Saturday wrap: Wynnum Manly stays alive in semi-final epic

The teams went to-and-fro until the 29th minute when a Seagulls error off a Jack Campagnolo kick gifted the home side field position, leading to a stunning cutout pass from Albert Kelly to allow Israel Leota to walk it over the try line.

Wynnum Manly halfback Brendan O’Hagan was not about to be outdone, returning his side to the lead with his own mega cutout to put Joshua Simm over the line, with the conversion making it 18-12 at half time.

Souths Logan came out stronger and with the wind behind their backs after the break and started finding ground up the middle.

The Magpies' second phase play off an offload from Cruise Ten ended in that same man scoring under the sticks off a Kelly short ball, levelling the scores in the 50th minute.

The back and forth continued five minutes later when Milson scored his second, backing up after his pass had Talita, who looked well adept at Cup level in his second start of the season, poking his head through the line, and his arms for the offload.

Souths Logan were winning the territory game and soon found themselves on the attack again, this time with Jack Campagnolo taking control, throwing the dummy, slicing through the line and finding Jack Svendsen in support to score and get the teams level again at 24-24.

But it was the Seagulls digging deep when it counted once again to secure the win - the effort at the death giving- captain Luke Gale every reason to believe a grand final berth is possible.

"I think we just keep doing it for each other. It's a big thing for us and that's the second game now in a week where it's come down to the last few minutes and we just seem to keep turning up for each other and getting over the line.

"(Souths Logan) definitely didn't stop. We got out to a great start and they seemed to get the momentum back and got a few points for themselves and I think our middles did really well controlling the ruck, which is something we needed to do.

"Then off the back of that, our, our edges were able to defend as a unit and do their job well, so I think just across the park we were just really working hard for each other."

Gale said it the results reinforced the confidence they have in mixing it with the top teams, which they will need when they battle Burleigh Bears at UAA Park next weekend.

"It definitely builds it. I mean, we've always had confidence," he said.

"I know coming into the finals we had a few losses but there was a lot of lessons to take out of those games and we were never down on confidence.

"We knew we could get the job done and, you know, Souths Logan beat us twice this year and it just shows that when we turn up, we can get the get the win."

Wynnum Manly coach Mat Head said he was proud of the performance, which he felt was coming off the back of the squad's best captain's runs of the year.

It showed in a storming start to the game.

"You could tell we were on, and we had to be gutsy there at the end to try to get the job done because they were coming, Souths, but we get to fight another week, which we're pumped about," Head said.

"Scoring the first two always put you ahead of the game a little bit and they've always got to chase you.

"If they kept going for another five or six minutes, Souths probably score, with how the game was.

"But I'm just super proud of our boys. How we finished the season was no reflection on what we've done in the season and in the first two weeks of the semis, we've played semi-final football and I think that's what's got us a victory in the last two weeks."