One of the great BRL rivalries will reconvene on Sunday as the Souths Logan Magpies take on the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls at the BMD Kougari Oval.
Round 17 will double as the Mitch Cronin Cup.
Mitch died tragically in his backyard pool in 2020 at the age of 27, having taken a dip after a weights session. He had built a burgeoning career, captaining the Seagulls in the Queensland Cup Grand Final in 2019. He was knocking on the door of the NRL, the Broncos and Raiders having invited him for training runs. Everybody around Mitch held him in the highest esteem as a leader and modest man who was fearless on the field.
The decision to celebrate Mitch’s life when his two BRL clubs played each other was made. He played at Souths Logan and scored 19 tries in 31 games.
The number 9 from both teams being ceremonially absent to commemorate Mitch’s number.
He played his 100th game for the Seagulls in 2019.
The game this Sunday features the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 5th place and the Souths Logan Magpies in 11th, but both teams are in a quagmire. The Magpies having secured two wins from the last five. The Seagulls having had one win and a draw in the last five games. The Magpies just got home with a late field goal from Brandon Finnegan against the Brisbane Tigers last week-end, after a Harry Walters hat trick of tries.
The Seagulls went down to the Sunshine Coast Falcons after leading until the final three minutes only to leak a Thallon Peters try from a Cody Hunter high bomb, which Hunter converted to steal a crucial win from Wynnum, 14-10. Connor Broadhurst being sin-binned on 75 minutes didn’t help Wynnum’s cause.
The Mitch Cronin Cup kicks off on Sunday at 2.10pm.
