Brothers First Grade have prevailed against the odds away at Sylvan Road in a top of the table Grand final rematch against Wests at the weekend, taking a 31-12 victory.The result not only cements Brothers as standalone leader at the top of the Hospital Cup table, but sees the club retain the Pilecki-Shaw Trophy and the Bunter Bowl.
The gritty result can be considered one of Brothers best results of the season, with the entire squad standing up in an attacking masterclass against a highly fancied Wests outfit. The Brethren came out of the blocks with a hard and fast style of play, pushing to the wings and dominating both possession and territory in the first thirty minutes, taking a crucial two-try lead early on, before George Tuineau’s game ended with a red card infringement in the 33rd minute. This allowed Wests to come back at score before half time to close the margin to three points.
The men in Butcher’s Stripes were going to need their wits about them in the second half to retain any kind of control over the match, and they did not disappoint after the break, controlling the tempo of the match and scoring opportunistic tries which smothered the home side out of the contest. The final
Stan sport commentator and former Wallaby Nick Frisby, who called the match, was effusive in his praise of the Brothers pack.
“Brothers had no right to win this contest. They were playing away against one of the best attacking teams in the comp, with a hostile crowd and a Wests lineup that would have made any coach concerned. Then big George Tuineau took the red card for what was a fairly well intended but reckless clean out,” said Frisby.
“Despite their red-hot start, I think most people, including me, thought they were gone for all money. But credit to them, they kept finding a way to keep playing their brand of footy in attack, and that just completely choked Wests out of mounting an effective counter,” he said.
It was a true team effort from Brothers, with every member of the team producing a small part of the overall result. However, standout performances from returning Prop Jaiden Christian, Centre Dre Pakeho, and Scrum Half Isaac Tarabay proved to be decisive in keeping Wests on the back foot all day, combining to creatively overcome the set piece deficiencies left through the absence of Tuineau.
Brothers will take on Norths at Crosby Park on Saturday the 25th of May.
