Seawolves Sign Versatile Forward Marno Redelinghuys

Marno Redelinghuys is lifted up for a lineout during a Houston SaberCats game. Credit: Marno Redelinghuys/Instagram.

The Seawolves’ engine room is getting more domestic in 2026, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be domesticated. Rhyno Herbst, who is gaining domestic status through residency for the upcoming season, will be joined by fellow South African-turned-American Marno Redelinghuys, the team announced Tuesday.

The 6-5, 264.6-pound forward, like Davy Coetzer before him, comes to Seattle from the defunct Houston SaberCats. Redelinghuys has played both lock and flanker during his six years in MLR, offering Seattle versatility in their pack, though it’s likely he will get most of his 2026 playing time as a lock alongside Herbst.

Redelinghuys played 1094 minutes across 17 games in 2025, gaining 379 meters in 104 carries and making 165 tackles. Compared to those who filled that role in 2025, Redelinghuys was more mobile than both Malembe Mpofu and OJ Noa, with 3.6 meters per carry compared to Mpofu’s 1.4 and Noa’s 2.8. 

However, Redelinghuys was booked twice in 2025 and five times over his MLR career, and paired up with Herbst (who has received seven yellows and one red over his five years in MLR), the Seawolves’ locks could produce shorthanded spells of play with guys being sent to the sin bin. Seattle is betting that Redelinghuys’ talent offsets his propensity for getting carded, a wager that does appear quite solid given their new forward’s international pedigree.

The USA Eagles-capped Redelinghuys, unlike Mpofu or Noa, will not use one of the Seawolves’ seven international gameday slots in 2026. MLR’s reduction of international slots in the wake of multiple team departures over the offseason was a decision made to boost domestic talent’s presence in the league, and despite plenty of internationals serving key roles on Seattle’s roster, the team is going with a high-end domestic forward for 2026.