A second half surge has delivered Wests their first victory of the year, with the Bulldogs outclassing Brothers at Crosby Park. 

The Brethren headed to the sheds with a 3-nil lead courtesy of a Lawson Creighton penalty, before Wests ran in four tries in the second stanza to claim a 28-13 win in front of a strong Albion crowd. 

It was Connor Anderson who started the scoring for the Bulldogs, after the skipper sneakily snatched the ball from the base of a scrum to go over the line. 

A superb piece of support play then saw Jono Kent streak away to score in his first game in Wests colours, before tries to Jeremiah Skelton and Ilikena Vudogo put the result beyond doubt for the Bulldogs. 

After securing a late clearance to play, Melbourne Rebels Carter Gordon was a standout, with his kicking game and organisational play proving key, while Super Rugby teammate Jeral Skelton also impressed with some devastating line running in a second half cameo off the bench. 

Reds duo Filipo Daugunu and Ilaisa Droasese showed their class, running rampant in counter attack in the second half as legs began to tire, as did inside centre Isaac Henry who was in perfect form off the kicking tee. 

It marks a second consecutive loss for Brothers to start the season, with the men in the butcher’s stripes lacking their usual polish. 

Flyhalf Lawson Creighton impressed with some jinking runs, as did midfield partner Paddy James, while Will Wilson proved an x-factor off the bench. 

Head coach Brendan Gabbett said it was an improved performance from his side with plenty of work still to do. 

“A better performance from us from week one but we have to convert pressure into points,” Gabbett said. 

“They took their chances when momentum swung.”

Brothers have the bye next round, with Wests hosting Souths.