points to 11 after being down 8-7 at half time.   

A big crowd saw Souths kick off to commence the match and the Seagulls received a penalty in the first minute of play for Souths being inside the five metres.   Just after the tap from the penalty second rower Lew Platz made a good run down the sideline only to be tackled just short of the line.  For the first 10 minutes both sides were mainly in the forwards and the defence was pretty solid.

In the 13 minute the first points went on the board was a penalty goal to south winger Tom Gillogly.  Wynnum kicked off to recommence play and a couple of minutes later John Dowling scored a try from dummy half to put the Seagulls in front.  Ross Nunn made no mistake with the conversion and Wynnum lead 5-2

From the kick off to recommence play forward Kerry Page knocked on and just after Souths has won the scrum John Grant kicked a field goal.  Ten minutes later Souths scored an easy try when there five-eighth stepped out of three half-hearted tackles to run twenty metres Ito score beside the posts.

in the 35th minute Ross Nunn kicked a penalty goal to make the halftime score 8-7 inn Souths favour.  Wynnum were unlucky not to score on two occasions in this half and one run by winger Warren Orr should’ve lead to a try.   Both sides of scored one try peace in this half and ball possession was pretty even.

John Rhodes replaced Greg King at half time and Wynnum looked like getting on top, but it was not to be.   The Seagulls opened the scoring in the second half when Inosi Toga put Warren Orr or over for a try in the corner.  Ross Nunn failed with the conversion and Wynnum were leading 10-8 after 47 minutes.  Five minutes later Neville Hornery put Wynnum an extra point front with a field goal.

From the kick off Wynnum started to attack well and looked set to run in a try but a loose pass went to ground and Souths right winger scooped it up to run 45 metres to score between the posts.  After this try, which was an individual effort like there first, it was all Souths.

Wynnum only trailed by two points at this stage but did not seem to want to get back into the match when Souths scored for another individual try in the 61st minute it was all over.  Even though they were 19 minutes left and Wynnum trailed by seven points, they just couldn’t produce the goods to win.

Nev Hornery was replaced by Neil Kingston and just after Souths kicked a field goal to go to an eight points in front.  Then with three minutes left came the best try the match, and it was scored by Souths halfback John Salter after three Souths players had swept up field with a strong runs and well time passing.

The conversion of this try make the school a 24-11 and Souths favour and they had run out comfortable winners.

Scorers: Souths 24 (J.Salter, M.Brennan, R.Muir, N.Cowell tries, T.Gillogly 5 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 11 (J.Dowling, W.Orr tries, R.Nunn 2 goals, N.Hornery field goal).

 

Round 14 – 04/07/76

Easts 14 defeated Wynnum Manly 13 (Langlands Park)

In a close fought tussle the Wynnum Manly side lost to Easts 14-13 at Langlands Park, after being down 10-4 at halftime.

In the third minute of the match the first points went on the board from a penalty goal to John Dowling for the Seagulls.

Easts kicked off to restart play and four minutes later scored a good backline try to go to the lead 3-2. Wynnum then kept Easts pinned in their own territory and after a scrum penalty to Wynnum Manly, John Dowling kicked the goal to take Wynnum to a 4-3 lead.  The Tigers returned the favour in the 18th minute converting their own penalty goal to Easts back in front.

With the share of the ball favouring Easts and the weight of possession starting to tell, Easts centre Steve Farquhar scored a great backline try which was unconverted,  Easts received another penalty within kicking distance and Wayne Lindenburg made no mistake taking the Tigers to a 10-4 halftime lead.

Their seemed to be more fire in the Seagulls attack when they resumed from the break and moved closer to Easts with another successful penalty goal to John Dowling making the scores 10-6 in the 45th minute.  

This was followed up with an addition penalty goal to Dowling in the 54th minute the scores drew closer at 10-8.

Three minute later Easts prop Geoff Naylor gave Easts more breathing space when he crashed over for a try, which was unconverted with the Tigers now leading 13-8.  This was to remain the scored until with seven minutes left on the clock, Wynnum prop Inosi Toga crashed over for a try, Dowling converted and the scores were all tied up at 13-all.

With two minutes to go the Wynnum Manly crowd had their hearts broken, when the unlikely Geoff Naylor kicked a field goal to take Easts to a one point lead 14-13.

Wynnum attacked the Easts line in the final minute of the game but to no avail, with Easts running out winners 14-13.

Scorers: Easts 14 (J.Callus, S.Farquhar, G.Naylor tries, W.Lindenberg goal, Naylor field goal) defeated Wynnum Manly 13 (I.Toga try, J.Dowling 5 goals).

 

Round 15 – 10/07/76

Wynnum Manly 22 defeated Norths 12 (Lang Park)

Wynnum Manly totally outplayed Norths to run out winners 22-12 at Lang Park, after leading 9-4 at the halftime break.

In the 7th minute a good traditional backline try went on the board for the Seagulls when John Rhodes scored in the corner just after a scrum win.  The conversion failed and Wynnum led 3-0.

In the 22nd minute,  prop forward Inosi Toga drew the defence in around the ruck to put lock forward Neil Kingston over for Wynnum’s second try.  The kick missed and it was 6-0 to Wynnum.

From the kick off Wynnum went straight onto the attacking quickly to play into Norths territory, four minutes later Neil Kingston slipped a ball to Ian Ogbourne for Wynnum Manly’s third try.  The kick was missed again and this took Wynnum out to a 9-nil lead.  This was followed by two penalty goals to Bruce Warwick to make the half time score 9-4 in favour of Wynnum.

Three minutes into the second half Norths struck back with a try to centre Clark Bushnell, Warwick converted the try and the match had started to turn in Norths direction.  This was then followed up by a try to Bruce Warwick and Norths had hit the lead 12-9,  Rhodes also kicked a penalty goal with Norths leading 12-11.

In the 60th minute the Norths defence cracked wide open when Ian Ogbourne took the final pass from the scrum to score his second try of the match, The conversion again failed with Wynnum now leading by two points.  Wynnum were playing far better than Norths scoring four tries to two at this stage but could not land a conversion.  John Rhodes finally kicked a penalty goal that was presented to Wynnum this made the score 16-12 and the match was on knife edge.  John Dowling extended the lead when his put over a field goal, Wynnum now leading 17-12.

John Dowling was doing a great job in winning the majority of the scrums and with the heavy load of possession Inosi Toga and Bob Clapham drew in several norths defenders to send Ian Boustead away for the match winning try to seal the game for the Seagulls 22-12

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 22 (I.Ogbourne 2, J.Rhodes, N.Kingston, I.Boustead tries, J.Rhodes 3 goals, J.Dowling field goal) defeated Norths 12 (C.Bushnell, B.Warwick tries, Warwick 3 goals).

 

Round 16 – 18/07/79

Redcliffe 13 defeated Wynnum Manly 7 (Kougari Oval)

Redcliffe were too strong defeating an under performing Wynnum Manly side 13-7 at Kougari Oval.

Wynnum started off the better of the two teams with the Seagulls winning a scrum 35 metres out from the Redcliffe line, Ron Milne received the ball from the halfback to split the line and out sprint the defence to score beside the posts.  Ross Nunn missed an easy conversion and the Wynnum side skipped out to a 3-nil lead.  This was followed by a penalty goal to Nunn in the 27th minute making the score 5-nil to Wynnum.

A great backline try was scored by Redcliffe’s Chris Wellman in the 31st minute to peg back the Seagulls lead to 5-3.  There were opportunities missed by both teams leading up to the break and this remained the half time score.

In the 43rd minute Redcliffe put the second try on the board, with Wellman scoring a double, this was converted by Ian Pearce and Redcliffe shot out to a 10-5 lead.  Both teams traded penalty goals to make the score 12-7.

The game turned into a defensive struggle with limited chances and with three minutes to go Redcliffe five eighth Steve Williams slotted a field goal to seal the match.  The game was over with Redcliffe winning 13-7 a well deserved victory.

Scorers: Redcliffe 13 (C.Wellman 2 tries, I.Pearce 3 gaols, S.Williams field goal) defeated Wynnum Manly 7 (R.Milne try, R.Nunn 2 goals).

 

Round 17 – 25/07/76

Wynnum Manly 27 defeated Wests 12 (Lang Park)

The Wynnum Manly First Grade side cause a major boil over when they defeated Wests 27-12 at Lang Park in a dominant performance.

Wynnum scored three tries to two in the first half and completely dominated play in the second half with another two tries.  Wynnum opened the scoring in the second minute of play when Nev Hornery broke through the Panthers defence with a dummy to feed Ron Milne who put Warren Orr over for a try and the Seagulls led 3-0.  Six minutes later Wests struck back with a try to John Ribot and Wests now led 5-3.  This was followed by a penalty goal to Geoff Richardson the score was now 7-3.

Wynnum kicked off to restart play and tackled furiously to pin the Panthers in their own territory.  With Nev Hornery completely dominating then out John Rhodes in beside the posts after a dummying run across field.  Ross Nunn made no mistake and this took Wynnum to a 8-7 lead.

The panthers regained the lead in when Ribot crossed for his second try, this was converted by Richardson and the score was 12-8 to Wests.

With one minute left on the clock before the half time break, an up and under from Hornery produced a try for the ever present Ian Boustead, Nunn again converted and Wynnum went into the sheds leading 13-12.

In the 54th minute the Seagulls went in for their fourth try when Nev Hornery put Ron Milne over after a smart run across field. Nunnn kicked the conversion and Wynnum stretched their lead to 18-12.  This was followed by a penalty goal to Ross Nunn two minutes later and the score was 2012 to the Seagulls.

Nev Hornery who was involved in practically everything play that Wynnum was involved in kicked two field goals in the next five minutes to take the score out to a commanding 22-12 lead.

In the 73rd minute Wynnum won a scrum on Wests quarter line and Wynnum Manly halfback Greg Denman scored a individual try from the scrum base.  Ross Nunn made no mistake and Wynnum had run out winners 27-12 in the major upset of the round.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 27 (W.Orr, J.Rhodes, I.Boustead, R.Milne, G.Denman tries, R.Nunn 5 goals, N.Hornery 2 field goals) defeated Wests 12 (J.Ribot 2 tries, G.Richardson 3 goals).

 

Round 18 – 01/08/76

Valleys 11 defeated Wynnum Manly 9 (Kougari Oval)

Wynnum Manly accounted for Valleys 11-9 After scoring three tries to one before a large crowd at Kougari Oval, Wynnum.

For the next 15 minutes both sides defence which resulted in a lot of dropped ball.  Then came a good backline move started by John Rhodes near the halfway line.  Ian Boustead and Ross Nunn combined after the initial break for Mark Luppi to score in the corner.

With five minutes remaining Valleys were awarded a penalty within kicking distance and Ross Strudwick made no mistake, with the halftime score read Wynnum leading 3-2.

In the 46th minute Wynnum went on their way when a clever switch of playas John Rhodes split the defence to runs 40 metres to put John Dowling away to be pulled up just short of the line.  Dowling played the ball quickly with Ian Ogbourne crashing over for a try from dummy half.  This took the Seagulls out to a 6-2 lead.  Ross Strudwick then kicked another penalty goal and it was 6-4 to Wynnum.  this was followed by another penalty goal to Valleys and the scores were locked at 6-all.

Three minutes later the Diehards hit the front when Strudwick scored an individual try, which he converted to take Valleys to the lead 11-6 with five minutes reaming in the game.

With three minutes to go Ian Boustead scored a great team try going through several sets of hands and scoring in the corner.  John Dowling had the opportunity to draw the match with a conversion out wide but missed with Valleys going on the win the match 11-9.

Wynnum were unlucky to lose this match and were the better team throughout scoring three tries to on, however goal kicking proved to be the difference.

Scorers: Valleys 11 (R.Strudwick try, Strudwick 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 9 (M.Luppi, I.Ogbourne, I.Boustead tries, J.Dowling goal).

 

Round 19 – 07/08/76

Souths 19 defeated Wynnum Manly 14 (Lang Park)

After a wonderful second half comeback, Wynnum Manly went down to Souths 19-14 after being down 13 nil at halftime at Lang Park.

Souths ran in three tries to nil in the first half and all of these tries were scored within a 15 minute window.  Souths opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when D,Van de Velde scored and with Tom Gillogly converting the Magpies were up 5-0.  Six minutes later the Magpies were in again with a great backline try in which centre Bruce Astill finished, it was converted and the score was 10-0.  in the 37th minute Gillogly was fed a beautiful ball from John Grant and the teams headed to the sheds with Souths leading 13-0.

Just after the break Souths shot to a 15-0 lead with a penalty goal, the score looked as though it was going to get very ugly, however a minute later Wynnum centre Ian Boustead scored a magnificent 80 metre try which seemed to give the Seagulls some life.

This was followed by a try from the dummy half position when John Dowling scored and put Wynnum within striking distance.  Souths went further in front with another penalty goal to make the scores 17-6 with 20 minutes left until full-time.

A few minutes later Wynnum centre Steve York split the defence but could not get the pass away to offloads which would of finished of the movement.  John Dowling scored his second try from dummy half moments later, he was having a whale of a game also winning the scrums 2 to 1 at this stage.  This try was converted by John Rhodes and Souths lead 17-11.

Three minutes later Greg Denman was the next Wynnum player to join the try scorers, but unfortunately Wynnum was having an off day with the boot and the full-time score was in favour of Souths 19-14.

Wynnum did everything they could to win this vital encounter, they scored four tries to three, won the scrums 16-9 and the penalties also went to Wynnum 12-7.  It looks as though goal kicking practice will be high on the priorities during the week.

Scorers: Souths 19 (D.Van de Velde, B.Astill, T.Gillogly tries, Gillogly 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 14 (J.Dowling 2, I.Boustead, G.Denman tries, J.Rhodes goal).

 

Round 20 – 15/08/76

Wynnum Manly 16 defeated Brothers 14 (Lang Park)

After trailing 6-12 at halftime the Wynnum Manly side rallied to defeat Brothers 16-14 in a cliffhanger at Lang Park.

Brothers opened the scoring with a penalty goal to to Ian Dauth.  For the next few minutes the game was played in Brothers territory when Wynnum were awarded a penalty and Greg Denman equalled the scores at 2-all with a successful penalty goal.  In the 16th minute Nev Hornery kicked a field to put Wynnum slightly in front 3-2.

Then came two quick tries to Brothers, on in the 18th minute to international front rower David Wright and then in the 23rd minute Greg Keane scored this took Brothers to a 12-3 lead.  the only other points scored in the half was a Wynnum Manly penalty goal to Greg Denman which made the halftime score 12-5 in Brothers favour.

When desperately need to put first points on the board to stay in the match and it didn’t take long before Wynnum prop Rod McDougall crashed over the line with three Brothers players hanging onto him.  Greg Denman missed the conversion and the score was 12-8 to Brothers.

Four minutes later Wynnum were in again when the ball shot out to Seagulls winger Mark Luppi, who cleverly stood up all the Brothers defenders and outs printed them to score in the corner.  The conversion attempt from Ross Nunn failed and the Seagulls trailed by one point.

After a period of tight defence from both sides a fight broke out in the 58th minute, Wynnum were awarded a penalty from this incident.  John Rhodes took the line kick and put Wynnum in a wonderful attacking position. From hereWynnum’s captain Nev Hornery ran across the ruck and Cleverly dummied twice, then he brilliantly put Ron Milne under the posts.  The conversion attempt from Ross Nunn was successful and now Wynnum had hit the front by two points.

This was followed by a penalty goal to Ian Dauth which narrowed the gap to two point with the score being 16-14.  Ian Dauth had a chance to draw the match for Brothers with a conversion with little time remaining, but it was waved away.  The final score was Wynnum defeating Brothers 16-14 with the Seagulls still a chance of making the semi-finals.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 16 (R.McDougall, M.Luppi, R.Milne Tries; G.Denman 2 goals, R.Nunn goal, N.Hornery field goal) defeated Brothers 14 (D.Wright, G.Keane tries; I.Dauth 4 goals).

 

Round 21 – 22/08/76

Easts 14 defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (Lang Park)

The Wynnum Manly a grade side ended its hopes of avoiding a play off for fifth spot when they were defeated by Easts 14-12 in a close encounter at Lang Park.  The match was the best seen for a long time and produced some top class football.

Easts kicked off before a crowd of 15,000 people, the first 20 minutes providing plenty of fire with the Seagulls defending grimly when the Tigers won the first five scrums straight thanks to Easts hooker John Lang.  

The only points for the entire half was when Easts John Payne slotted a field goal, with the stone wall Wynnum defence not allowing Easts to  make any leeway.

Then came the second half in which both teams scored three tries.  It also turned into a cliffhanger and provided plenty of tense moments.

The scoring opened in the second half when firebrand second rower Nev Hornery kicked a field goal to level the scores at 1-all.  Two minutes later the Seagulls were in for their first try to winger Warren Orr scored after a great backline raid.  The conversion failed and Wynnum took the lead 4-1.

In the 55th minute Easts scored a try in the corner compliments of N.Nicolau this made the score 9-4 to Easts.  For the next 12 minutes the game hinged around the halfway mark, then in the 68th minute came the try of the match when John Rhodes put Ian Boustaed through a gap and he ran 50 metres to score.  The conversion failed and Wynnum only trailed by two points.

Three minutes later Wynnum hit the front when they played there way into the Tigers territory where Nev Hornery kicked a well placed up and under for Greg Denman to score.  John Dowling converted the try and Wynnum lead 12-9.

Then in the last minute of the match Easts prop Geoff Naylor scored for the Tigers, the try was converted and Easts won 14-12 in a very tight tussle.

Scorers: Easts 14 (J.Lang, N.Nicolau, G.Naylor tries, W.Lindenberg 2 goals, J.Payne field goal) defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (W.Orr, I.Boustead, G.Denman tries, J.Dowling goal, N.Hornery field goal).

 

Playoff for 5th Place – 26/08/76

Souths 17 defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (Lang Park)

The Wynnum Manly A grade side ended its premiership hopes when they went down to Souths 17-12 at Lang Park in the mid week playoff for fifth place.  The teams were locked at 7 all at halftime and it was anyones match right to the end.

The Seagulls let a try go by in the seventh minute of play when Ken Churchill made a break, but there was no player backing up to take advantage of the situation.  Two minutes later Souths centre John Grant finished off a backline move to put Souths first points on the board.  in the 13th minute Wynnum received a penalty and John Dowling had no problems adding the two points.  After this Ken Churchill again split the Magpies defence and brilliantly put John Rhodes in for a try and with John Dowling converting the Seagulls hit the lead 7-3.

Souths winger Tom Gillogly kicked two penalty goals in the remainder of the first half and scores were locked at 7-all ay halftime.

Souths kicked off to commence the second half and kept Wynnum down in their own quarter with some great defence, not long after Souths scored a try compliments of Mal Colwell.  The game then swept from one end of the ground to the other, when John Dowling was presented with the opportunity to kick a penalty goal to narrow Souths lead to 12-9 with 18 minutes of play left in the game.

Souths struck back almost immediately with a try to Euston which was converted to go to an eight point lead.  With eight minutes to go Wynnum’s Ross Nunn scored a smart try between the goalposts and corner flag, unfortunately Dowling failed to add the extras and Wynnum trailed 17-12 with eight minutes remaining.

Souths managed to hang out to the final hooter sounded winding the match 17-12.

Scorers: Souths 17 (J.Grant, M.Colwell, A.Eusson tries, T.Gillogly 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (J.Rhodes, R.Nunn tries, J.Dowling 3 goals).

 

 

 

Match Reports: Wynnum Manly Rugby League Football Club Yearbook 1976

Photo Sources: The Wynnum Manly Rugby League Football Club