By Adam Sheldon

Brothers captain Will Wilson says his side produced some of its best rugby of the season as the competition heavyweights stormed home to beat Norths 48–30, away, in a blockbuster top-of-the-table Hospital Cup clash.

Norths entered the weekend sitting first on the ladder after winning four of their opening five matches and had emerged as the surprise packet of the 2026 season so far.

But Brothers showed why they remain the benchmark of the competition, overturning a 10-point halftime deficit – which extended to 13 points shortly after the interval – to stay unbeaten and move three points clear at the top of the table.

“We are very happy with the result. It was a really tough match, and Norths were really strong in the first half,” Wilson told Rugby News.

“I’m just really happy with our response there in the second half. We really clicked into gear and played some of the best footy of the season to date.”

The visitors again showed their ability to fight back from difficult positions – a trend that has become familiar during their strong start to the year, with the Brethren also coming from behind against Easts and Bond over the past fortnight.

“I think just about every game this season we’ve been down at some point,” Wilson said.

“We’ve got really good depth in our squad at the moment and belief in each other to finish and come home strong in that second half.”

Asked what head coach Ben McCormack’s message was at the break, the 28-year-old said it was “pretty simple”.

“We sort of went away from our game plan in that first half and let Norths take control,” Wilson said.

“We were trying to play too much footy at our own end and once we got back to basics and got our set piece going, it really showed there in the second half.”

Hooker Dom Fraser backed up last week’s double with another brace against the hosts, with Wilson praising the veteran’s “unstoppable” impact this season.

“He can’t be stopped there at the back of the maul at the moment,” Brothers’ captain said. “He’s already scored seven or eight tries this season. It’s really a credit to the whole forward pack and how well our set piece is travelling.”

While Fraser again starred, Wilson singled out Reds second-rower Charlie Brosnan as Brothers’ best on the day.

“Charlie got man of the match and he was very strong for us. He’s been really strong the last couple of games,” he said.

Despite Norths’ loss, Wilson said he was impressed with the hosts and believed they would be “there or thereabouts” at the end of the season.

“They were very strong on the weekend, and I think it’s great to see them as a club going so strongly,” he said.

“At Norths there was probably one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen at a club rugby game. When they’re going strong, it shows how good they can be. I think Norths will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season fighting for that final four.”

Around the grounds

Elsewhere, Bond edged Easts 26–22 on the Gold Coast, with both sides now sitting inside the top four after opening the season with three wins from five matches.

“It was always going to be a 50-50 one to make a call on. It was really tight,” Wilson said.

“I thought it would be a toss of the coin because it looked to be an even contest. Against both of them, we just scraped through with wins.”

Meanwhile, Souths overcame Wests 40–33 to record back-to-back wins after opening the season with four straight losses.

GPS also returned to winning ways with a 31–19 victory over Sunnybank.

Wilson said the latest round again highlighted how even the Hospital Cup competition had become.

“It just goes to show how close the competition is this year,” he said. “Any team can beat the other on their day.”