Well, the seeding isn’t much more settled after a tumultuous Bells contest.

Let’s dust off our #cheersmick hangovers and cast an eye over the final event of the Australian leg:

Jeremy Flores – OUT (officially)

Flores has recently become a father for the first time, with his longtime partner and French model Hinarani de Longeaux giving birth to a daughter, Hinahei. He has opted to withdraw from the event to spend time with his family.

Take that, Julian.

Kelly Slater – OUT (officially)

Kelly slid his way into the Bells booth to chat with Pete and Ron, letting the surfing world know how his injury is going and talking about the new judging scale (among other things). He hinted his intentions for Margies when he stated:

I told Renato (Hickel) I’m probably not going to be at Margarets – Kelly Slater

Update: Now that the draw is out, we can see that he has confirmed a withdrawal from the event.

Mick Fanning – OUT (until his next wildcard)

Have you heard that Mick was retiring? It’s been a pretty low-key exit, so you may have missed it.

Kelly assured us (see above) that Mick will be back for a wildcard event or two. We’ll also see him in the Founders Cup in May. For now though, he has become MCMUFFIN.

Michael February – IN

We can dry our misty, post-Bells eyes with the knowledge that Mikey Feb, the lowest-scoring surfer at the last event, will take his place on tour permanently. He still looks like somebody who’s learning on the job, but he’s here for the long haul and I get the feeling he’s a quick learner.

Miguel Pupo – IN (officially, for Slater)

The WSL lists Bede Durbidge as the next replacement surfer after Michael February, but we highly doubt he’ll steal Miggy’s chance at another spot.

Update: He’s in the draw, and seeded at #34

Mikey Wright – IN (as WSL wildcard)

Because the main sponsor of the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro is the Western Australia government, they don’t really have a sponsor wildcard. That spot is left to the discretion of the WSL. Last year, Jesse Mendes got a wildcard place as the leader of the QS tour at the time of the event. This year, despite Alejo Muniz leading the QS, the spot has gone to QS #2 and growing Australian surf icon Mikey Wright.

We’re stoked to see him back on tour, and we would wager that few people other than Alejo’s immediate crew are likely to complain.

Trials Winners – TBC (confirmed and updated)

The trials will most likely run in the coming days. We’ll try to update as news comes to hand, but the best way to keep your finger on the pulse is to follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

UPDATE: Dave Delroy-Carr and Kael Walsh have finished 1st and 2nd respectively at the Margies trials event, with both earning a spot in the main draw.

Heat Draw

UPDATE: there have been some big changes, with Flores OUT and two wildcards IN. The updated draw looks like this:

Women’s Event

Mikaela Greene has been added as the women’s wildcard, while Courtney has again been replaced by Macy C.