Wynnum Manly and Redcliffe packs ready for explosive semi-final battle

While he has plenty of respect for the Redcliffe pack and how they’ve led their team throughout the season, he knows the impact his forwards can have and that they will have to stand up to the Dolphins at North Ipswich Reserve.

“We’re expecting them to come out firing really hard,” Bukowski said of Redcliffe.

“We saw that in the last game we played against them. They were unreal and we expect nothing else in this game.

“They’re a really big, physical pack … fast, physical and strong. We’ll have to be on our A-game otherwise they’ll pull our pants down.

“We want to play against a big pack like Redcliffe. They’ve been spoken about all year as the benchmark and that’s what excites us as a forward pack, to take it to them.”

Bukowski himself has been hailed as a guiding light for the Wynnum Manly pack this year.

Coach Jesse Maclean said the team identified after their last trial match that if they wanted to be a force this year, they needed to go together as a pack, not individuals.

He said Bukowski has led this mindset to help the Seagulls get where they are today.

“Our forwards, they really get along and they care about each other and you can see it in the way they play their football,” Maclean said.

“Cam has really pushed that. He’s quite an intelligent kid and footballer and he figured out all our forwards bring something different and we have to bring it together to make it work.

“We can’t be rowing our own boats and he’s really led that.”

And that union between the Seagulls pack is certainly obvious to opposition teams.

For Redcliffe, when they look at the threats Wynnum Manly’s pack pose ahead of Saturday, coach Scott Tronc said it is the way they come together and don’t give in.

“They’re pretty evenly matched,” Tronc said of the two forward packs.

“Both sides are at the top because of their consistency and it will be a good contest through the middle.

“Wynnum Manly’s forwards are competitive, they run hard, they get together. They’ll be right in front of you the whole time.”

Dolphins skipper Michael Waqa echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying Wynnum “don’t give up and go hard”.

But as the leader of the pack and the Redcliffe team, he is confident if his side prepare for the relentless nature of the Seagulls and focus on the “small things”, they will be in with a strong chance to progress to the grand final on Sunday, April 23.

Redcliffe haven’t played in a Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup finals series since 2017 and Waqa said the whole team are proud to represent the club at this level.

They also hold just one premiership from back in 2013 and Waqa said he wants to help the Dolphins' under 18s make history.

“I feel like we’re ready and excited,” he said ahead of this weekend.

“It would mean a lot to go to the grand final. Redcliffe (Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup) hasn’t had the best history so we’re very excited for the club.

“We’re excited for us too. For me, I’d be very excited to win a (Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup) premiership if we can make it all the way.”